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Call to ban lift tackle

tackleSports Medicine Australia (SMA) is calling for a ban on the lift tackle across all football codes in light of the tragic case of Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon.

A lift tackle is any tackle where a player’s legs are lifted off the ground and their body inverted placing them at risk of significant head or spinal injury.

SMA CEO Nello Marino said devastating reports that McKinnon has been diagnosed as a quadriplegic highlight just how critical safety in sport is at an elite and local level.

“The fundamental message is that safety is paramount,” Mr Marino said.

“Whether it is at an elite level or a local club, there needs to be consistency across all sporting codes both from a rules perspective and in regards to ensuring all personnel responsible for player welfare are adequately trained, qualified and up to date with the latest safety guidelines.

“While McKinnon’s case was a rare accident, it was one that could happen to a player taking to the field at any level.

“This tragic accident should not be seen as something that is par for the course in contact sports – gone are the days when a player would take to the field despite knowing there a significant risk of serious injury.

“The only way we are going to see less of these types of terrible accidents will be to make safety the priority when making rules or considering rule changes – a ban on the lift tackle reflects this.”

Leading sports physician Dr Peter Larkins said that while McKinnon received the highest level of care on the field from sports doctors and trainers, at a local level injured players are not always so fortunate.

“Accidents such as this are rare but they do happen – when they do we want to ensure that players receive the correct medical attention and are not placed at further risk due to a lack of adequately qualified personnel,” Dr Larkins said.

“Ensuring those responsible for player welfare are qualified and up to date with the latest safety guidelines is one aspect of keeping safety at the forefront of elite and local sport.

“The other is to ban any sort of tackle where a player’s legs are lifted from the ground and their body inverted towards the ground.

“Tackles such as the lift tackle place players at huge risk of sustaining serious damage to their head and spine.

“We would strongly urge all elite and local football codes where tackles like this are used to consider banning them to prevent further tragic accidents like that of Alex McKinnon.”

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