The High Tackle Crackdown

[Yosh]

Totally random but in the Roosters and Panther's game, one of the Roosters' lads got 10 in the bin for forearming Nathan Clearly as he was slipping and falling to the ground. So far our players have been really disciplined but I would hate for us to go a man down in a game we need to win to make the 8 this year.

Anyone else think those sin bins for players who hit someone falling over should be removed? Frustrating to watch to be honest.

 

[aqua_duck]

The inconsistency of the crackdown is beyond ridiculous, the explanation given tonight be Ashley Klein was confusing. Firstly the NRL clearly stated the role of refs was different from that of MRC in that they weren't to take circumstances and mitigation into consideration then tonight you had Klein opt for the sin bin citing "no mitigating factors", so are refs going to consider mitigating factors contrary to the initial stance of the NRL, secondly Cleary slips over which is an obvious mitigating factor.
The crackdown was never going to be a success when you have such incompetence, inconsistency and an obvious disconnect within the refereeing ranks

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Sin bins & send offs should be used for avoidable contact with the head only. Not incidental contact with the head.

I’m all for the game trying to correct tackle technique so that less head high tackles occur but I also don’t want to see a game where players are scared to tackle above the waist for fear of punishment. The problem is that there are always accidents that are not a result of tackle technique at all such as when the ball runner slips and falls into a shoulder or arm of a tackler. Its really harsh to send someone off or to the bin for that.

My biggest gripe as well is we have yet to see a proper send off in a meaningful game with two of the big teams involved. Look at what happened last weekend with that broncos player being sent off, imagine that happening on grand final day... it won’t happen. Not that I want to see that but I still think they’re using some of the lower table teams and some of the meaningless games to punish players and show that these rules are in place but as if they’re going to actually do it on the big stage.

 

[Burwood]

Not only was Cleary falling, but the tackler had his arms down- he wasn’t going in with a swinging arm or anything.

The send off of Kobe Herherington last week was even more confusing.

www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/broncos/nrl-news-kobe-hetherington-brisbane-broncos-send-off-video-referee-penalty-suspension/news-story/0f65d2d8dd519cf2877074837346db21

 

[Jono078]

No issue with a crackdown on high shots but yeah consistency has been an issue. There also needs to be margin of error/accidents considered. Contact to the head regardless of how is not the way to go, causes too much frustration.

No doubt they'll review this and change it when it f**ks Origin or a finals game up.

 

[Zoidberg]

I’m also of the opinion that it’s good they want to get rid of head shots but they are inconsistent and look at it in black and white…sometimes.
Attacking players dodge and weave and try not to get tackled, that’s the point. To get your body where the tackler doesn’t expect it to be. That or slips or trips can get your head into a position in less than a second giving the defender no chance to not make a tackle where they thought it was safe.
As was mentioned, I think we have been pretty disciplined with the crackdown so far, hopefully we can keep it up and not have it cost us a match.

 

[NoSchitSherlock]

Sucks the way it is going now but liability will ensure it keeps going that way.

 

[Yosh]

Good to see us defend well with only 12 men. Looks like we did prepare during training. Feels like we are slowly becoming a proactive club now.

OR, Fitz is that useless it literally doesn't matter if he is on the field or not.

 

[Knight76]

Most concussions happen to the tackler, not the attacking player.

Vlandy cant stop those.

Though I think you will see a crackdown on attacking players raising their forearm running in to tackles. If they contract an opponent head, it will be a penalty.

And likely don't argues to the face/head will follow.

 

[Knight Tales]

The speed of the game will eventually see bigger numbers on the benches. It is inevitable. The game’s speed is the main cause of defender concussions. They are knackered and running on pure will.

 

[Yosh]

I'm not sure what everyone thinks of Vlandys on here but I understand the reason why he is doing it. The idea behind it has been good but the implementation has been horrendous.

The crackdown should have started during preseason or at least after a series of meetings/discussions with the best minds in the game. Starting it Magic Round without any time for the players and coaches to adjust was purely asking for confusion.

Do I like the crackdown? No. Do I think it's working? No. Is it ruining the Game? Not really but it is ruining many games. Is it the biggest issue in the NRL in 2021? No. The biggest problem is the gulf between the top 5-6 teams and the rest. I think it's a much larger issue and something thr NRL needs to work on more than the crackdown.

 

[Jono078]

Really like what Vlandys has been able to do for us so far, but I agree I don't like the sudden implementation of big changes.

On one hand I like that he is on the ball and doesn't waste time, but something like this should be introduced in the off-season IMO.

 

[Burwood]

The speed of the game will eventually see bigger numbers on the benches. It is inevitable. The game’s speed is the main cause of defender concussions. They are knackered and running on pure will.

I don’t think the number of players concussed is any different to previous seasons. The biggest difference is that now players are no longer staying on the field and the HIA protocols are much more stringent.

The NRL went to great lengths a few months back to highlight the stats that showed how rule changes and the speed of the game had not seen an increase in player injuries.