Shoulder charge to be BANNED

[Eagles Terrorist]

Less of a spectacle for the game but is it better for player welfare??

Yep, it's a good decision. I guess Matai will be less effective now.

Why ? His big hits are proper tackles

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A good decision. Never a lot of skill involved. Glad to see it gone.

There is more skill involved in timing a shoulder charge right than a leg tackle

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There is more damage done in getting a shoulder charge wrong than a leg tackle.

 

[Stevo]

Spoken to George Rose or Jharal Yow Yeh lately?

 

[DSM5]

I guess the NRL wants to avoid paying huge compensation for future SC related brain injuries, so they're acting on it now. For all those wanting it to stay in the game, maybe they could pay into an account that will be used for future litigation/compensation. 'Duty of care' for the players comes into the equation, even if many of them don't want it.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Less of a spectacle for the game but is it better for player welfare??

Yep, it's a good decision. I guess Matai will be less effective now.

Why ? His big hits are proper tackles

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A good decision. Never a lot of skill involved. Glad to see it gone.

There is more skill involved in timing a shoulder charge right than a leg tackle

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There is more damage done in getting a shoulder charge wrong than a leg tackle.

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Where does it stop ?

We have seen the damage done to Yow Yeh getting his landing wrong jumping for a bomb, do we take jumping out of the game ?

Corey Parker got his leg cut to the bone by his sprig in Origin last season, and a couple of years back, Luck got his legged ripped apart by Watmough's, Do we ban those as well ?

 

[Eagles Terrorist]

Less of a spectacle for the game but is it better for player welfare??

Yep, it's a good decision. I guess Matai will be less effective now.

Why ? His big hits are proper tackles

---

A good decision. Never a lot of skill involved. Glad to see it gone.

There is more skill involved in timing a shoulder charge right than a leg tackle

---

There is more damage done in getting a shoulder charge wrong than a leg tackle.

---

Where does it stop ?

We have seen the damage done to Yow Yeh getting his landing wrong jumping for a bomb, do we take jumping out of the game ?

Corey Parker got his leg cut to the bone by his sprig in Origin last season, and a couple of years back, Luck got his legged ripped apart by Watmough's, Do we ban those as well ?

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That's not a fair comparison. Yow Yeh's injury was not a result of a tackle gone wrong, it was an accident - an unfortunate one for sure. Same for Corey Parker.

Give it 1/4 of a season or less and I bet we won't miss it, discuss it or even care. The quality of the game and the physical nature of it will remain high and get even better as players don't have to be pulled off and then recover from concussions or injury caused by a shoulder charge.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

A shoulder charge gone wrong is an accident, just like the others mentioned. Accidents happen to Rugby League, doesn't mean anything should be outlawed

Saw 10x as many people last year come off with concussion due to a head clash than I did with concussion due to a shoulder charge.

 

[Eagles Terrorist]

A shoulder charge gone wrong is an accident, just like the others mentioned. Accidents happen to Rugby League, doesn't mean anything should be outlawed

Saw 10x as many people last year come off with concussion due to a head clash than I did with concussion due to a shoulder charge.

Let's agree to disagree. I can't wait for round 1, with or without the SC.

 

[Chip and Chase]

The issue is that the shoulder charge is more difficult to control in terms of point of impact than a normal tackle, it is also perpetrated to cause maximum impact and damage. On that definition alone you would have to consider it more reckless than "traditional" tackling techniques, therefore it should carry a greater risk of punishment should it go wrong. Banning it all together isn't a big deal, shows a duty of care for player welfare IMO.

I really don't care about shoulder charges, give me a legitimate big hitter based on technique like Randall or Gillmeister anyday. Shoulder charging is for show ponies like SBW and Sandow.

The big dilemma is how are they going to police it now ? I can see some controversial penalties being blown for alleged shouder charges.

 

[MWSE]

GI's tackle on Young really solidified in the minds of the ARLC that it needed to be banned. Having the image of Young's head getting smashed back sprayed across national papers really did the job.

