[i"I let the match commissioner know what I thought about the tackle at half-time. I thought it was nothing short of disgraceful and the reason why they've done it (not sent Taia off) is because last week (Wigan second rower) Scott Taylor deliberately hit Gareth O'Brien in the head and knocked him out.

"I believe Zeb Taia is a lovely fella and a terrific player, but they've attacked his head deliberately and he'll (Taia) get nothing because the match commissioner will be shocking about it.

"I find it absolutely downright rude and disgraceful that they (the RFL) don't protect the players in the game, in particular the small ones, who are the key players.

"It is absolutely nothing short of appalling. If one of my own players did it, I'd expect them to be sent off and then be suspended for a long, long period of time. I'm really appalled that the RFL can allow this to keep happening."[/i

Spot on for me.

Do you remember Brown whilst the Hudds manager said " if my litte blokes keep getting hit and with no protection from the referee then my big blokes will sort it ou". Or something very similar.

He'll probably get a bigger punishment for saying than than the Catalan bloke will!

Glad he's spoken out about it. It's disgraceful that the disciplinary have put themselves in such a position by letting Taylor off last week.

Did you see the tackle?

It was big man on little man, vicious and could have cause serious injury.

For what it's worth, what he said at Huddersfield was spot on too. He's saying his big men will protect his little men if the referees won't. Not that he'll send his big men to target the other teams little men, big difference.

It's a toughy. I thought last week's was worse. It was hard to see on what I saw maybe a clearer shot will show it to be a head. But I thought shoulder. I'd rather all coaches kepttr stum. But as they all do it we have to too.

I've not seen the tackle. I've looked on that video site for the tackle ad the punch by LMS but nothing yet.

Brown is right about protecting his players and if that's what it takes before the RFL step in the so be it. I've got a feeling though that the RFL will have to do something now before someone gets seriously injured.

He kept quiet about it last week, but if they get away with it then he obviously feels he's no option but to speak out. I fully agree with what he's said and his view of it.

These tackles are really dangerous because they are late and the player isn't 'expecting it'. Therefore the player has no control when he is smashed side on.

Something now has to be done about it before it becomes a problem.

I think McManus needs to put in an official complaint to the RFL. The way the RFL are turning a blind eye to the illegal tackles this type of game is no longer sport but GBH.
Perhaps we have to wait for a career ending assault before the RFL wake up, this season is probably the worse in the history of our game for the refs, its ruining the game.

For me they need to get rid of the on report power to refs. It's either a penalty, yellow card or red card.

They out lawed the shoulder charge for a reason now it seems they can't police it. I understand that if a player has been doing shoulder charges all his career its a hard habit to break. However, 2 games in a row the opposition have benefited from this which is out of order.

The RFL were weak last round of SL surely they can't afford to be weak now, good on LMS for 'sorting the problem

I still say today's tackle is hard to say from the pixel image. He hit the deck pretty hard. I thought yellow for lateness and in the back again. But head high? Not a clear cut for me till I see a proper replay. Ref gets one look so can understand on report as he is following the ball. One touch is watching the forward pass so has moved on. Other touch marks the defensive line but is on other side of the field. Should be two refs really.

I have watched the 'tackle' back several times now and it is very late and a definite shoulder charge. There is contact with the head so you would expect Zeb to get at least a couple of games. I find it a little hypocritical though that you blow up about this after the cup game at Craven Park where Dobson was taken out by a late shoulder charge from Wilkin (a very clean player BTW), and Welham was put out for the rest of the season by a late shoulder charge. You rightly state that it is a game wide problem, one of our own players took out Blake Green in the cup game with Wigan by using a shoulder charge. If its illegal then start sending people off to get the message across. I hope young O'Brien is OK, and also the very best of luck for the rest of the season.

Shoulder charge is a penalty.

Head shoulder charge is a red.

