The shoulder charge debate thread

[Renowned League Expert]

Who the hell coached you. You are taught to use your shoulder in the act of making a tackle. Very different. No coach would coach Evans hit on Kasiano. Not any decent ones anyway.

I think you've completely missed my point. That is, a tackle involving your shoulder is not a shoulder charge.

 

[Maximus]

Did anyone else see the other article where the brother basically called out Sterlo and told him to walk through the halls of their house and look at photos of his brother etc.?

Like I know the family is hurting and I obviously sympathise with them but I think this is getting a bit ridiculous now. Might be time for them to take a back seat from this for a while.

Anyone who thought the NRL was capable of pulling this off with the clarity and nuance required of such a change has rocks in their head.

It was a bad idea to begin with, and they've absolutely cocked it up beyond any reasonable level.



Yep.

Yes, exactly. You didn't see Phillip Hughes' family carry on like that; they accepted it for what it was -- horrible luck, and a one in a million occurrence. I hope Sterlo doesn't back down, cause he's done or said nothing wrong.

Why do you 3 have the right to comment and they don't? Both sides are arguing from a position of emotion, so to suggest they should just keep quiet because you disagree with them is pathetic.

The Ackerman family have just as much right as anyone to comment without being told they should just take a back seat.

Then you'll have no difficulty explaining why the analogy doesn't fit.

Hughes was hit by a legal delivery, whereas Ackerman was killed by an illegal hit. The debate about making the shoulder charge legal arose again after Ackerman died.

The only similarity between the 2 incidents is that both players died as a result.

If Hughes had died as a result of an illegal ball (lets say a beamer), and afterwards commentators said we should make beamers legal, then the analogy might fit, but that isn't what happened.

 

[Miller was a legend]

I have a novel idea.

Rule is the rule, no shoulder charge of any kind with arm beside body or cocked. That's it.

Just don't do it!

 

[t-ba]

Best rule eva!!!

 

[adamkungl]

And another shit decision which will cost a player a week. This rule is trashing Rugby League every game.

 

[chrisD]

Stupidity.

And it's different because in cricket they have a bat and in rugby league they play with a Steeden. Therefor when a freak occurance happens in both sports the professional reaction from the administration and reasonabbleness of one sport's fans to maintain the integrity of their sport can not be compared to the other using irrational emotionally charged nonsense to shit on theirs.

 

[Rod]

Why do you 3 have the right to comment and they don't? Both sides are arguing from a position of emotion, so to suggest they should just keep quiet because you disagree with them is pathetic.

The Ackerman family have just as much right as anyone to comment without being told they should just take a back seat.

They have the right to comment, and I have the right to say what I think about those comments. If you want to put those sort of comments in the public domain then everyone doesn't have to just shut up and accept everything that is said.

I personally thought what they said, especially bringing Sterlo into it personally, was out of order.

 

[adamkungl]

Fox commentators are blowing up about it and rightfully so.

The original ban was shit. The mandatory charge crackdown is turning into a complete farce, a disaster for the NRL when all talk should be on the finals.

If you want to know why lifelong fans are losing enthusiasm, here it is. Deny it all you want.

 

[NrlCoach]

Our new David Gallop. at leased Gallop didnt *** up the on field product

 

[Liddell]

It will ruin the finals. You can see it a mile away

 

[Pete Cash]

It was a bit rough because rapana did a full on shoulder charge later on and the refs missed it.

 

[Renowned League Expert]

The NRL just needs to admit that they got things badly wrong -- again -- and go back to a sensible rule, ie. you can use your shoulder to tackle, but if you hit someone in the head, you'll be suspended. It's all that ever needed to happen. Hysteria about whiplash and G-force velocity is so much lawyer-talk bullshit. We don't need lawyers in the game, full-stop.

 

[adamkungl]

It will ruin the finals. You can see it a mile away

But but player safety!

 

[adamkungl]

The NRL just needs to admit that they got things badly wrong -- again -- and go back to a sensible rule, ie. you can use your shoulder to tackle, but if you hit someone in the head, you'll be suspended. It's all that ever needed to happen. Hysteria about whiplash and G-force velocity is so much lawyer-talk bullshit. We don't need lawyers in the game, full-stop.

They can't even backtrack without at least Greenberg's head rolling.

He and Smith have come out at every opportunity and said how dangerous the thing is - how will they look if they bring it back? They've dug themselves a colossal hole every time they've made any kind of move on this.

 

[Pete Cash]

That said the refs penalised Josh Hodgson for tackling a bloke around the ribs and that doesn't even get a mention. The refs are just terrible why wouldn't they bungle the shoulder charge rule

 

[Card Shark]

I have a novel idea.

Rule is the rule, no shoulder charge of any kind with arm beside body or cocked. That's it.

Just don't do it!

Don't speak too soon, we haven't played yet.

What happens if Ennis does 1?

 

[yawn]

There's already 20 years of shoulder charge highlights you can look at. No need for more.

 

[Card Shark]

It will ruin the finals. You can see it a mile away

It is already having an impact on them.

 

[adamkungl]

Wonder if the hypocrite fans of this rule are worried about the G-forces and whiplash in some of the hits from Kasiano in this game...

 

[Renowned League Expert]

They can't even backtrack without at least Greenberg's head rolling.

He and Smith have come out at every opportunity and said how dangerous the thing is - how will they look if they bring it back? They've dug themselves a colossal hole every time they've made any kind of move on this.

Oh, there's no way they'll backtrack. It takes a big man to admit he's wrong, and Smith and Greenburg are small men. Tiny, as the case may be.

No, they'll just keep painting themselves into a smaller and smaller corner.