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Newcastle Forward Kade Snowden has been outed for seven weeks for his shoulder charge on Cowboys hooker Ray Thompson, while Bulldogs enforcer Frank Pritchard will miss just two weeks for a very similar incident.
Snowden was sent off in the game for his hit which left Thompson with a broken jaw, ending his season, while Pritchard’s hit on bunny Bryson Goodwin was penalised on the field.
While the two pieces of foul play were similar in style, the condition of the opponent is the main difference, which highlights a problem in the way the NRL match review panel are viewing on field incidents.
Snowden’s hit shows why the NRL has decided to ban the shoulder charge. It is dangerous and things can go wrong so easily, putting the attacking player at risk.
However, if the league is serious about outlawing the shoulder charge, the punishments must be proactive and not reactive.
The two big hits were very similar and while Goodwin was not injured there was just as much chance he could have ended up like Thompson.
The injuries and risks caused by the shoulder charge will not be rubbed out of the game, until the players are punished for attempting the shoulder charge as much as punished for executing it poorly.
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Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague
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