I am not too fussed by the shoulder charge, for me it's the lateness. If you have the ball and are square with the play, you will protect yourself with a shoulder charge, but a late shoulder charge is basically just the same as hitting someone in the back. That's why I thought it was a Yellow, without a judgement on the head high. Even the ref said it was late, but he could not say where on the body it was.

Well in my opinion the late shot is dirty and so a Yellow. Surely he can give a Yellow and then report for the head high????

Agree. Never understood the on report function really, you can cite a player after the game anyway. It's a get out of a decision tool. We need to get rid of it from our game and put authority back to the referee.

For me, it shold be quite easy to officiate especially in televised matches. I would change the on report ruling, if the victim has to be carried off the field as result pf a late or illegal tackle then the accused leaves the field as well and is replaced.
For televised matches whilst the victim is being treated and stretchered off, i,m sure the video ref can judge if its a replacement conversion to a red card sending off.
There is alot of negativity in officiating the match game and this is one of them.

Nothing hypocritical at all. Wilkin was banned for two matches and Gardner for one, and so far as I can remember nobody on here tried to justify Wilkin's tackle although some thought Gardner's punishment harsh. HOwever, I think you'll find that Welham wasn't injured by our players.

Catalan were guilty of exactly the same thing against Salford earlier in the year. It caused eighteen year old Theo Fages to stop breathing and only for the quick thinking of Salford's physio the results could have been terrible.

Well said. It was a cynical challenge just like the last one designed to take out a key man. The last one should have got a ban and this one should too. The cowards at the RFL will no doubt be more bothered by Browns comments.

He got in bother for that comment as be also said " if the rfl don't start protecting the little players, then my big players like mason and (can't think of his name) will start protecting them"

Both Saints players got bans. The Wigan cretin who did it didnt even get a yellow card. We'll see what happens to Cats btw

Luckily O'Brien is okay, glass jaw as he put it on twitter. I think Brown has every right to speak out about the tackle but he might find a nice fine coming his way. I wrote about it on my blog today, talking about Sandercocks reaction at the weekend as well. Luckily Brown is in the Super League as so far Parramattas Ricky Stuart has had $25,000 in fines this season for speaking about referees. www.thebackline.co.uk/the-coache ... -referees/

Luckily O'Brien is okay, glass jaw as he put it on twitter. I think Brown has every right to speak out about the tackle but he might find a nice fine coming his way. I wrote about it on my blog today, talking about Sandercocks reaction at the weekend as well. Luckily Brown is in the Super League as so far Parramattas Ricky Stuart has had $25,000 in fines this season for speaking about referees. www.thebackline.co.uk/the-coache ... -referees/

Brown also mentions that there is still one club targeting the knee joint area....I wonder which club that would be.

As regards the RFL on player protection, why don,t they show there total ineptness and accuse O,Brien of bringing the game into disrepute by his lack of vision and skill of addressing a late tackle.

I think the big problem for refs is its tough to see at the speed they see and they have to make a call there and then. Most of these "late shoulder charges" are after the ball has gone. I think the RFL hasn't done the refs any favours with the shoulder charge rule and its hard for them to call.

The walker tackle against Wigan is a good example. Five of us watched it back at my house the following day. Three didnt think the was contact to the head and two thought the was. That was with about 10 replays plus the sky replays. The ref is expected to make that call there and then!

The disciplinary board isn't consistent enough with their bans. One week a player is banned for something and then the next a player has nothing to answer and that's a real problem and why coaches, players and fans get so irate with them.

Another example of not being consistent on the field. Yesterday Lms threw a cracking right hand and landed flush on the frogs nose. It wasn't self defence or protecting himself, he threw the first punch and ended up in the bin (correct IMO). Few weeks back, Wardle from hudds did exactly the same thing and got sent off. Danny maguire threw a punch and didnt get put in the bin.

Three players have threw the first punch. Wardle was sent off, Lms went in the bin and Danny maguire had a warning off the ref!

The RFL need to sort this out and fast!

Couldn't agree more. If they miss it then fair enough. If they see it they should be consistent.