PLEASE NRL DON'T FOLLOW US BRITS WITH THIS.

[Dark Corner]

 

[The Great Dane]

Anybody that's done even a cursory level of reading into the subject knows that these changes will do little to nothing to prevent CTE or other forms of brain damage and cognitive decline associated with contact sports. Admittedly I haven't done a deep dive into the RFL's reasoning for this, but from what I can tell they don't seem to have even considered subconcussive impacts or other similar conditions, repeated exposure to which can be just as damaging as concussions over time and this will do absolutely nothing to prevent.

Look I'm all for making the sport safer within reason, but there's a point at which people need to accept the risks associated with some activities, and frankly this doesn't seem to genuinely be about protecting people. It seems to be about creating a facade of increased safety for PR reasons, which is totally the wrong way to address these kinds of issues. You're effectively lying to people about the safety of the sport at that point, a bit like a bungee jumping company claiming they've invented a cord that cannot snap.

If I was the NRL I'd refuse to participate in matches with the RFL's teams under these rules and attempt to engage in a dialogue with the RFL about coming up with a solution that both parties can agree on.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

The RFL agrees to lower tackle height for all levels from 2025

Tackling above the armpit will be outlawed at all levels of rugby league in England from 2025 to reduce the risk of head contact.

www.bbc.com

 

[Wb1234]

Aru has adopted it lmao

 

[Perth Red]

only a matter of time, I agree personal responsibility needs to come into play more but litigation threats mean sport is going to keep going the safest possible route. For high contact sports it means a significant change to the fabric of the game.

 

[Wb1234]

So nrl players going to stop boxing in the off season

and all the other crap they do that fries their brains

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

Eventually it will be nothing above the middle torso, then the waist, then contact is gone altogether, because the media will not stop scaring the shit out of soccer mums, and the lawyers will not stop circling like sharks. Oh and of course, the NRL will not stop being cowards terrified by/obsessed with PR.

The saddest part is they won't realize before it's too late that the lawsuits weren't what they should have been afraid of. I guess they're already desensitized to seeing empty seats at Accor.

 

[Wb1234]

Ufc is more popular than ever

nrl has done more than enough re concussion and cte

 

[SpaceMonkey]

So nrl players going to stop boxing in the off season

and all the other crap they do that fries their brains

lol don’t be silly

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

I’m ok to give it a go, see if it improves the game as much as alleged safety reasons.

 

[_Johnsy]

Eventually it will be nothing above the middle torso, then the waist, then contact is gone altogether, because the media will not stop scaring the shit out of soccer mums, and the lawyers will not stop circling like sharks. Oh and of course, the NRL will not stop being cowards terrified by/obsessed with PR.

The saddest part is they won't realize before it's too late that the lawsuits weren't what they should have been afraid of. I guess they're already desensitized to seeing empty seats at Accor.

What an absolute load of horseshyte. How about leaving the hysteria at the door, just for once.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

The good clean tidy tackle around the ankles, that wraps the guy up is still good footy.

Often gets a clap from the crowd because it illustrates skill.

Big boofs running in, chicken wing, squirrel grip and hip drop etc, zzz.

Congratulations, the 5 of you, you’ve actually stopped him, well f**king done, club award nite stuff.

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

The tackle at 1.45, if the player attempts a "legal" tackle he will end up copping an elbow into the head, stupid rule..

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

The good clean tidy tackle around the ankles, that wraps the guy up is still good footy.

Often gets a clap from the crowd because it illustrates skill.

Big boofs running in, chicken wing, squirrel grip and hip drop etc, zzz.

Congratulations, the 5 of you, you’ve actually stopped him, well f**king done, club award nite stuff.

Don't know how a tackle around the ankles wraps the guy up? You don't see tackles around the ankles anymore as the first contact as the attacker is able to get the pass away and create 2nd phase play.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

Don't know how a tackle around the ankles wraps the guy up? You don't see tackles around the ankles anymore as the first contact as the attacker is able to get the pass away and create 2nd phase play.

You see it occasionally, especially on the flanks.

Fans like it.

Here’s an example:


This was well below the armpits, no one got hurt.

@soc123_au and I describe this as footy poetry.

Clean, hard and pure.

We should be showcasing the nrl in England. Bring a whole round over to share with our beloved brothers and sisters from the old country.

“Consummate the game” at an international level.

Right @This Year? ?

 

[Perth Red]

Ufc is more popular than ever

nrl has done more than enough re concussion and cte

UFC doesn’t feel the need to attract 100k kids to participate in it

 

[Wb1234]

UFC doesn’t feel the need to attract 100k kids to participate in it

Lucky we have png

 

[The Great Dane]

only a matter of time, I agree personal responsibility needs to come into play more but litigation threats mean sport is going to keep going the safest possible route. For high contact sports it means a significant change to the fabric of the game.

I could accept that except for one fact; this change will do effectively nothing to prevent concussions from occurring and even less to prevent CTE and brain damage.

The only real impact this change might have some impact on is preventing contact to the head of ball carriers in upright tackles. In any other situation it's impact will be negligible at best and anybody with experience will tell you that the tackler is more at risk of concussion than the attacking player anyway, and that going low is just as dangerous for them, if not more so, as going high in a tackle.

That's before we even start discussing the fact that you can suffer MTBI without ever showing any symptoms, and that concussions aren't the only brain injuries that can cause CTE and other similar impact related brain injuries.

So there's nothing safer about this route, it's just going to create a bunch of other problems for the sport.

 

[The Great Dane]

UFC doesn’t feel the need to attract 100k kids to participate in it

Depends how you define an MMA participant.

Collectively all the martial arts and combat sports would easily have more than 100k kids participating, and a percentage of those will go on to participate in MMA bouts and a percentage of those will go pro just like any other sport.

 

[The Great Dane]

What an absolute load of horseshyte. How about leaving the hysteria at the door, just for once.

Nah there's definitely an element of the slippery slope to this stuff.

I'm not saying that contact sports will necessarily be banned or anything, though I wouldn't say that's impossible either, but small changes like this will escalate just like it inevitably does with any other controlled activity.