Alex Mckinnon,

[bondi-boy]

Park footy players are "insured" when they play footy for there local club on a Sunday arvo. I'm sure blokes who do this for a living have greater insurance policies in place. Surely a bloke who's been around long enough and seen many things would know that

Look at the bloke from the panthers who became a paraplegic after a scrum years back, Gus said he is working for the club and has done since the accident and will do for as long as he wants too. The Knights will be no different. Alex will be given all the help he needs, have a bit of faith mate, there's no need to highlight the negatives at every oppurtunity.

Banning lifting tackles isn't the issue. It's the wrestle that's causing a lot of these dangerous looking tackles.
You tell me what was so dangerous about a T.Gillmiester up under the ribs driving a player onto his back, with his hands between his legs lifting and driving. Steve Menzies was another, had a great technique of driving a player on to his back. Out of a ALL the tackles made in a rugby league match over the many years, how many have left a bloke paralysed? Not many I bet. I'll say it again, it was a freak accident, nothing more, nothing less. There was no intent to drive the bloke head first into the turf, it wasn't one of the uglier ones where the tackler is standing nearly upright with his arms over his head and dropping the player.

It should be, and is for me.
Lifting and driving tackles of any description should be banned.

It might not have been one of the uglier ones, but intent or not it was a lifting tackle and the result is permanent quadriplegia.
It's absolutely horrible.
How is he going to work at the club, he can't move his hands.

I have no faith that the Knights will even exist in ten years time.

What this bloke who's been around a long time has seen often are simple things that one would assume are in place and sorted are in fact not so.

Flood insurance amount limit set by one famous insurance company...in the QLD floods...$15,000.
Would buy a couple of door mats and half a wall.
Many people who thought they were fully covered for a flooded home got a rude shock.

Park footy players insured?
For what exactly...quadriplegia? paraplegia?
For how much?

Holden Cup and FG players insured by the NRL? their clubs?
Mandatory insurance for millions for quadriplegia and paraplegia?

Today, after this, if I had a young son, would I allow him to play rugby league?
Answer; no.
You can bet there are many people around who think as I do.

Would I if the NRL now banned all lifting tackles?
Answer; yes.
Risk management.

NRL banned shoulder charges..risk management.
RU banned shoulder charges.
NRL changed the scrum rules...and banned tackling players in the air...risk management.
Now it needs to ban all lifting tackles...to ensure there are no more players ending up in the spinal unit with bad outcomes from such tackles..

[bondi-boy]

men of league is a support network for former players and personal involved with football. they wont cover alexs medicals nor his up keep, but will be helping in other fields. Alex is a private entity (like a small business) and he should have himself insured against permanent injury, disability insurance, etc. so lets hope he was insured for this. im sure he will be looked after by the knaughts.

Let's hope.
Hoping is not good enough though, the NRL must make insurance with multi million dollar payouts mandatory, as part of the players' registered contracts...if it hasn't already.

[roosterproud]

It should be, and is for me.
Lifting and driving tackles of any description should be banned.

It might not have been one of the uglier ones, but intent or not it was a lifting tackle and the result is permanent quadriplegia.
It's absolutely horrible.
How is he going to work at the club, he can't move his hands.

I have no faith that the Knights will even exist in ten years time.

What this bloke who's been around a long time has seen often are simple things that one would assume are in place and sorted are in fact not so.

Flood insurance amount limit set by one famous insurance company...in the QLD floods...$15,000.
Would buy a couple of door mats and half a wall.
Many people who thought they were fully covered for a flooded home got a rude shock.

Park footy players insured?
For what exactly...quadriplegia? paraplegia?
For how much?

Holden Cup and FG players insured by the NRL? their clubs?
Mandatory insurance for millions for quadriplegia and paraplegia?

Today, after this, if I had a young son, would I allow him to play rugby league?
Answer; no.

Would I if the NRL now banned all lifting tackles?
Answer; yes.
Risk management.

NRL banned shoulder charges..risk management.
RU banned shoulder charges.
NRL changed the scrum rules...risk management.
Now it needs to ban all lifting tackles...to ensure there are no more players ending up in the spinal unit with bad outcomes from such tackles..

