Grapple tackle
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:44 am
Am I the only to think the rule is going too far?
I think every rule regarding tackles has gone too far. It has reached the point where fans become hysterical and players are gesturing to the referee. This is exactly what happened in football.
If you lift a player just watch and listen to the crowd now. Likewise the grapple tackle. Watch the players waive / shout and appeal. The 'grapple' tackle has existed since RL began so the notion it has suddenly appeared is farcical. As is the idea it has been introduced by wrestling coaches. Terry Lamb took Ellery Hanley out of the NRL Grand Final in 1988 with a grapple tackle which totally dispels the myth. However, there is and should be a clear distrinction between somebody having their arm near the ball carriers face and using their arm to lock the head of the ball carrier in a fixed position with the option of driving the players into the ground head first.
The classic grapple is lock the persons head so it cannot move, drive the head into HARD sun baked ground. Normally it results in concussion.
