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War on grapple won: NRL
Glenn Jackson | August 20, 2007
THE NRL has claimed victory in the war on the grapple tackle, with match review commissioner Greg McCallum yesterday maintaining the league had taken a major step towards eradicating the controversial tactic.
After a week in which grapple tackles were again the subject of scrutiny and a variation of the tackle, now nicknamed the "crusher", surfaced, McCallum described the players response this weekend as "significant".
The scarcity of penalties in round 23 and the likelihood that no player will be charged for using the grapple tackle has given McCallum heart that the tactic is on the way out - just as crackdowns on dangerous throws were successful.
"I think it's worked," McCallum said yesterday. "There have been tackles [during the weekend] that would have generally drifted into a grapple, and players were deliberately pulling their arms away."
The controversy erupted last week after the Broncos publicly aired complaints about Melbourne's defensive technique. It then continued when the NRL directed the judiciary to also consider the "crusher" tackle illegal. This is a tackle where a defending player puts pressure on the ball-player's head or neck with his upper body.
"I think we needed to do it," McCallum said. "There had been a noticeable change over the previous few weeks, and I think the variation [the crusher] was going to be a really dangerous one, not that the normal grapple isn't dangerous.
"We don't want to go into the finals talking about it. There are a lot of agendas in it, and we just thought it was best we flush it out."
It is understood that there are no charges pending from the weekend matches, and certainly none from the Melbourne-Parramatta game on Friday night - even after the Storm were again placed under the microscope for their role in the controversial tackle.
"It's a lot easier to charge players than it was, and players understand that," McCallum said. "I saw players move their arm out of the way on Friday night. It's been the same with [dangerous] throws. [After crackdowns], they would lift them into a dangerous position then put them down slowly. It means people are thinking.
"The game's really fast, but these players are so talented, so skilled. They know what they're doing. It's not just a reflex thing.
"To move your arm around the head or neck and apply pressure, that's a deliberate action, just as taking your arm off a guy's neck is the same."
Still, the match review committee is expected to scrutinise several high tackles from the Friday night contest. The worst appeared to be Parramatta hooker PJ Marsh's hit on Melbourne prop Ben Cross, although Michael Crocker's past troubles at the judiciary might count against him following his tackle on the Eels' Fuifui Moimoi.
Crocker, who was returning against the Eels following a shoulder injury, will need to be charged with a grade-two careless tackle or higher offence to be suspended, with a 40 per cent loading to be added from two prior offences. However, he may escape suspension because he did not hit Moimoi with a swinging arm.
Eels centre Timana Tahu is also likely to escape a significant penalty from his tackle on Melbourne fullback Billy Slater for the same reason.
But the fact Marsh jumped into the tackle on Cross is expected to mean he will face a higher-graded charge, and a possible suspension.
Meanwhile, Wests Tigers hero Robbie Farah is in significant doubt to play Souths next Sunday at Leichhardt Oval, after requiring two painkilling injections for his hip injury just to take the field against the Sharks at the weekend.
Farah admitted the pain worsened as the match wore on. "It's just something I'm going to have to manage over the next couple of weeks," said Farah, who kicked the match-winning field goal against the Sharks. "It was pretty sore - as soon as the painkillers started to wear off I could really feel it.
"I was up all night icing it - it was lucky the [English] Premier League was on because I was up until about four o'clock."
Farah is facing another week without training, and will be forced to spend much of his time in a hyperbaric chamber and icing the injury.
"I'm probably lucky it's another eight-day turnaround," Farah said. "I'll be doing everything I can. Hopefully I can get a training session in, but that'll be a bonus.
"The doc's told me there's nothing you can do. It's just a matter of how well it responds. It could go on for the rest of the year."
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/war-on-grapple-won-nrl/2007/08/19/1187462091095.html
Glenn Jackson | August 20, 2007
THE NRL has claimed victory in the war on the grapple tackle, with match review commissioner Greg McCallum yesterday maintaining the league had taken a major step towards eradicating the controversial tactic.
After a week in which grapple tackles were again the subject of scrutiny and a variation of the tackle, now nicknamed the "crusher", surfaced, McCallum described the players response this weekend as "significant".
The scarcity of penalties in round 23 and the likelihood that no player will be charged for using the grapple tackle has given McCallum heart that the tactic is on the way out - just as crackdowns on dangerous throws were successful.
"I think it's worked," McCallum said yesterday. "There have been tackles [during the weekend] that would have generally drifted into a grapple, and players were deliberately pulling their arms away."
The controversy erupted last week after the Broncos publicly aired complaints about Melbourne's defensive technique. It then continued when the NRL directed the judiciary to also consider the "crusher" tackle illegal. This is a tackle where a defending player puts pressure on the ball-player's head or neck with his upper body.
"I think we needed to do it," McCallum said. "There had been a noticeable change over the previous few weeks, and I think the variation [the crusher] was going to be a really dangerous one, not that the normal grapple isn't dangerous.
"We don't want to go into the finals talking about it. There are a lot of agendas in it, and we just thought it was best we flush it out."
It is understood that there are no charges pending from the weekend matches, and certainly none from the Melbourne-Parramatta game on Friday night - even after the Storm were again placed under the microscope for their role in the controversial tackle.
"It's a lot easier to charge players than it was, and players understand that," McCallum said. "I saw players move their arm out of the way on Friday night. It's been the same with [dangerous] throws. [After crackdowns], they would lift them into a dangerous position then put them down slowly. It means people are thinking.
"The game's really fast, but these players are so talented, so skilled. They know what they're doing. It's not just a reflex thing.
"To move your arm around the head or neck and apply pressure, that's a deliberate action, just as taking your arm off a guy's neck is the same."
Still, the match review committee is expected to scrutinise several high tackles from the Friday night contest. The worst appeared to be Parramatta hooker PJ Marsh's hit on Melbourne prop Ben Cross, although Michael Crocker's past troubles at the judiciary might count against him following his tackle on the Eels' Fuifui Moimoi.
Crocker, who was returning against the Eels following a shoulder injury, will need to be charged with a grade-two careless tackle or higher offence to be suspended, with a 40 per cent loading to be added from two prior offences. However, he may escape suspension because he did not hit Moimoi with a swinging arm.
Eels centre Timana Tahu is also likely to escape a significant penalty from his tackle on Melbourne fullback Billy Slater for the same reason.
But the fact Marsh jumped into the tackle on Cross is expected to mean he will face a higher-graded charge, and a possible suspension.
Meanwhile, Wests Tigers hero Robbie Farah is in significant doubt to play Souths next Sunday at Leichhardt Oval, after requiring two painkilling injections for his hip injury just to take the field against the Sharks at the weekend.
Farah admitted the pain worsened as the match wore on. "It's just something I'm going to have to manage over the next couple of weeks," said Farah, who kicked the match-winning field goal against the Sharks. "It was pretty sore - as soon as the painkillers started to wear off I could really feel it.
"I was up all night icing it - it was lucky the [English] Premier League was on because I was up until about four o'clock."
Farah is facing another week without training, and will be forced to spend much of his time in a hyperbaric chamber and icing the injury.
"I'm probably lucky it's another eight-day turnaround," Farah said. "I'll be doing everything I can. Hopefully I can get a training session in, but that'll be a bonus.
"The doc's told me there's nothing you can do. It's just a matter of how well it responds. It could go on for the rest of the year."
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/war-on-grapple-won-nrl/2007/08/19/1187462091095.html
