The event this week that has everyone talking is the Rise for Alex round of NRL fixtures which is a fantastic initiative. The way all sections of the community have got right behind Alex since his accident is an immense tribute to true human spirit.
Players are visually wanting to show their support through wearing the Rise for Alex wristbands in matches. The whole incident has put a cloud on the game and if we think otherwise we are kidding ourselves. While Alex's injuries are visual there are many past players who wear the injuries emotionally and mentally. Anyone who says the gladiators of this great game are paid too much are dead set out of their minds.
The player’s sacrifices are varied and can range from not being able to enjoy a normal, carefree teenage life; having a very regimented existence, yet open to continued criticism and judgement from a host of knockers. Yet in many circumstances it’s those very same knockers who are yet to put themselves out there, had a crack at something outside of their own comfort zone, but are prepared to persecute others.
Post rugby league, many players then have to reinvent themselves, start a new life and for some, the very real possibility of having to adjust to living with some form of disability; a consequence of being part of the game. A game that I love, a game that I also know has the potential to probably affect my life in other ways some time down the track. I guess what the elevated concern over concussion has done has made us all more aware of the dangers of it. Gone are the days when you are carried off on a stretcher .. finally come to, and are then told by the medical staff you had a good sleep and then be allowed to return to the field playing on nothing but instinct. Gone too are the days of being able to be knocked out 3 weeks in a row, yet still allowed to be able to keep throwing the boots on. These are a few things that happened to me... Had I had a better tackle technique this mightn't have been the case.
I guess where I am going here is that we are making changes in rugby league for the better. As silly as it sounds, I can see every player in the future having to wear protective head equipment. What we do right now determines the future of the game. We all want to be courageous and resilient, but we also need to be smart otherwise in the future there won't be a game of rugby league. As with anything, it’s easy to say we need changes for the safety of those who play the game, but it is a fine balance because if the fabric of the game is changed too much, then the game dies anyway. Rugby league is a game of deception, skill, athleticism and will. Without doubt in my mind the best sport on the planet when played well. Those qualities can remain protected with the right tinkering. The more footy I watch the more complicated it becomes to come up with ideas to improve the safety.
If we go to only 2-man tackles, then traditional tackle technique comes back in and then we have concussions skyrocket. Any late footwork at the line means your head ends up in the wrong spot collecting a hip or knee. If we continue to allow 3-man tackles in its current form, then an unfortunate accident like the McKinnon tackle is likely to occur again. I think the implementation of once there are 3 men in the tackle you can't lift will help as it's only once the third man comes in that the lifting occurs through mostly an arm between the legs putting the attacker in a defenseless position. One way to stop the impact at the collision zone is going back to 5m and we definitely don't want that, you only have to look back at Origin 2 when the 10 metres wasn't great to see where that would take the game. I have full confidence in Todd Greenberg to oversee the changes that need to happen to ensure the immediate and prolonged future of the best game on the planet.
Whilst rugby league is fighting a battle of identity; the game of soccer continues to go from strength to strength and rightly claims the mantle as the world game. Numbers at grassroots level are through the roof, and if it not for prohibitive costs, that number would be further accentuated. In all reality, who wouldn't want to aspire to play at a soccer World Cup, it rivals the Olympics as the sporting event every nation is engrossed with. Whilst it isn't my kettle of fish, I can understand why parents would rather their son playing it than that of the true contact sports of any other code of football .
Cheers until next week,
Andrew