Alex McKinnon incident unfortunate consequence of cannonball tackle rule
The serious injury to Newcastle forward, Alex McKinnon, is an unfortunate consequence of the new rule prohibiting the third man in a tackle attacking the knees of a ball carrier.
Three Storm players tackled McKinnon in the match on Monday night, with one attempting to lift the 22-year-old’s leg and turn him, seeking to force him to the ground, or at least prevent him playing the ball quickly.
McKinnon dropped his head in the tackle, meaning it was the first point of contact with the ground.
Had there been no rule preventing the third man attacking the knees, it is likely he would have gone into the tackle around the legs, rather than join his other two partners in an unstable and potentially dangerous dance with McKinnon.
Put crudely, even cruelly, the NRL must ask what is more crucial: protecting a player’s knees, or his spine?
Blanket rules are vulnerable to unfortunate consequences, the better option being to allow the referee to punish low tackles which are dangerous and allow those which are not.
McKinnon’s coach, Wayne Bennett, was a member of the rules committee which voted in the new rule which has achieved its purpose: faster play-the-balls.
A distressed Bennett, who would opt for a healthy McKinnon over a thousand quick rucks, may dispute the notion that the new rule had anything to do with the injury.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/alex-mckinnon-incident-unfortunate-consequence-of-cannonball-tackle-rule-20140325-hvmkn.html