I doubt this is true. many ppl have had full rebuild after the floods, cant do that on $15k

there are 7072 players , playing games of first grade a year and one serious injury. that's 17 players x 16 teams x 26 rounds of footy.

im a first grade fao and I see annual injury facts sheets from all codes of sport and league isn't in the top 3 injury sports. netball sokka afl.

[Guest]

It should be, and is for me.
Lifting and driving tackles of any description should be banned.

It might not have been one of the uglier ones, but intent or not it was a lifting tackle and the result is permanent quadriplegia.
It's absolutely horrible.
How is he going to work at the club, he can't move his hands.

I have no faith that the Knights will even exist in ten years time.

What this bloke who's been around a long time has seen often are simple things that one would assume are in place and sorted are in fact not so.

Flood insurance amount limit set by one famous insurance company...in the QLD floods...$15,000.
Would buy a couple of door mats and half a wall.
Many people who thought they were fully covered for a flooded home got a rude shock.

Park footy players insured?
For what exactly...quadriplegia? paraplegia?
For how much?

Holden Cup and FG players insured by the NRL? their clubs?
Mandatory insurance for millions for quadriplegia and paraplegia?

Today, after this, if I had a young son, would I allow him to play rugby league?
Answer; no.
You can bet there are many people around who think as I do.

Would I if the NRL now banned all lifting tackles?
Answer; yes.
Risk management.

NRL banned shoulder charges..risk management.
RU banned shoulder charges.
NRL changed the scrum rules...and banned tackling players in the air...risk management.
Now it needs to ban all lifting tackles...to ensure there are no more players ending up in the spinal unit with bad outcomes from such tackles..

You raised some good points there mate I'll agree to that.
It would fall back on the player on what they insure themselves for. I'm only guessing in saying that a duty of care would apply to the clubs and the NRL to make sure the kid is looked after for a long time and I'm betting the rugby league community in general would get behind this kid.

[bondi-boy]

You raised some good points there mate I'll agree to that.
It would fall back on the player on what they insure themselves for. I'm only guessing in saying that a duty of care would apply to the clubs and the NRL to make sure the kid is looked after for a long time and I'm betting the rugby league community in general would get behind this kid.

Young naive players abound.
I knew nothing at their age...they're better informed today, but no way the injury insurance should be left for them to arrange.
Some time ago a young and naive player arrived, a $5000 contract was mentioned...he allegedly said "Oh I couldn't pay that much"...thinking he had to pay to play.

Others could forget to insure themselves, intending to get around to it shortly, but be permanently injured in the first match...like driving a new car out of the dealer's yard without an insurance cover note.

[Guest]

It should be, and is for me.
Lifting and driving tackles of any description should be banned.

It might not have been one of the uglier ones, but intent or not it was a lifting tackle and the result is permanent quadriplegia.
It's absolutely horrible.
How is he going to work at the club, he can't move his hands.

I have no faith that the Knights will even exist in ten years time.

What this bloke who's been around a long time has seen often are simple things that one would assume are in place and sorted are in fact not so.

Flood insurance amount limit set by one famous insurance company...in the QLD floods...$15,000.
Would buy a couple of door mats and half a wall.
Many people who thought they were fully covered for a flooded home got a rude shock.

Park footy players insured?
For what exactly...quadriplegia? paraplegia?
For how much?

Holden Cup and FG players insured by the NRL? their clubs?
Mandatory insurance for millions for quadriplegia and paraplegia?

Today, after this, if I had a young son, would I allow him to play rugby league?
Answer; no.
You can bet there are many people around who think as I do.

Would I if the NRL now banned all lifting tackles?
Answer; yes.
Risk management.