 

[COMMANDER]

what a joke...

a decision made by poofs

I like the cut of your jib. Couldn't have said it better myself.

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As an aside, wouldn't head clashes pose more of a threat than a shoulder charge?

You see 2 or 3 players knocked senseless in every game when the coconuts collide.

Probably just a matter of time before headgear is mandatory.

 

[mozgrame]

Why not let the players vote on it? They're the ones running the risk of POTENTIAL injury. We'd probably be surprised at the outcome of that vote.

 

[Dan]

I wonder what the players think of this. I think ultimately it should be their decision. They are the ones that are out there dishing out and taking the hits.

As fans we love it but the players are the ones with all the risk.

 

[Eagles Terrorist]

I wonder what the players think of this. I think ultimately it should be their decision. They are the ones that are out there dishing out and taking the hits.

As fans we love it but the players are the ones with all the risk.

According to the SMH this morning, they were asked for opinion and only one player responded.

I remain convinced that for the long term good of the game and appeal to a wider audience, it is a good move to remove the shoulder charge. It is not fair to compare this decision to Rugby - Rugby has far greater problems with their rules and style of play that is hurting it as a spectacle. The banning of the shoulder charge will go un-noticed once things cool down.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/players-ignored-the-chance-to-have-a-say-on-rule-change-20121121-29qb0.html

 

[MWSE]

The only way I could see them accepting the players opinion on the matter is if the players sign an agreement stating that they forego the right to claim compensation in relation to injuries resulting from shoulder charges.

 

[mozgrame]

I bumped into Anthony Seibolds' Mum yesterday. Anthony is coaching with the Storm now and she said Anthony told her the Storm players aren't happy. They consider it a soft move and say they have always known the risks of damage is there, but it's one of the spectacles that makes the game great.

It's the age we live in I guess. No one wants to be sued down the track. In the nightclub industry now they are having to use power regulators or locks on the amplifiers so djs can't crank up the volume enough to cause hearing damage in the future. Blokes that are now in their 40s are suing for industrial deafness due to working in or frequenting clubs in their teens and twenties.

What then of boxing? And what about the UFC where ground and pound, the act of hitting your opponent in the head/face as hard and often as you can with your fist, forearm or elbow while keeping them pinned to the ground??

It's a funny old world!

 

[Chip and Chase]

What then of boxing? And what about the UFC where ground and pound, the act of hitting your opponent in the head/face as hard and often as you can with your fist, forearm or elbow while keeping them pinned to the ground??

Hitting people in the head to try and make them unconscious is pretty much the sole aim of those sports. I doubt anyone who partakes in that sport could argue that they weren't expecting to get beat around the head. Rugby League on the other hand deems contact with the head illegal, and whilst there has to be some acceptance of a risk that it may occur when you play the sport, the administration has a duty of care to the players to control that risk.

My understanding is that all 16 club doctors agreed that there was sufficient concern for injury to occur by shoulder charges that they recommended that it be banned. If the ARLC chose to ignore this professional medical advice then they were leaving themselves open for liability should a serious injury occur to a player. Basically the ARLC had very little choice.

 

[Brookie]

the game's gone soft....

so have the supporters who agree with this ban.
go watch a pansy game, RL is a collision sport!

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Emotive issue this one.

I can see some plus's and some minus's.

For the decision...player welfare, wether they like it or not.

Against the decision...some of the most exciting moments for us fans are when these shoulder charges come off.

I would imagine the commision is covering their backsides in relation to future (potential) law suits, simple as that!!

 

[Brookie]

i'm just worried blokes like Matai will be targetted even more than he usually is now....
something we don't need as a club!

Makes Matai less intimidating to the opposition now, they know they're not gonna cop it from him anymore.
very rarley does Matai wrap his arms around in one of his big hits, its usually a shoulder charge!

 

[Stevo]

We may as well make the ball round too