No danger of lifting tackles ruining Origin, says Mal Meninga
Queensland State of Origin coach Mal Meninga has dismissed any notion that the NRL’s crackdown on dangerous throws or lifting has the potential to create problems for both teams during the series.
Last month, the NRL resisted enforcing a blanket ban on lifting tackles after Newcastle forward Alex McKinnon suffered spinal damage when he played against the Melbourne Storm and a group of analysts commissioned by the NRL compiled data on the tackle as part of the organisation’s reform to player safety.
The governing body sent out an edict to each of its clubs in mid-April, which re-emphasised a dangerous position: “A dangerous position is where the head or neck of the tackled player dips below the horizontal level of the hips – and it is not immediately corrected.”
