Injury Did a Hip Drop tackle just end Naughtons season?

[Obeanie1]

The injury to Naughton in last nights game was not for anyone with a weak stomach. And the second I saw it I thought "Was that a hip drop tackle?".

I am not a NRL fan and only watch State of Origin, however I have heard of the hip drop tackle and that the NRL have outlawed it as a significantly dangerous, career ending action.

Now let us just stop and think about that. The NRL is a seriously tough game. On the occasion I do see a bit of NRL at a mates place I joke about how many AFL frees would be paid for high tackles or tackles that take a player to the ground. You basically would get an AFL free kick every 2nd or 3rd plays in NRL. And in the NRL the hip drop tackle gets 10 minutes in the sin bin and suspension, THAT is how serious the NRL is about stamping this action out.

Firstly what is it?

What is a hip drop tackle? NRL clarifies controversial tackling technique | Sporting News Australia

The latest edition to the seemingly never-ending debate around what constitutes a hip drop tackle occurred during Brisbane's Round 11 loss to Melbourne.

www.sportingnews.com

What is a hip drop tackle? NRL clarifies controversial tackling technique​

Mark Molyneux
12-05-2023•9 min read

"It’s not that complicated," the NRL's head of football, Graham Annesley, said during his media briefing which has transformed into presentations on the finer points around hip drop tackles recently as the controversial technique continues to dominate headlines.

"It’s grab, twist and body weight onto the leg. What is complicated about that?"

What is a hip drop tackle?​

Annesley detailed how a hip drop tackle is when a player "drops their body weight onto an opponent’s legs in such a way as to constitute an unacceptable risk of injury."

Three key indicators which the match review committee utilise to guide them on issuing sanctions was then laid out.

The sequence they look for is when a defender has a hold of player in possession before they attempt to stop the momentum of the ball carrier by twisting their body into a position behind them.

They then drop their body weight onto the legs of the opposition player with force in a manner which could be determined as either careless or reckless.

"With force is an important part of this," Annesley stressed.

"There obviously needs to be that hip drop type action and then there needs to be contact with the weight falling onto the leg.

Has the AFL caused a shift to this hip drop tackling motion?

I suggest it has.

This season players are getting weeks for run down tackles and standing tackles that take a player to the ground and the head hits the ground. So how can AFL player now legally tackle a player to the ground these days? It is getting harder and harder to tackle your opposition.

Are players now resorting to a hip drop tackling motion as it protects the head? Too bad it destroys knees, breaks legs and also ends careers.

So at this point in time we have the toughest most brutal game in the world in the NRL banning the action, many players consider it a dog act worse than striking. And the AFL seems to be forcing players to adopt the tackling technique because of the changes to rules to protect the head.

Does the AFL need to address this and fast? As currently the hip drop tackle is perfectly legal in our game and unfortunately for Naughton and the Bulldogs we may have just witnessed a serious injury resulting because of it.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

The whole dangerous tackle rule has been an absolute mess for the last 2 seasons, and the unintended consequences of it were always going to be bad. I’m all for protecting the head, but this particular attempt has been a disaster.

The hip drop tackle has been an issue not just in the NRL but in super rugby too, and it was always only a matter of time until it made its way in to the AFL, and the tackling rules seemed to have ensured that.

 

[mike ross]

Whatever rules they keep making and changing, it won't make a difference because of umpire mediocrity.

 

[blinkd]

The AFL never has a plan. Always reactionary.

 

[BigPond101]

I don't think so.. unless it comes out the tackler has some kind of jiu-jitsu martial arts training its more likely it just happened that way rather than being deliberate

 

[Obeanie1]

I don't think so.. unless it comes out the tackler has some kind of jiu-jitsu martial arts training its more likely it just happened that way rather than being deliberate

It is a tackling technique developed in rugby, practiced and employed when it was legal. So it was taught as a tackling technique at training in NRL. Not at a jiiu-jitsu class. The method may have a background in martial arts but rugby clubs taught it and employed it successfully until the NRL stepped in and outlawed it.

Currently the method is perfectly legal in the AFL. So why wouldn't clubs be teaching it? It protects the head.

And with the AFL outlawing many other tackling methods recently players are finding different ways to tackle within the rules.

That's the issue.

 

[Sentinel]

According to the NFL's analysis "this specific technique causes lower extremity injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles". https://operations.nfl.com/updates/...rule-to-remove-hip-drop-tackle-from-the-game/

Reports so far are that Naughton appears lucky to have avoided an ACL, and the tackle was fully within the rules so the Sydney player did nothing wrong, but given the elevated risk and the action taken in other sports you'd think it's only a matter of time before the AFL outlaws it.

 

[Obeanie1]

According to the NFL's analysis "this specific technique causes lower extremity injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles". https://operations.nfl.com/updates/...rule-to-remove-hip-drop-tackle-from-the-game/

Reports so far are that Naughton appears lucky to have avoided an ACL, and the tackle was fully within the rules so the Sydney player did nothing wrong, but given the elevated risk and the action taken in other sports you'd think it's only a matter of time before the AFL outlaws it.

Great news on the ACL.

 

[Sentinel]

Great news on the ACL.

He's still not fully cleared yet, but that's the expected outcome (MCL instead) ahead of scans today

 

[Aucklander]

It is a tackling technique developed in rugby, practiced and employed when it was legal. So it was taught as a tackling technique at training in NRL. Not at a jiiu-jitsu class. The method may have a background in martial arts but rugby clubs taught it and employed it successfully until the NRL stepped in and outlawed it.

Currently the method is perfectly legal in the AFL. So why wouldn't clubs be teaching it? It protects the head.

