This season there has been a lot of focus on the shoulder charge and whether there is still room for it in the modern game. The main point of argument is that the amount of collisions and weight of the modern players is endangering the careers and lives of the guys who get hit.
In my opinion, the shoulder charge has to stay. We don't want to turn into Union when we start penalising guys for good hits. The shoulder charge itself isn't the problem. Don't forget, the first thing you're taught as a kid when tackling is to hit with your shoulder. The judiciary though has to get tougher on players who make contact with an opponent's head. Inglis knocked Young out cold and he was handed 3 weeks. In my opinion he should've copped 4 weeks or more. If you want to shoulder charge you've got to take responsibility for it. The game also has to get tough on the use of the elbow these days. Many players lead into tackles with their elbows and these are more damaging than a shoulder charge due to the hardness of the joint. Shoulder charges have been a part of the game for a long time. Players have to start taking responsibility for their own actions on the field. Saying they didn't mean it doesn't help their case if the guy who they've hit is concussed. If your intention is to hit a guy as hard as possible with your shoulder, it's your problem if it goes wrong. The game can't go about restricting everything in the game.
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Will do.