There is an extra reason why the Broncos should be very worried about Patrick Carrigan’s horror tackle that broke the leg of Tigers star Jackson Hastings on Saturday.
Carrigan has been referred straight to the judiciary for the hip drop tackle – an indication of the seriousness of the incident.
But what will cause him real concern is that only two weeks ago, the NRL warned all clubs about the dangers of hip drop tackles, in which a player is held by two tacklers and then a third player comes in around the waist and pulls him to the ground, causing major damage to legs, knees or ankles.
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The warning was accompanied by videos of the tackles and a clear message – stamp it out!
The fact that Carrigan’s tackle, which has ended Hastings’ season – came so soon after the warning will ensure the judicial clamps down hard on him as an example to all players.
The Tigers, meanwhile, are fuming about the tackle, which soured their splendid upset win in Brisbane.
“It was a dog shot… and the referee didn’t even want to do anything about it,” a Tigers source told Wide World of Sports.
“It was only when Jackson was screaming in pain on the ground and (skipper) James Tamou abused the referee for not taking action that the Bunker got involved.”
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