NRL banned shoulder charges..risk management.
RU banned shoulder charges.
NRL changed the scrum rules...and banned tackling players in the air...risk management.
Now it needs to ban all lifting tackles...to ensure there are no more players ending up in the spinal unit with bad outcomes from such tackles..

if a cricket/baseball player got hit by a cricket ball while batting they dont change the ball and make it softer, if a soccer player has a heartattack after running around for 90min + injury time, fifa will not shorten the length of the game, if an afl player jumps on the back of another taking a mark and falls on his head they wont outlaw marks, if a union player gets lifted to catch a lineout and falls on his head, they wont outlaw lifting for line outs, same with there scrums. you play a collision sport you go into it knowing there is a minute risk that you could end up being sevearly injured. freak accidents happen. If parents want to wrap there kids in cotton wool and only let them play soccer thats fine, there are plenty of parents who will support the game by letting there kids play junior footy. Hopefully th nrl will not be held to randsome by parents like you.

[bondi-boy]

I doubt this is true. many ppl have had full rebuild after the floods, cant do that on $15k

there are 7072 players , playing games of first grade a year and one serious injury. that's 17 players x 16 teams x 26 rounds of footy.

im a first grade fao and I see annual injury facts sheets from all codes of sport and league isn't in the top 3 injury sports. netball sokka afl.

League now has a quadriplegic injury on its hands...from a lifting tackle.
Do all those other codes?

I can see the lawyers lining up...if not this time, then most certainly next time if the NRL doesn't act to further minimise the chance of such injuries....given what's happened to Alex McKinnon.


http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/...insurers/desc/

Flood victims ripped off by greedy insurers

Enough is enough. The diabolical mess surrounding flood insurance must be resolved now before even more Australian families are sent to the financial brink at their time of need.

Suncorp is the only insurance company which offers automatic flood cover in their standard policy for all types of floods.

As we watch the flood devastation around the country, understand that up to half those affected will not be covered by insurance - even though they have a home and contents policy and think they’re protected.

The reason is the small print in their policy (be honest, how many have actually read that bit?) and the fact that many insurance companies have had their fancy lawyers draft definitions of “flood” which don’t actually payout on a flood situation.

I just hate to see hard working Australians sent broke at a time of dire need because they’ve been mislead by a greedy insurance industry.

__________________________________________________ ______________________________
************************************************** *********************

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/q...-1226148514361

#####

NRL should be having failsafe insurance policies covering all possible and permanent injuries mandated for all its registered players.
NRL has lawyers and access to insurance experts...this is not rocket science either.

[Guest]

League now has a quadriplegic injury on its hands...from a lifting tackle.
Do all those other codes?

I can see the lawyers lining up...if not this time, then most certainly next time if the NRL doesn't act to further minimise the chance of such injuries....given what's happened to Alex McKinnon.


http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/...insurers/desc/

Flood victims ripped off by greedy insurers

Enough is enough. The diabolical mess surrounding flood insurance must be resolved now before even more Australian families are sent to the financial brink at their time of need.

Suncorp is the only insurance company which offers automatic flood cover in their standard policy for all types of floods.

As we watch the flood devastation around the country, understand that up to half those affected will not be covered by insurance - even though they have a home and contents policy and think they’re protected.

The reason is the small print in their policy (be honest, how many have actually read that bit?) and the fact that many insurance companies have had their fancy lawyers draft definitions of “flood” which don’t actually payout on a flood situation.

I just hate to see hard working Australians sent broke at a time of dire need because they’ve been mislead by a greedy insurance industry.

__________________________________________________ ______________________________
************************************************** *********************

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/q...-1226148514361

#####

NRL should be having failsafe insurance policies covering all possible and permanent injuries mandated for all its registered players.
NRL has lawyers and access to insurance experts...this is not rocket science either.

Do you know what policies the NRL has in place? How do you know that they don't already have measures in place to deal with severe injuries like this one?
I would be surprised if they didn't. This day and age where most people want to sue for all and anything at the drop of a hat.

[Guest]

Very sad and unfortunate for Alex McKinnon. Nobody likes to see terrible injuries in any sport.

Rugby League has changed ever since wrestling has come into the sport. It seems every year a new rule is implemented to try and combat the ever increasing tactic of slowing the play the ball down. This year they introduced the rule of no third man in low in a tackle when there are already two tacklers involved. The constant rule changes in my opinion does not do the sport any favours. Constant changing and tweaking of the rules confuses people and players start to second guess if they are doing things right and then change their intentions at the last second. By all means, get rid of all the high shots that seemed part and parcel on the game in the 70's and 80's and now the shoulder charge has been banned.

