Nearly 12 months after former Maroons teammate Brent Tate was dumped on his head in the most frightening moment of his career, Johnathan Thurston believes send-offs shape as the only genuine deterrent to the continued issue of dangerous lifting tackles.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 2014 Origin series exploded into controversy after the opener in Brisbane, when Tate said he'd never felt more scared on a football field as he was tipped towards the ground in the tackle of Reynolds and Beau Scott.
Reynolds was cleared to play game two in Sydney while Tate's claims, soon after the Alex McKinnon incident, proved an incendiary prelude to the rematch at ANZ Stadium, where NSW secured the series.
Tate has retired but the Maroons haven't forgotten the bitter treatment dished out to one of their favourite sons, who was accused of hysteria and scare-mongering after the incident. Tate was stunned and shaken by the vitriol.
With McKinnon now considering his legal options in terms of compensation from the game, talk has surfaced once again on how to rid rugby league of dangerous tackles and whether the code has done enough to eradicate them.
Thurston firmly believes there are still two sets of laws in play; one for NRL and one for Origin encounters. He's not convinced the game has progressed all that far from from the McKinnon incident and then that of Tate, a player who already had a history of neck issues.
"That's a tough one to answer. Origin is a totally different kettle of fish than club footy as you saw last year with the Brent Tate tackle," Thurston said. "I'm thinking if they did that in the NRL, in club land, they'd be getting a fair punishment on the sidelines. Origin you seem to get away with a lot more apparently."
Players continue to be charged almost weekly for lifting offences and questions remain over the impact of the NRL's harsher stance, which has seen more charges laid but still deals with a steady flow of offences.
Thurston said there was a "fine line" between a great shot under the ribs and a dangerous tackle but believes being dispatched to the dressing room stands out as the only real way to get the message across to players.
"It's probably the stance they need to take if they want to eradicate or get rid of the lifting," Thurston said. "But there is nothing better than seeing someone get up under the rib cage. It is a fine line."
Thurston remains one of the toughest players in the game and has laughed off talk at being 'targeted' by NSW enforcer Beau Scott. Thurston said being belted as he took on the defence was part of his lot and with 30 Origins to his name, remains one of rugby league's great survivors.
"My role there is to take the ball to the line. If I'm not doing that and getting sat on my backside then I'm not creating any opportunities for the boys around me," Thurston said. "It's a tough arena to play in. I think I've copped a fair bit of punishment over the years but I'm still here."
Asked whether he knew Scott well, Thurston said: "I know him to say hello to."
And Christmas cards?
"Ahhhh.... no."
