Billy Slater Sliding Tackle?

[cpwigan]

Trust me Rob this is where referees lack of playing knowledge hurts them. Where on earth has this studs need to be showing notion eminated from. I played more football than rugby league. The following I am not proud of but let me tell you I kicked opponents in the head on occasions, not once when doing so were my studs showing. If you kick anybody lying or heading towards the ground then be you a skinhead or a RL player you do so with your toe not your sole. The sole is used to stamp.

How on earth can RFL officials square this when they quite rightly outlaw tripping, they even have strict rules about the cumberland throw. Both are less dangerous than allowing a player at speeed to slide into an opponent diving over the line with his boot. Whatever his intent it is dangerous. Whatever the outcome it is dangerous because when it does go wrong the ramifications will be huge.

Can you imagine; Your honour said play was warned by the ARL with regard to the tackle but the IRFL condoned it. My client had to retire from the sport blah blah. Hypothetical? Yes but based on the spear tackle and Jarrod McCracken which isexactly the reason you know as officials do not allow players to be lifted or put beyond the horizontal.

I have never heard such hogwash as the Ganson excuse. The first priority of any official is to safeguard the health of the participants.

[josie andrews]

Australian fullback Billy Slater has been told he will be suspended if he persists with the dangerous tactic of diving feet first at opposition players attempting to score.

World Cup match review committee chairman Greg McCallum took the extraordinary step of contacting Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart to voice his concerns over Slater's controversial tackling technique.

Slater denied New Zealand centre Jerome Ropati a try in Sunday night's comfortable 30-6 win over the Kiwis when he lunged at the Warriors utility with his foot as Ropati attempted to put the ball over the line.

The impact knocked the ball loose from Ropati's grasp with the Kiwi ruled to have knocked on by video referee Steve Ganson, but McCallum warned Slater that the feet-first practice would no longer be tolerated.

"We're all disturbed by it," McCallum said of the tackling technique.

"We've got to get the message across to him that he's got to stop doing it.

"If you hit a bloke in that position the consequences can be really devastating."

Sunday night's match was not the first time Slater's feet-first manoeuvre had been called into question by the match review committee with Manly officials livid at two similar instances in their 40-0 grand final win over the Storm.

The incidents were noted in the match review committee's summation of the NRL decider, but Slater said after Sunday night's game he had never been told the practice was illegal.

"I haven't been told that I can't do it," Slater said.

"It's a bit like a tackle - as long as you're not making contact with the head or going in maliciously or intent to cause damage, that's a fullback's job, to get under them and do your best to save a try.

"At fullback you've just got to get your body in between the ball carrier and the line and hope for the best, that's what I've been doing all year."

McCallum said he taken it upon himself to ensure Slater was under no illusions as to the dangers of executing the tackle in the future.

"I'm going to make sure that he understands after last night's game that it's got to stop," he said.

"It's contrary conduct, players take the field knowing certain risks, but one of them is not to have feet coming at them."

Asked what would happen if Slater did attempt the tackle again, McCallum said:

"The tolerance that we've shown today might not be there in the future.

"The game's never tolerated people throwing their legs out ... those are the sorts of things that separate league from other sports.

"The time's come where there has to be a change of attitude."

Meanwhile in-doubt duo Brent Tate and Johnathan Thurston should both be available for selection in Sunday's match against England at Telstra Dome after flying to Melbourne with the remainder of the squad.

Thurston overcame the tragic death of his uncle Richard Saunders early Saturday morning to put in a man of the match performance against the Kiwis.

It was believed the classy No.7 would return to Brisbane to be with family and friends, but with the funeral set to be held next week, it is now anticipated Thurston will remain in the Victorian capital.

Tate is also set to play against the Lions despite suffering a severe bout of concussion early in the second half of last night's win.

http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/nrl/news/art ... amp-diving

[josie andrews]

Indignant Australian fullback Billy Slater has defended his controversial slide tackling technique, vowing to continue using it despite the threat of suspension.

The Kangaroos No.1 saved a try during the 30-6 World Cup win over New Zealand on Sunday night by launching himself feet first at Jerome Ropati and dislodging the ball from his grasp as the Kiwi centre went to place the ball over the line.

Slater adopted the tactic during the last NRL season, earning a warning from authorities that he risked further action if the tackle went wrong.

But the Australian custodian has no plan to dump the ploy - and enjoys the full backing of coach Ricky Stuart.

"In that position you've got to get your body in between the ball carrier and the line and hope for the best," Slater explained.

"That's what I've been doing all year."

"It's a bit like a tackle. As long as you're not making contact with the head or going in maliciously with intent to cause damage (it's okay)."

"That's a fullback's job; to get under them and do your best to save a try."

"You're the last line of defence so you've got to be prepared to put your body in front."

Asked whether he was aware league authorities were concerned about the technique, Slater said: "No I wasn't really. I haven't been told that I can't do it."

"I'm aware that if you make contact with the head you can be in trouble (but) it's just an instinct reaction."

At Sunday's post-match press conference, Stuart became angered when a reporter suggested the slide tackle was dangerous.

"He's been warned not to do it but he did and he executed it correctly," Stuart fired back.

"Would you have preferred him not to do it?"

