Brisbane coach Kevin Walters says claims NRL players are coached to perform hip-drop tackles in the wake of Patrick Carrigan's four-game ban are "nonsense".
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has labelled suggestions NRL players are coached to do hip-drop tackles like the one that led to forward Patrick Carrigan's four-game ban as "nonsense".
Carrigan will be absent from the Broncos' line-up until the last round of the regular season after being slapped with the ban following a judiciary hearing in Sydney.
The Queensland State of Origin representative had been referred straight to the judiciary over the tackle during last weekend's loss to Wests Tigers which broke Jackson Hastings' fibula and ruled the lock out for the remainder of the season.
A dejected Carrigan stated after the hearing he never meant to cause any harm to Hastings.
Walters said the Broncos were satisfied the 24-year-old had received a fair hearing and the club would take Carrigan's punishment "on the chin".
What the Broncos coach wasn't willing to accept was any notion he or other NRL coaches were instructing players to utilise the dangerous tackling style where a defending player drops the weight of their body on the ball-carrier to bring the attacker to the ground.
"There's been some chat around it actually being coached by clubs, that's just nonsense," Walters told reporters on Wednesday.
"I guess it's found its way into the game because of tackle technique now.
"We've got to try and do something about it because it's obviously causing some severe damage amongst players.
"I'm sure when Patty went in the tackle that was the last thing he was thinking, that kind of tackle.
"It's not always easy out in the middle when you're trying to do as best as you can."
Carrigan's ban means the Broncos will start Kobe Hetherington at lock for Thursday night's clash with the Sydney Roosters at the SCG.
Walters was confident Hetherington would be an able replacement against a Roosters pack boasting former Bronco Matt Lodge and fiery prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
"It's a loss, certainly, but it gives Kobe Hetherington a chance to start, which he's done for us earlier in the season and did a great job for us," Walters said.
"Patty will be back, that's the good news, in four weeks or five weeks so we look forward to that day but right now we focus on tomorrow night's game against the Roosters and Kobe will come in and he'll do a great job."
