Roosters prop Lindsay Collins was the victim of a kick-off return gone wrong when he was hit high by Melbourne’s Nelson Asofa-Solomona, but he doesn’t want to see the rule changed next year, declaring “that’s what I get paid to do” as his coach also weighed in on how the NRL should approach the heavy collision.
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Collins was knocked out of the preliminary final by a high shot from Asofa-Solomona, with Manly’s Tolu Koula also ruled out a week earlier when he tried to tackle Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
There have been several incidents over the years of players getting concussed from kick-off collisions, which is why the NRL is considering changes to protect players from head trauma.
One of the suggestions put forward by WWOS is that the kicking team will concede a seven-tackle set if the ball travels beyond the 20m line on the full, but that appears wide of the mark and has been rubbished by a couple of leading forwards.
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“The only people who should be able to decide that are the front-rowers taking those carries,” Roosters enforcer Spencer Leniu said.
“I love those carries, I am sure all the fans love it too. That’s what makes our game so special. If you were to ask any front-rower in the whole competition if you want to take that away from the game, I am sure they would say ‘no’.”
Collins knows very well what can happen if the tackle goes wrong, but he says returning the ball with gusto is a badge of honour and a vital part of the game.
“That’s what I get paid to do, that’s my job, and I am going to do it regardless,” he said.
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“Whatever the rules are, we just have to adapt to it. It would be a bit of a shame because it is a big part of the game. As a front-rower, that sets the tone of the game.
“When you see another front-rower do it, it’s a big part of the game and it has a big impact on how things get set up with attack and defence.
“It’s pretty simple, you just can’t hit the head. You can’t do it in a normal carry, so what’s the difference in a kick-off carry?”
Tackle technique is one obvious solution to the problem, with Collins scoffing at suggestions that he was somehow at fault for what happened at AAMI Park.
“There were comments there that I ran too hard (against Melbourne). It’s a kick-off carry in semi-final football. What do you want me to do? Dawdle into the line?” he asked.
“As a defending team you want to smash the front-rower and set that tone defensively. As an attacker you have to come in hot, you can’t get put on your back. For me, I want to get it past that 10m line.”
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The NFL has brought in changes to its kick-off rule, with players from the kicking team forced to stand on the 40-yard line and unable to move until the ball is fielded by the returner or has hit the ground.
That change is something the NRL could also consider, but whatever happens, Roosters coach Trent Robinson says the NRL has to be careful they don’t bring in rules that force big men out of the game.
“One of my things is that the six-again rule has been really, really good for us, but it’s also cost front-rowers,” he said, encouraging the NRL to come down harder on tacklers who go high and get their technique wrong.
“Front-rowers are worth a lot, but bench front-rowers are obsolete.
“We’re all playing with locks and we’re all playing with guys that are going to run a long distance. We want front-rowers in our game. We want taps, we want long dropouts and we want kick-offs to stamp that authority on the game.
“We don’t want a team of back-rowers and locks, so we’ve got to think about our rule changes and the positions that we have and love in the game. I think we should start on how we adjudicate foul play off the kick-offs rather than take away the kick-off.”
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