Knocked senseless by a shoulder charge gone wrong last year, Wests Tigers prop Matt Groat says any attack on the head must be eliminated from the NRL and, if the much loved but controversial tackle is a victim of that, so be it.
As furore continues to swirl around the ban of the shoulder charge and the NRL’s enforcement of new rules surrounding dangerous contact, Tigers youngster Groat weighed into the debate on Wednesday.
Groat was knocked out in a sickening hit by Ben Te’o last April for which the then Brisbane back-rower received a two-match ban after convincing the NRL judiciary panel members Don McKinnon, Michael Buettner and Chris McKenna to downgrade the charge and cut his punishment from an initial four weeks.
Despite the reduction in the grading, the Te’o hit exemplified doctors’ concerns over what damage such a tackle could do and contributed to the ban announced before the start of this NRL season.
Due back in three weeks from a toe injury, Groat is yet to play under the new rule but said everything needed to be done to protect players’ heads.
“Being such a youngster in the game, I’m not really one to judge anyone’s decision on making the shoulder charge rule or anything like that,” Groat said.
“But I just think that attacking the head is wrong, like most people say that is wrong, and that is my opinion on it.”