My take on McKinnon's unfortunate tackle is that, at one stage he must have felt that he was going to be flipped over and naturally and instinctively he tucked his neck in, like you are taught to do when doing a tumble roll etc.. The third man in on that tackle - who cannot come in below the knee now - comes in high and forces three players to land on top of him.

In all my time of watching Rugby League, the only player that I know that has been paralysed is John Farragher from the Panthers. This incident came from a collapsed scrum. There have been a few neck injuries, but none too serious to cause paralysis.

The game has changed so much in recent years. If they didn't allow the wrestle to come into the game, who knows. Melbourne introduced the wrestle and were also involved in the McKinnon tackle. All teams would have talked about the new third man in rule and how to combat it. The third man in on that tackle just sort of fell and threw himself on top of the almost completed tackle.

The question is, "Did the third man in need to get involved to complete the tackle?" I say no.

[bondi-boy]

if a cricket/baseball player got hit by a cricket ball while batting they dont change the ball and make it softer, if a soccer player has a heartattack after running around for 90min + injury time, fifa will not shorten the length of the game, if an afl player jumps on the back of another taking a mark and falls on his head they wont outlaw marks, if a union player gets lifted to catch a lineout and falls on his head, they wont outlaw lifting for line outs, same with there scrums. you play a collision sport you go into it knowing there is a minute risk that you could end up being sevearly injured. freak accidents happen. If parents want to wrap there kids in cotton wool and only let them play soccer thats fine, there are plenty of parents who will support the game by letting there kids play junior footy. Hopefully th nrl will not be held to randsome by parents like you.

No, but they limited the number of bouncers per over, and had helmets designed/made available.

NRL introduced the blood bin...so as to protect players from HIV-AIDS and other infections.
Also introduced special water bottles to prevent infections spread by saliva....no more sucking on that horrible looking sponge, and drinking the same water that had come in contact with the mouths of others.

NRL has also introduced a revised concussion rule in response to publicity about ex footballers here and in the USA who now have brain damage.

On the afternoon of the Manly game last week 2GB hosted a famous brain injury in sport etc expert from the USA.
He was advising parents to delay the start of their kids playing contact sports where head knocks were possible...including soccer where heading the ball could be practiced by a 12 or 13 yr old for 20 minutes every afternoon.

He did say that headgear in RL was a help for kids and adults, but not the be-all and end-all.

Over the weekend I noticed that most of the little kids playing junior footy at half time in the games were wearing headgear.

[Guest]

No, but they limited the number of bouncers per over, and had helmets designed/made available.

NRL introduced the blood bin...so as to protect players from HIV-AIDS and other infections.
Also introduced special water bottles to prevent infections spread by saliva....no more sucking on that horrible looking sponge, and drinking the same water that had come in contact with the mouths of others.

NRL has also introduced a revised concussion rule in response to publicity about ex footballers here and in the USA who now have brain damage.

On the afternoon of the Manly game last week 2GB hosted a famous brain injury in sport etc expert from the USA.
He was advising parents to delay the start of their kids playing contact sports where head knocks were possible...including soccer where heading the ball could be practiced by a 12 or 13 yr old for 20 minutes every afternoon.

He did say that headgear in RL was a help for kids and adults, but not the be-all and end-all.

Over the weekend I noticed that most of the little kids playing junior footy at half time in the games were wearing headgear.

Head gears are supremely helpful.

As a rugby player, especially a forward, putting my head over countless rucks each game means taking lots of blows to the head. This happens to everyone.

I'm surprised there are only a handful (Thurston, Ballin, Soward) that wear headgears.

[stsae]

Very sad and unfortunate for Alex McKinnon. Nobody likes to see terrible injuries in any sport.

