Good to see a Warrington fan seeing the issue with that, most on Twitter just going with 'nowt wrong with it'. It's something that in the rules players can do, so I'm not sure what the disciplinary can do. Actually I'm sure they will do absolutely nothing as he's done it several times in the past and nothing happened then either. If you look at the NRLs crackdown on head contacts and compare to Super League, we simply cannot be claiming any sort of commitment to player welfare if that kind of contact is legal, it could quite easily be fatal. Whilst we don't want to lose the physical nature of the sport, we don't want to see that kind of impact either. He's almost stationary and Akuola 100% targets his head and the force is all applied directly to the head. I fully acknowledge that McCarthy's technique could be better and he should be approaching the tackle differently, but there is also an onus on the ball carrier to go into contact safely. Imagine if juniors started doing that, aiming to put the shoulder into the tackler's face, it'd be carnage, especially given the size mismatches you get in kids RL. I've got a lad spamming me with DMs on Twitter saying he's the hardest forward ever and I need to shut up because he can knock players out. But you never saw Adrian Morley shouldering people in the head whilst carrying the ball, nor Webcke, nor Ward.
If Akuola made that impact as a defender he'd get the biggest ban you can get in RL and you'd probably never see him play the sport again. We can't have that discrepancy. The rule already exists that you can't raise the elbow into the face of a tackler, I'd just extend it to say you can't promote the shoulder into the head either. Simple rule change, very easy to rule on. There would only have been a few times to penalise it in recent seasons and they would all have involved the same player.
Do you know who was stationary last week, and wasn't a ball carrier he was a tackler, so there was no need for james roby to run in and hit him full pelt in the spine with his knees, stefan ratchford, i didn't hear you complaining about roby being censured for that and potentially paralysing him.
here's the thing, if we take saddened's issues at face value, what are the options here to do anything about this, you either say, you the ball carrier aren't allowed to turn and brace yourself for a tackle (at which point mccarthy still would have been knocked flying last night) or you say, you can't play the game, we're not allowing you to.
You're too tall, you're too fast, you're too physical (for 7 minutes)
I just think there's a difference between running the ball in hard and actively going for someone's head. I have no problem with him running in hard or turning sidewards to push through. It's the specific targeting of the head that makes it something we don't need in the game. It's easy as a tackler or a ball carrier to do that, all other players put that shoulder into the tackler's chest or shoulder or either side of the head, he deliberately chose to put it into his face. I have no idea why he doesn't drive into spaces between players with that same intent, he might be a decent player if he did.
Do you know who was stationary last week, and wasn't a ball carrier he was a tackler, so there was no need for james roby to run in and hit him full pelt in the spine with his knees, stefan ratchford, i didn't hear you complaining about roby being censured for that and potentially paralysing him.
faux outrage.
There's no outrage. I just worry for the future of the game if we're allowing that kind of impact. It's a problem that will no doubt solve itself when Akuola is released and doesn't get another contract with anyone, as no one else in the game seems to do it.
I just think there's a difference between running the ball in hard and actively going for someone's head. I have no problem with him running in hard or turning sidewards to push through. It's the specific targeting of the head that makes it something we don't need in the game. It's easy as a tackler or a ball carrier to do that, all other players put that shoulder into the tackler's chest or shoulder or either side of the head, he deliberately chose to put it into his face. I have no idea why he doesn't drive into spaces between players with that same intent, he might be a decent player if he did.
Thanks for proving my post from the other day correct.
I just think there's a difference between running the ball in hard and actively going for someone's head. I have no problem with him running in hard or turning sidewards to push through. It's the specific targeting of the head that makes it something we don't need in the game. It's easy as a tackler or a ball carrier to do that, all other players put that shoulder into the tackler's chest or shoulder or either side of the head, he deliberately chose to put it into his face. I have no idea why he doesn't drive into spaces between players with that same intent, he might be a decent player if he did.
So you believe he is targeting players heads when running in?
Fozzard built his entire career around leading with his elbow into faces, exacerbated by the ridiculous padding he had on his forearm....and yes I hated it when he played for us. Be pleased that Saddened and his fellow inbreds are this desperate, Sita running a ball in and Toby King faking medial ligament damage. Sad times for them coming.
So you believe he is targeting players heads when running in?
Yes, I think he deliberately went for the head last night. McCarthy barely moves, Akuola has the entire run up to align himself and goes straight at McCarthy, leads with the shoulder and the point of impact is his head. He is in control of that situation last night and could have avoided it. Just put his shoulder either side of the head, he still knocks him flying but McCarthy isn't sent to lalaland. There have been other examples from him where he hasn't targeted the head and it's purely been poor technique and a player being run over that causes it, but last night I think he causes that.
Yes, I think he deliberately went for the head last night. McCarthy barely moves, Akuola has the entire run up to align himself and goes straight at McCarthy, leads with the shoulder and the point of impact is his head. He is in control of that situation last night and could have avoided it. Just put his shoulder either side of the head, he still knocks him flying but McCarthy isn't sent to lalaland. There have been other examples from him where he hasn't targeted the head and it's purely been poor technique and a player being run over that causes it, but last night I think he causes that.
nope, poor decision on mccarthy's part, he's tried to front up to take the impact rather than stepping to the side to tackle properly, and it backfired.
Even if sita kept his shoulder by his side, he would have been banjaxed.
Know how i know that? go find the hit on aaron smith, size difference, didn't get his head out the way.
Fozzard built his entire career around leading with his elbow into faces, exacerbated by the ridiculous padding he had on his forearm....and yes I hated it when he played for us. Be pleased that Saddened and his fellow inbreds are this desperate, Sita running a ball in and Toby King faking medial ligament damage. Sad times for them coming.
remember, they also dont like hill, he's a dirty grub, they dont like austin, he fakes injuries, they dont like lineham, he's a fat slow dirty grub, they dont like charnley....