15.4 Free Kick — Permitted and Prohibited Physical Contact.
15.4.1 Correct Tackle or Correctly Tackled
(a) For the purposes of these Laws, a Player executes a tackle correctly if:
(i) the Player being held is in possession of the football; and
(ii) that Player is held (either by the body or playing uniform) below the shoulders and above the knees.
(b) For the avoidance of doubt, a tackle may be executed correctly by holding a Player from the front, side or behind, provided that a Player held from behind is not pushed in the back.
A few questions have been raised this season in relation to the ‘spear’ tackle, where player’s legs are lifted from the ground and the player is then ‘driven’ head first into the ground Notation is also made of tackles where a players arm may be pinned, as well as the legs being lifted and players also being ’slung’ in tackles. It should also be noted that on occasions, tackles are deemed to be (and look) ‘heavy’ but are legal and a player may get injured – that’s the nature of the game!
I would sincerely hope that the ‘spear’ tackle (and any other illegal tackle) is not being ‘coached’ into players but if players are taking it upon themselves to initiate this type of tackle, then it will stop. Umpires will report a player or players if they are deemed to ‘spear’ tackle an opponent. The report will be lodged under Law 19.2.2 – (g) – (vii) – engaging in rough conduct against an opponent which in the circumstances is unreasonable. For any avoidance of doubt, the Law in relation to correct tackles, as stated above, could not be more readily explained.
The ‘spear’ tackles are ruled dangerous in the National Rugby League competition and their players have been dealt with severely by their tribunal. It appears as though there have been some instances of these tackles appearing in the AFL. It’s not on and aside from being totally dangerous, the legal ramifications that could be brought against players, who use this type of tackle, could be far reaching and costly.
As field umpires, we will try and be as vigilant as we can to ensure that this type of tackle doesn’t happen in a game. But we must be in a position to see it first. Your view from the sidelines is much different to that of the field umpires. Coaches need to ensure that their players are aware of the dangers of these types of tackles and that their players don’t attempt or initiate the tackles – fair warning for everyone.
Last Modified on 23/06/2011 23:34