It'll piss you off, but ~ seeing you insist,  I agree with Cameron Smith.  Still........tragic for McKinnon.

MELBOURNE centre Will Chambers has defended skipper Cameron Smith for questioning Alex McKinnon's action in a tackle that left the Newcastle forward with a fractured neck.

McKinnon suffered the injury in last night's NRL match at AAMI Park when he landed on his head in a three-man tackle by Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich and Jordan McLean.

He was carried from the field and the tacklers were put on report by referee Gerard Sutton but Smith said the 22-year-old back-rower's actions in the tackle contributed to the injury.

“I don't want to see that happen to anyone in our game but, if he doesn't duck his head, it doesn't happen,” Smith told Sutton on the field.

Asked whether such comments were “insensitive in light of the injury”, Chambers said it was part of Smith's role to talk with the referee during a match.

“No ... that's his part. He obviously saw something and had a chat,” said Chambers.

He said he couldn't watch as McKinnon was put into a neck brace and stretchered from the field, with scans at a Melbourne hospital later confirming a fracture.

The full extent of injury won't be known for at least a few days.

McKinnon could initially be heard via the referee's microphone saying he couldn't feel anything.

Chambers said it was tough to see any player suffer a serious injury in a tackle.

“I walked away last night when it happened because you hate to see people in that situation,” he said.

“You don't want to look. It's a scary thought, and I stayed away from it.”

Chambers, a member of the Storm's leadership group, didn't want to be drawn on any possible penalties from the match video review panel over the tackle.

“I haven't spoken to them (the tacklers),” he said.

“Obviously you don't go out to do those sort of things.

“It was an accident and we just hope that he recovers now and he's back on the field soon.”

The Storm travel to Perth on Thursday ahead of their Saturday NRL clash with the Bulldogs.

It's believed the three players involved in the tackle will speak with the club's welfare officer, while the club said it would also work with the Knights and the NRL in offering support and assistance to McKinnon and his family.

No.  No-one is blaming the victim.  I don't blame the Storm bloke either.  Fact is, if McKinnon does not duck his head as he did.......it would be entirely different.  So, why did he duck his head?  Because, he had been lifted a tad beyond horizontal and anticipated inversion and into a classic spear.  But, the Storm did not rotate and invert him.....they held him in that tad beyond horizonal position, and took him to ground.  He then put chin to chest, and if he had put back of head to between the shoulder blades....no problem.


This is a serious issue having decades of history.  I remember back in the day.....singly, no gang attack, you'd drive into the oncoming hips, use the momentum, lift even much bigger blokes up, invert him, send him down back first into the ground and slam your active shoulder into his belly to deliberately wind as he hit the ground........remembering to keep the top of one's own head out of range of said ground.

Solution......do not lift.  Do not ever get anywhere near horizontal.

The players know that if they lift someone they are responsible
for making sure the player lands safely.

I think I'd just ban any lift.....and the instant it occurs the Ref blows the whistle and yells......'held.......cease.'

Bobby. wrote on Mar 30^th, 2014 at 9:41am:


get over it ... he knew the risks. If you had told him 3 years ago that if he chose to play professionaly he might end up with a broken neck, he would have gladly jumped on board.

Stick to netball Bobby, it seems more like you speed.

Bobby. wrote on Mar 30^th, 2014 at 9:47am:


of course it is .... and it shouldn't have happened .. however league is a contact sport and accidents do and will happen.

Do you call for the banning of the SYdney to Hobart whenever a boat and its crew drown? Or ban motor racing when a car crashes and a driver is burnt to death? Lets ban all sports that have the potential to be dangerous why don't we?

im with you bobby... what a stupid barbaric game... get rid of it..