Looking at the ‘Shoulder Charge’. Hopefully sensible comment.
It was introduced to stop the shoulder being used to crash into the heads of players. I think it was a knee jerk rule application where players were throwing themselves shoulder cocked up to the high chest area to knock a ball carrier off his feet. It was being mistimed and players were copping shoulder hits higher in the neck and head.
However, you can charge in with a big swinging arm and knock the ball carrier into 2030 as long as it doesn’t hit the neck or head. The swinging arm and shoulder charge are hardly different in effect if timed correctly.
But the shoulder charge mainly with Rava this year ( only ?) was interrupted as any shoulder force in a tackle to anywhere on the body without an arm wrap, albeit that Rava‘s last guilty verdict for around the legs, was because his arm wrap was ‘belated’ ( good grief).
My view is that whether it’s a shoulder first or swinging arm it’s ok, but if it collects the head your gone.
Nathan Cleary and Rava’s last egregious judiciary verdict were not real ‘shoulder charges’. BTW many kick off returns usually carry some form of shoulder bracing against the collision. Good luck to Nathan if he gets off or little fine slap. Wether it’s him or Rava I don’t want stupid judiciary determinations. I don’t think Hook was after Cleary just smarting and annoyed at the farce of the tragic round and almost instant retreat thereafter and biting his tongue as his power running winger was rubbed out for 4 weeks for an around the legs tackle.
Finally, the whole judiciary system desparately needs an overhaul. It’s perceived by many fans as comprised and biased whether that’s true or not true, open to possible manipulation via determination of types of no charges or yes charges and particularly grading. Then there is discounts, prior offences, early pleas the same small group are judge and jury ( we have a court system that selects juries for a case from a different and wide spread cross section of community).