Commission to outlaw 'shoulder charge'

[adamkungl]

kmav put your head in a toaster champ, kill yourself.

Who gives a shit what doctors say, if it was up to them no one would play contact sports to begin with.

 

[Springs]

informing players of the dangers does not remove litigation and legal responsibility.

the advice from all 16 club doctors basically means any player can sue for damages due to shoulder charges...if they are not banned...

Informing players?

I'm 65kg and play rugby league every Sunday for my local side. I run straight at 120kg props every week. What do you think when someone 'informed me of the dangers'? Do you think I might have said no shit? All tackles cause damage. Every rugby league player signs up to get smashed every week. Factory workers don't sign up to swim in chemicals. If you are worried about damages then the very game should be banned. Hindmarsh has a shitload of ailments due to playing rugby league. Not from shoulder charges though.

Point is, unless you are an idiot you don't go running at huge men looking to slam you to the ground without knowing you might be hit in the head, even though the act is banned.

 

[kmav23]

The nrl will announce this ban before next season.

Once the doctors and lawyers have spoken.

 

[docbrown]

Channel 9 just showed a 2 minute package of shoulder charges before the Bulldogs vs Sea Eagles game...

 

[The Eagle]

Channel 9 just showed a 2 minute package of shoulder charges before the Bulldogs vs Sea Eagles game...

Perhaps they are giving it a farewell

 

[docbrown]

Perhaps they are giving it a farewell

Perhaps they're hinting not to get rid of something that automatically lends itself to a highlights reel...

 

[The Eagle]

Perhaps they're hinting not to get rid of something that automatically lends itself to a highlights reel...

Hope so mate, hope so

 

[El Diablo]

Channel 9 just showed a 2 minute package of shoulder charges before the Bulldogs vs Sea Eagles game...

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/n...-rather-than-ban/story-e6frfgbo-1226466767400

 

[docbrown]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/n...-rather-than-ban/story-e6frfgbo-1226466767400

Indeed. You notice that the players are the ones who are advocating the correct balance -

"It's a touchy subject," he said. "Personally, I think there's a lot of (video) highlights now and the NRL ...it's all the shoulder charge.
"If they can manage it (the shoulder charge) a bit more than they're doing now, without stamping it out altogether, that would be good.

 

[BunniesMan]

It's going to become extinct. Without being outright banned with the increase in suspension severity it's just not worth the risk. There could be 3 inches between a highlight reel or a month suspension.

 

[El Diablo]

don't go near the head and you're fine

not hard

 

[kmav23]

As i predicted before the game has no choice but ban the shoulder charge and install stricter guidelines in recovery.

The NFL court cases in the hundreds will set precedent for all League as players will sue if they suffered brain damage in the future as they were often let the player keep on playing after being knocked out.

- all 16 club doctors telling the nrl to ban it
- rugby has also banned it
- ex players are now suffereing brain damage affects


http://www.news.com.au/national/heading/story-fndo4ckr-1226479109779


STATE of Origin great Willie Carne says football has become so dangerous that he does not want his children to risk the massive head injuries he suffered.

As the sporting spotlight falls on the NRL and AFL finals, doctors are warning head knocks could have long-term health implications.

Carne, who was knocked out a dozen times and now suffers short-term memory loss, says he would prefer his two young sons play golf.

His concerns are backed by former Broncos teammate and Australian captain Darren Lockyer, who is calling for the banning of the shoulder charge and the introduction of independent doctors to monitor concussed players.

Their comments come as more than 3000 former gridiron players in the US have joined a class action lawsuit against the NFL over football-related head traumas

Carne, 43, once regarded as the world's best rugby league winger, lined up for the Broncos 136 times and starred in 12 Origin battles and 10 Tests for Australia.


Former rugby league player Willie Carne says he has fears for his sons Will, 4, and Jed, 2, if they take up the game. Picture: Glenn Barnes

He says he was knocked out "a dozen times" playing league and then rugby union for the Queensland Reds.

"My short-term memory these days is terrible," he said.

"Based on what I went through, I don't want my kids to play footy. I'd rather they did something safer like tennis and golf.

"Will is 4 1/2 and Jed is 2 1/2 and in another couple of years Will is probably going to want to play footy with his mates.

"But parents and the administrators have to protect players especially the kids with stronger guidelines and laws. I'd rather my boys didn't play football at all."


Australian Medical Association president Dr Steve Hambleton said concussions suffered by footballers were "a ticking time bomb" and expected many ex-players to present with signs of brain injuries in years to come.

"What we're seeing in America will likely start to occur here," he said. "Players are now bigger, stronger and faster than ever. The collisions are like car accidents. But the brain does not become any more resilient to blows.

"Rugby league television ads featuring massive hits are appalling and officials really need to tighten their rules on things like the shoulder charge. It's no stretch of the imagination to suggest a player could be killed getting hit by one of those.

