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Message: [QUOTE="Morkel, post: 2698478, member: 8215"] [url=http://www.news.com.au/sport/todd-greenberg-must-take-blame-for-nrls-shoulder-charge-rule-change-debacle/story-fnaqgujp-1227491849552]Todd Greenberg must take blame for NRL?s shoulder charge rule change debacle[/url] TODD Greenberg owes Peter Sterling an apology. And Andrew Johns, and Brad Fittler. And every former player and commentator whose credibility and reputation was questioned in the lead-up to the shoulder charge debacle this week. If this is the administration in charge of a billion-dollar sport, God help us. As the NRL’s head of football, the buck must stop with Greenberg. When he came into the job many of us thought he would be something of a saviour for a new NRL administration that lacked “football” experience. It’s fair to say that debate has been well and truly put to bed. What happened on Wednesday night was an embarrassment to everyone who follows the game. For that, Greenberg has to take responsibility for the “rules on the run” strategy that created this circus. What is obvious now is that Issac Luke, Jorge Taufua and Aidan Guerra should never have been charged in the first place. So why were they? The fact is it would have never gotten to this had the NRL’s match review panel done its job in the first place. The initial decision not to charge Kane Evans for his deliberate shoulder charge on Sam Kasiano in early August is what ignited the confusion we see now. It wasn’t the comments that Sterlo, Joey and Freddy made on Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show, when they said they would support a *decision to overturn the shoulder charge ban. The debate was already raging as soon as Kasiano hit the deck, when people from everywhere started applauding. The thing is, the fans and former players react to what they see, and what they say is not always Gospel. But it is the job of Greenberg and his men to provide calm clarity when these issues arise. On this occasion they failed, miserably. Remember, it was their decision to allow Evans to escape with only an “official warning”. And don’t forget the match review panel had three days to come up with that verdict. But when the NRL stuffed it up, it created the perfect political smother. It found Sterlo, Freddy and Joey, who by that stage were under fire from all sections after James Ackerman’s brother came out and spoke about his family’s grief. In hindsight, most agreed after hearing Andrew Ackerman tell the tragic story about his brother’s death that there was no place in the game for the shoulder charge. But it was later in the week, as debate went on, and after the NRL’s own match review committee decided not to charge Evans, that Greenberg hit the wrong target. “I am really disappointed by some of the discussion and debate I’ve listened to and read in the media this week,” Greenberg said, in what almost everyone clearly saw as a shot at Sterling and co. Then Greenberg went further, without conceding fault, by forewarning of the pending crackdown. “If we do anything in the coming weeks, it will be to tighten our policy around the shoulder charge, not loosen it,” he said. NRL boss Dave Smith, with all his knowledge of the game, also weighed in, commenting on Twitter: No place at all for the shoulder charge in the game @NRL. The rules will tighten such that if you put a hit on you'll be on the sideline — Dave Smith (@DaveSmithNRL) August 6, 2015 It’s fair to say Sterlo, Joey and Freddy have forgotten more about the game than Smith will ever know, and Greenberg for that matter. But as personal agendas took over, shoulder charge clarity was lost. All common sense was thrown out the window in a rushed attempt to cover the mistake of not charging Evans. Instead of sitting down and calmly finding the way forward, the NRL pushed through a policy no one understood. Weeks out from the finals, it was mayhem. And the match review panel obviously still had no idea what it needed to do. While almost every rugby league fan with half a clue could clearly see that they were getting it wrong, Greenberg again came out this week and defended the stance. “There should be no confusion,” he said. “If you use the shoulder charge with force you will be charged and suspended.” Then Wednesday night’s judiciary hearing exploded in his face. Where does the NRL go from here? What constitutes a shoulder charge, and what doesn’t? How about this for an idea: How about the NRL starts using common sense. About the only positive to come out of this week is that at least we know the judiciary panel is independent of the match review committee, which is a small victory. At least it appears to be on board with the rest of us that sometimes accidental contact is unavoidable. After the debate of the last few weeks, almost everyone in the game is now of the view that there can be no turning back on the shoulder charge ban. But it’s time for Greenberg and the match review committee to take responsibility for the part they played throughout this entire debacle. And the first response should be to say sorry to everyone who got caught up in the crossfire. It was always the NRL’s job to give clarity on the shoulder charge, and it still can’t. [/QUOTE]

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