Wayne Bennett's warning on shoulder charge ban
Peter Badel
The Sunday Mail (Qld)
December 15, 2012 11:00PM
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Knights coach Wayne Bennett. Picture: Liam Driver Source: The Daily Telegraph
WAYNE Bennett has warned the ARL Commission is wading into a minefield by banning the shoulder charge, saying the landmark decision could create more problems than it solves.
And the master coach also applauded the NRL's elite for their more militant stance on player rights, dismissing suggestions they have been greedy in their push for increases to the salary cap and the game's award wage.
The NRL's competition committee have enlisted Bennett and Broncos legend Darren Lockyer seeking input on the shoulder charge and to help interpret what constitutes an illegal tackle under the revised laws for the 2013 premiership.
The committee, which includes new referees boss Daniel Anderson, met for almost five hours during the week and are expected to present recommendations on the shoulder charge to the ARLC, which will hold its final meeting for the year on Tuesday.
The code's governors outlawed the shoulder charge last month in the interests of player safety, sparking a major backlash, but Bennett fears the beefed-up stance will only create more headaches next season.
The proposed new shoulder-charge interpretation is set to be road-tested in February's Indigenous All Stars clash, in which Bennett will be NRL All Stars coach.
"This one won't be as simple as they (the ARL Commission) think," Bennett told The Sunday Telegraph.
"I don't want it outlawed. When they did the research I told them I didn't want it outlawed, but they went ahead and banned it anyway.
"I and the clubs haven't seen how the NRL will interpret the shoulder charge so there are lots of challenges out there for us.
"They just say ban the shoulder charge. But did the player use it as a defensive weapon or did he use it as a form of protection? Was it a last-ditch effort to save a try in a grand final?
"No one knows what the rules are going to be on the shoulder charge."
One of the vexing issues in particular is the point of contact, with Bennett arguing there can be subtle differences between a legitimate shoulder charge and one that is now deemed illegal.
The former Broncos and Queensland mentor says in his three decades of coaching, he has rarely seen a reckless shoulder charge that caused serious injury.
"Coaches don't coach it in the NRL, it's a high-risk play," Bennett said.
Bennett said he was pleased to see NRL stars getting results at the negotiating table, with the minimum wage set to increase from $55,000 to $80,000 and the salary cap expected to rise to $5.8 million for next season.
"I've never found the players to be overly greedy, you might get the odd one but as a group they aren't greedy," he said.
"That's why I never expected them to boycott the All Stars game."
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...ulder-charge-ban/story-e6frep5x-1226537553536
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