"Make no mistake a concussion is a serious brain injury. Sport should not be about how much damage you do it should be about the positive aspects the strength, speed and agility."

Lockyer writes in his column in The Courier-Mail today that "the shoulder charge just has to go".


Darren Locker wants the shoulder charge banned.

"People who played 20 years ago will say we are going soft, but the impacts are more intense," he writes.

"Mums aren't going to put their kids into rugby league if we see hits like these shoulder charges in recent months.

"Players are getting concussed multiple times a season and it adds up over time."

Dr Chris Hatherly, the national research manager for Alzheimer's Australia, told The Courier-Mail there was "conclusive evidence" repeated head injuries dramatically increased the risk of developing Alzheimer's and dementia, with a severe concussion increasing the risk by 4.5 times.

Carne said he was "sickened" by rugby league highlights showing massive hits and players knocked cold.


Richmonds' Ben Griffiths gets carried off after crashing to the ground during an AFL match earlier this year. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper

"Rugby league should be promoting the magic of the game, not the physical damage," he said.

"Kids see blokes being flattened and think it's awesome. They don't realise the long-term damage that hits like that can cause."

Carne switched from league to rugby union in 1997 but says it was no safer. "I got knocked out at the Reds as well.

"I'd undergo a heap of tests after I had concussion and I seemed to be OK but you don't know what's going to evolve 10 years down the track."

Former South Sydney premiership winner and coach George Piggins, one of the toughest men to ever play rugby league, has also called for the banning of the shoulder charge after Rabbitohs player Greg Inglis was suspended for three weeks for flattening Dragons player Dean Young.

"If they don't do something about it, someone will die," Piggins told The Courier-Mail.

"I used to have a reputation as a tough player but, mate, I went out there to play footy, not to kill someone."[/COLOR]

 

[Sackyhack]

They should ban all tackles!!!!

The rule should be that the defensive player has to catch the man with the ball and kiss him before he can pass it!

(A rule change like that might even see a reversal of a trend, and have more AFL players coming into league instead of the other way around......:lol::lol::lol

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Ban this thread.

 

[BunniesMan]

People with the inability to think long term do not see the potential problems on the horizon. Wait till a handful of players launch a class action lawsuit. Then maybe you'll understand. The spear tackle was outlawed and the game survived, the game is bigger than the shoulder charge, it does not need the shoulder charge.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Ban this tard.

 

[Sackyhack]

In all seriousness, any head high tackle is already banned. By making the blanket statement that shoulder charges are now banned, will only bring up more interpretation confusion.

What would constitute a shoulder charge? Leading with the shoulder? Do the arms need to wrap around also, and if so, by how much before the shoulder comes into contact? Are shoulder charges only where the player launches themselves? etc etc

I've seen plenty of front-on tackles which wouldn't be classed as a classic shoulder charge (i.e. defensive player standing square to the runner and arms stretched out to go around the player); but where the shoulder is the first thing to make contact; and it makes contact with the head. Plenty of these front-on tackles which make contact with the head are just as devastating to the player on the receiving end, then if they were hit by a player standing side on with their arm down to the side (classic shoulder charge).

Any contact to the head needs to be treated more harshly and consistently; even the most accidental of head contact by a player with the cleanest rap sheet should be a min 2 week ban, even with an early guilty plea. Then move up from there based on severity/priors etc. The players/coaching staff etc will then sort themselves out to avoid those bans at all costs.

 

[kmav23]

In all seriousness, any head high tackle is already banned. By making the blanket statement that shoulder charges are now banned, will only bring up more interpretation confusion.

What would constitute a shoulder charge? Leading with the shoulder? Do the arms need to wrap around also, and if so, by how much before the shoulder comes into contact? Are shoulder charges only where the player launches themselves? etc etc

I've seen plenty of front-on tackles which wouldn't be classed as a classic shoulder charge (i.e. defensive player standing square to the runner and arms stretched out to go around the player); but where the shoulder is the first thing to make contact; and it makes contact with the head. Plenty of these front-on tackles which make contact with the head are just as devastating to the player on the receiving end, then if they were hit by a player standing side on with their arm down to the side (classic shoulder charge).

Any contact to the head needs to be treated more harshly and consistently; even the most accidental of head contact by a player with the cleanest rap sheet should be a min 2 week ban, even with an early guilty plea. Then move up from there based on severity/priors etc. The players/coaching staff etc will then sort themselves out to avoid those bans at all costs.

Same rules as Rugby has now, the game will survive.

When all 16 club doctors say ban them, i cant see any other option.

From a legal and Medical aspect they should be banned.

Then game is brutally tough... already

 

[umina panther]

Shut up you soft prick

 

[clarency]

As has most likely been brought up already, while the shoulder charge might be appealing to watch it is at its core a skill-less act.

Call me the minority but I prefer the technique of a good tackle.