And with the AFL outlawing many other tackling methods recently players are finding different ways to tackle within the rules.

That's the issue.

It looked like one to me, but definitely a bit different.

 

[The Hobo]

As much as we all love to watch players break tackles, we can't have our cake and eat it too.

If a player gets tackled properly (ie. not hanging off them by a finger) - blow the whistle. Don't wait and give them opportunity to work through and get out of the tackle.

Seeing far too often now players that would have been brought to ground previously now being left upright and then scrounging a little kick off about 30seconds into the tackle and umpires calling play on.

Players will develop new tackling techniques such as this to bring a player to ground without hitting their head, but with other unintended consequences.

Just pay it quickly and get on with it.

 

[Crankyhawk]

As much as we all love to watch players break tackles, we can't have our cake and eat it too.

If a player gets tackled properly (ie. not hanging off them by a finger) - blow the whistle. Don't wait and give them opportunity to work through and get out of the tackle.

Seeing far too often now players that would have been brought to ground previously now being left upright and then scrounging a little kick off about 30seconds into the tackle and umpires calling play on.

Players will develop new tackling techniques such as this, to tackle without hitting the head on the ground, but with other unintended consequences - like this.

Just pay it quickly and get on with it.

While this is true blowing the whistle quickly would not have affected what happened to naughton (appears to be in one fairly continuous movement)

Edit unless you blow it when he is grabbed while still standing and hasn’t yet shown an attempt to dispose (with no prior)

 

[The Hobo]

While this is true blowing the whistle quickly would not have affected what happened to naughton (appears to be in one fairly continuous movement)

Edit unless you blow it when he is grabbed while still standing and hasn’t yet shown an attempt to dispose (with no prior)

The thinking of players is that they won't get a HTB decision unless they bring a player to ground. If they knew they could get a HTB whilst stand tackling, perhaps he doesn't try bring Naughton to ground. (Purely hypothetical of course)

 

[maskmcgee]

If it's not ahead injury the AFL doesn't care

 

[Mofra]

If it's not ahead injury the AFL doesn't care

The introduction of the centre circle for ruck contests would suggests otherwise

 

[Belnakor]

I don't think so.. unless it comes out the tackler has some kind of jiu-jitsu martial arts training its more likely it just happened that way rather than being deliberate

AFL teams have been working with grappling experts for the past decade.

To me that “tackle” looked like something out of the UFC.

If it wasn’t deliberate it was certainly a vicious tackle you don’t see very often.

 

[faible]

While this is true blowing the whistle quickly would not have affected what happened to naughton (appears to be in one fairly continuous movement)

Edit unless you blow it when he is grabbed while still standing and hasn’t yet shown an attempt to dispose (with no prior)

If the whilst was blown faster, players wouldn't be finding new ways to bring their opposition to ground. They're fairly well linked IMO.

 

[JackOutback]

The AFL has been progressively removing tackling options to the point that bringing the player to ground is seen as the only option to win a free. Actions have consequences and all that. Not 100 per cent what they can do, but if the ban this tackle without making any changes to umpiring or rules, the options for the tackler become nearly non-existent.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

As much as we all love to watch players break tackles, we can't have our cake and eat it too.

If a player gets tackled properly (ie. not hanging off them by a finger) - blow the whistle. Don't wait and give them opportunity to work through and get out of the tackle.

Seeing far too often now players that would have been brought to ground previously now being left upright and then scrounging a little kick off about 30seconds into the tackle and umpires calling play on.

Players will develop new tackling techniques such as this to bring a player to ground without hitting their head, but with other unintended consequences.

Just pay it quickly and get on with it.

Agree.

This is squarely on the AFL.

 

[D-N-R]

There are 2 issues, imo, with the game at the moment.
Tackles that cause head injuries and HTB.
The afl could try and solve both these issues by incentivising good tackles.
How that is done is the tricky bit, but encouraging holding players up in the tackle by rewarding them with HTB decisions might be a start.
Like I said, the detail is tricky.
Hold the player for 2 seconds, and if he hasn't tried to get rid of it or failed to dispose of it correctly, punish it. Bring a player to the ground, then it's never a free for the tackler. Or something along those lines.
HTB needs sorting though, it's a joke atm.

 

[Obeanie1]

The AFL has been progressively removing tackling options to the point that bringing the player to ground is seen as the only option to win a free. Actions have consequences and all that. Not 100 per cent what they can do, but if the ban this tackle without making any changes to umpiring or rules, the options for the tackler become nearly non-existent.

Can see the game is heading towards the Irish game where tackling is not such a big part of the game.

Remember when the Irish first played against us. They just weren't as physical with tackling as in Galic Football it's been phased out.

We need to get the right balance here somehow.

 

[Altum Volantes]

I’d like another look at the tackle the ended Noah Long’s season against Essendon…

 

[ThePhantom777]

We need to get the right balance here somehow.

Start with with paying holding the ball.
Multiple HTB decisiona missed every game.
Players with prior opportunity dropping the ball or not disposing of it correctly when tackled.

 

[TwiggleyFanClub]

It's also exacerbated by the studs holding his foot in place, instead of allowing his foot the possibility of turning with the rotation to take some of the pressure off.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Start with with paying holding the ball.
Multiple HTB decisiona missed every game.
Players with prior opportunity dropping the ball or not disposing of it correctly when tackled.

Agreed, the tackler is forced to do everything they can to incapacitate the opponent.

Using the legs has definitely started to creep in - it’s a response to the fact that to get a HTB call you often need catch someone stone motherless, or rely on an occasional ‘dragged it in’ call to go your way.