"What would you want me to do? Go and tell him not to do it?"

"How risky (is it)? He stopped a try."

New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney, who works with Slater at club level, was reluctant to enter the debate.

"I don't really think that's an issue," he said.

"I haven't seen too many from him."

http://sportal.com.au/league-news-displ ... ckle-59357

[wiggydoran]

i have just taken this from the BBC website:

Slater warned over sliding tackle

Slater scored a try in Australia's 30-6 win over the Kiwis
Australia's Billy Slater has been told not to repeat the "dangerous" sliding tackle that prevented New Zealand's Jerome Ropati scoring a try on Sunday.

New guidelines have been issued to referees about players who attempt to stop a try by kicking at a ball in possession of an attacking player.

Law-makers say players face being charged with misconduct.

"It is a potentially dangerous act," said Michael Stone, who is chairman of the World Cup appointments board.

"We have advised the Australian team and indeed all teams of the action we propose to take."

Australia, the defending champions, beat the Kiwis 30-6 in Sydney and face England in another Pool A encounter on Sunday

For them to issue guide lines must mean he rules are not set in stone.

I personnel think the tackle was dangerous and he did prevent a try and it was as bad as ripping the ball out with your hands. 20 meter restart was the wrong call it should have been a penalty. Pen try would have been harsh. I don't know why ganson though the boot had nothing to do with the ball coming out coz thats just crap!

[robjoenz]

Trust me Rob this is where referees lack of playing knowledge hurts them. Where on earth has this studs need to be showing notion eminated from. I played more football than rugby league. The following I am not proud of but let me tell you I kicked opponents in the head on occasions, not once when doing so were my studs showing. If you kick anybody lying or heading towards the ground then be you a skinhead or a RL player you do so with your toe not your sole. The sole is used to stamp.

How on earth can RFL officials square this when they quite rightly outlaw tripping, they even have strict rules about the cumberland throw. Both are less dangerous than allowing a player at speeed to slide into an opponent diving over the line with his boot. Whatever his intent it is dangerous. Whatever the outcome it is dangerous because when it does go wrong the ramifications will be huge.

Can you imagine; Your honour said play was warned by the ARL with regard to the tackle but the IRFL condoned it. My client had to retire from the sport blah blah. Hypothetical? Yes but based on the spear tackle and Jarrod McCracken which isexactly the reason you know as officials do not allow players to be lifted or put beyond the horizontal.

I have never heard such hogwash as the Ganson excuse. The first priority of any official is to safeguard the health of the participants.

The fact of the challenge is that Slater put his foot on the ground where the ball was about to be placed (didn't Radlinski do that to prevent Cunningham scoring at Murrayfield?) - he didn't try to kick the ball out of the players hands, had he attempted that his foot would have been raised and in that instance I think he would have been deserved of punishment.

For me, the only issue is the way he slid in, if he had mistimed it then he could have injured the player. He timed it perfectly though, preventing a try without causing any injury. Compare it to the Mathers red card at Warrington, timed perfectly it'd have been a perfect tackle, as it happened he mistimed it and paid the consequences.

[gpartin]

He timed it perfectly though, preventing a try without causing any injury. Compare it to the Mathers red card at Warrington, timed perfectly it'd have been a perfect tackle, as it happened he mistimed it and paid the consequences.

Surely a red card reflects intent of a tackle not what results from the tackle? If it is a punishable offence to go in with your feet then the timing of it shouldn't matter, and if Mather's tackle was only mistimed then he shouldn't have been sent off???

[cpwigan]

Rob, Slater is not a ballet dancer nor is any RL player. To do what he does (and to be fair it is good thinking on his part) he has to slide/put his boot in at speed and with force. The potential risk is huge. He cannot control what the player with the ball is doing nor his teammates trying to affect the tackle. THANKFULLY, McCallum has sorted the issue. Shame he returned to Aus. He was the best thing to ever happen to officials in Britain.

Your it is well intended argument does not stand up. You as a referee and all referees now punish tackles where a player is lifted beyond the horizontal. Very often it is harmless, most often it is. Indeed, the blockbuster tackle is great to see. However, you now punish because if it does go wrong the consequences could be grave. POTENTIAL RISK.

Mathers did not mistime his tackle. He cannot tackle. He had nearly 6ft of body to make a tackle on.

POTENTIAL RISK is why Slater has been told to stop.

[cpwigan]

I actually think what has emerged so far is how bad we must be to rate Ganson at 1.

His video referee stint was poor. You cannot defend his judgement that the foot had nothing to do with the ball coming loose.

However, his effort in the Tonga v Ireland match was pitiful. He GAVE Ireland 2 tries from blatant forward passes. He was disrespectful to Tonga from the start and all he seemed intent on showing was how tough he was rather than how good he was. His communication skills were awful.

[mike binder]

i love these refs all 4 1 and 1 for all ,was a dangerous tackle in ant sport including a sport you tackle with your feet cant wait to join these merry men and get my iluminous green and pink cards

[gpartin]

i love these refs all 4 1 and 1 for all ,was a dangerous tackle in ant sport including a sport you tackle with your feet cant wait to join these merry men and get my iluminous green and pink cards

You've got a way with words Binder I'll give you that!!!