Rugby League has changed ever since wrestling has come into the sport. It seems every year a new rule is implemented to try and combat the ever increasing tactic of slowing the play the ball down. This year they introduced the rule of no third man in low in a tackle when there are already two tacklers involved. The constant rule changes in my opinion does not do the sport any favours. Constant changing and tweaking of the rules confuses people and players start to second guess if they are doing things right and then change their intentions at the last second. By all means, get rid of all the high shots that seemed part and parcel on the game in the 70's and 80's and now the shoulder charge has been banned.

My take on McKinnon's unfortunate tackle is that, at one stage he must have felt that he was going to be flipped over and naturally and instinctively he tucked his neck in, like you are taught to do when doing a tumble roll etc.. The third man in on that tackle - who cannot come in below the knee now - comes in high and forces three players to land on top of him.

In all my time of watching Rugby League, the only player that I know that has been paralysed is John Farragher from the Panthers. This incident came from a collapsed scrum. There have been a few neck injuries, but none too serious to cause paralysis.

The game has changed so much in recent years. If they didn't allow the wrestle to come into the game, who knows. Melbourne introduced the wrestle and were also involved in the McKinnon tackle. All teams would have talked about the new third man in rule and how to combat it. The third man in on that tackle just sort of fell and threw himself on top of the almost completed tackle.

The question is, "Did the third man in need to get involved to complete the tackle?" I say no.

Waynekerr introduced wrestling coaches at the Wankos in the late 90s.

His assistant who he told to "find the best wrestling coach" was ironically Bellyache.

[bondi-boy]

Do you know what policies the NRL has in place? How do you know that they don't already have measures in place to deal with severe injuries like this one?
I would be surprised if they didn't. This day and age where most people want to sue for all and anything at the drop of a hat.

I don't know, but I'm gonna be trying to find out ...our players could be at risk if the NRL doesn't have proper and multi-million dollar payout insurance for them.
I wrote earlier; "if they [the NRL] don't have already."

It would be horrible enough if any of our players were to be very seriously injured, but to see them also left penniless would be unbearable.
Not even our club has millions of dollars spare to hand out to injured players.

Maybe someone here with contacts at our club management level could find out what the deal is with player insurance, ...what it covers exactly and how much the maximum payout amount is for paraplegia and quadriplegia.
If I tried to ask them they'd likely just shoo me away.

[stsae]

Head gears are supremely helpful.

As a rugby player, especially a forward, putting my head over countless rucks each game means taking lots of blows to the head. This happens to everyone.

I'm surprised there are only a handful (Thurston, Ballin, Soward) that wear headgears.

Headgear helps protect the head from splitting when it impacts with another hard object.

Concussion is caused by the brain shaking around in the skull which headgear does little to nothing to protect from occurring.

That said it is a good thing IMO that juniors up to about 15 wear headgear.

[bondi-boy]

Just as I feared...

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/15...rance-warning/

April 1 2014

VIDEO: Footballer's insurance warning


DAMAGE: League player James Charles shows an X-ray of his vertebrae in John Hunter Hospital last night. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

IT’S a wake-up call for anyone who works for a living and enjoys playing sport on the weekend.
James Charles, mechanical fitter and rugby league player, could be off work for three months after he was injured on Sunday.
The 22-year-old suffered four fractured vertebrae, four fractured ribs, internal bleeding and a haematoma after he copped a knee in the back playing for Kurri Kurri against South Newcastle at Townson Oval, Merewether.
He escaped surgery as the fractures are all stable. But he will spend three weeks at the John Hunter Hospital in a back brace and will need rehabilitation to learn to walk properly again.
The financial cost is a major concern: he cannot work for 10 to 12 weeks, which will exhaust all his sick and annual leave.

He urged other Newcastle Rugby League footballers to take out income protection insurance to cover themselves in case of injury.
Those in other sports at an amateur or semi-professional level could find themselves in a similar situation.
‘‘It’s a bit of a wake-up call,’’ Charles said from his hospital bed.
‘‘I’d like to get it out there so other people know the insurance isn’t that good and make sure you have your own.
‘‘At Kurri in the pre-season they have people from insurance companies come out, and it’s highly recommended you do it.
‘‘Everyone thinks, ‘I’m not going to get hurt, and football already have insurance and that it would be good quality,’ but it’s not when you get into it.’’