The crusher tackle

[Moh]

This must be looked at - teams are taking advantage of this and milking it as we saw tonight 2 or 3 times.

I get why it came in, dropping your weight onto the back of someone's neck is extremely dangerous, but when they back into it and the defender has absolutely no idea what's happening it's just ridiculous. Teams play for it.

Packer's one looked bad, but he was aware of it as he went down and actually let the head through under his arm as to not put pressure on it. He better not get anything for that.

 

[bythebeardofzeus]

Yeh I thought Rusty let him go once he knew it was dangerous. What do I know though, he’ll probably get 4 weeks for it

 

[Tcat]

It's a joke and it needs to be looked at. The NRL isn't soccer but this rule takes us down that path. Crushers are dangerous and should be taken seriously, not used as a penalty milking mechanism.

 

[hobbo1]

They need to sin bin players who milk crusher tackle penalties like that flog Brown did tonight ..

 

[JC99]

I’ve been saying this since last year. The crusher penalty is the dumbest most pointless penalty in the game. Players are rarely actually injured by these tackles and they are coached to milk for them.

Simple solution is: if you go down holding your neck, you have to go off and be assessed. None of this jumping straight up like Nathan Brown did.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

Browns mulking of the crusher was terrible what a joke that was. The penalty should be reversed
Hopefully Packer is ok withbhis crusher his didnt look great.

 

[Chicken_Faced_Killa]

I’ve been saying this since last year. The crusher penalty is the dumbest most pointless penalty in the game. Players are rarely actually injured by these tackles and they are coached to milk for them.

Simple solution is: if you go down holding your neck, you have to go off and be assessed. None of this jumping straight up like Nathan Brown did.

Yep this. And if you do the jump straight up because you are clearly milking sin bin

 

[BalmainJnr]

Parra did what they do every week tonight. Most tackles they are milking and if they don’t get the call they whinge on mass to the ref until he caves.

 

[05TIGZZ]

Just lie on the ground and grab your neck, guaranteed penalty

 

[jirskyr]

Yeah it's complete BS that they grab their head and immediately the ref reacts. In fact I can't recall this year if I've seen a player grab his neck and ref just tell him to get up and play on.

Fair enough if there's a question on it, pause play and send it upstairs for a second. If it's a penalty then so be it, if not, the attacking team has wasted their own momentum.

Gutherson is particularly bad for it, after the Packer penalty I watched carefully, he literally backs into 90% of his tackles. And I'm not talking Aaron Woods-style tall-timber backing up, he hunches down and pushes back with his heels, so if you push against him it's automatically putting pressure on the neck with no intent. And if you let him go, he'll just spin out of the tackle.

The commentators went overboard for the Packer one, he seems to place light pressure then realise and let the head slip by his side. I honestly didn't even think it warranted a penalty, but if that's the precedent, so be it, but by no means should he be suspended.

Otherwise every dude for the rest of the year will be intentionally backing through tackles with his head tucked in.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Sivo played for it too. That bloke is a dog. Steamrolling blokes that he has 20kg on for fun but turns into a flower in a tackle? Come on.

 

[Goldust]

Maybe they need to introduce a rule?! After a supposed crusher they must go off to be assessed.
Something needs to happen or this sport is going to turn into soccer ⚽️

 

[old_man_tiger]

NRL needs to do a risk assessment here. This can't end well. How long until someone with a serious neck injury is pushed or picked up by a defender who is sick of seeing the opposition stay down.?

 

[Tcat]

The crusher milk is an insult to anyone who has suffered a serious neck injury. Basically reaping the reward of a penalty by faking a neck injury, whilst someone else's career is over from a legitimate injury. Shame on Brown and anyone else who milks this and for clubs who practise it. Brown plays with heart and I always liked that about him, but he's completely lost me and I wouldn't want him anywhere near our club.

 

[PabloX]

It takes me back to the titans game where Young T milked around 3 penalties. Each time he got up with a smile on his dial

 

[Tiger_heart]

The thing is how to prevent it from happening in the first place?? Once a player turns his back to the defense, maybe coach the players to wrap their arms around the ball carrier (below shoulder level) and apply pressure around that area? Pretty hard to do when you have a split second to make a tackle, though, but like I said, a dose of prevention (and a rule modification, I agree) would help!

 

[Red88_Tiger]

Their whole team is coached to do it. Anything for a leg up.
Does need to change. Initially players do it to gain extra yards and backing up helps maintain balance
While ever a player is pushing backwards to move forward penalty should be nullified IMO

 

[Elderslie_Tiger]

Sivo played for it too. That bloke is a dog. Steamrolling blokes that he has 20kg on for fun but turns into a flower in a tackle? Come on.

Did anyone else think he dropped his shoulder into AD when he scored in the corner AD was only protecting/bracing himself for the collision AD hitting Sivo with a shoulder would be like a bug hitting the windscreen of a Mack Truck

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Was it just me or did Paulo and (I think) Blake come in with shoulder charges on Packer when he leveled Matterson? Matterson was the only one who attempted to wrap his arms.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Easy way to eliminate the crusher tackle milking is that you must go off for mandatory assessment akin to that of the HIA. If you return to the field your "free" interchange is then counted. Let's see Parra give up Sivo or Gutherson for 10 minutes to get assessed and throw away an interchange.