No consensus on whether the shoulder charge should be banned from rugby league

MICHAEL Greenfield is what happens when the shoulder charge goes wrong.

Ben Te'o shoulder charge

MICHAEL Greenfield is what happens when the shoulder charge goes wrong.

His career is over. Done. Finished that moment he emerged from neck surgery earlier this week, only for doctors to reveal, at age 26, the Melbourne prop will never play rugby league again.

"But I'd really appreciate if you don't make a big deal of this," Greenfield, now recovering with family in Sydney, told The Daily Telegraph last night . "There's been so much debate surrounding the shoulder charge issue ... the last thing I wanna do is become the centre of it."

And yet, somehow, he is.

This Ingleburn boy, whose career over the past nine years has passed through Cronulla, South Sydney, St George Illawarra and the Storm, finished off by the two most divisive words to strike our game since Super League - Shoulder Charge.

While Greenfield still hasn't seen the tackle that ended his career, we have. A Fox Sports statistician yesterday replayed the moment, against Brisbane in Round 12 at AAMI Park.

Returning the Steeden from a kick-off starting the second half, Greenfield was whacked by an Ben Te'o attempted shoulder charge - replays show the Queensland Origin star mistiming slightly, resulting in a vicious head clash.

And this is why you never heard anymore about it. Head clash, play on. No one following up on a herniated disc in his neck so bad, it required fusion.

"Over the years, I've done a few shoulder charges myself," Greenfield said. "I understand why the crowd loves it. So I'm certainly not going to come out screaming that it should be banned. But you know ... while there is nothing that can be done about my situation ... maybe the powers that be could put a little more discussion into the subject."

Ben Te'o shoulder charge

And so we have. The Daily Telegraph last night canvassing a range of rugby league identities to ask ... should the shoulder charge be banned?

THE SUPERCOACH - NO

When Wayne Bennett speaks you listen. "I don't think the shoulder charge should be banned, no. But if any player does make contact with the head or the neck using that technique, regardless of what part of his body may do it, he should be suspended for between four and six weeks."

THE LEGEND - NO

Mark Geyer played in an era where a man could cock his elbow more times than John Wayne would a rifle. Today, however, he is a father and respected league analyst. "Huge overreaction. On average 500 tackles are made per game. So that's 80,000 this year with 10 shoulder charges gone wrong. More players are knocked out going low in tackles. So if it goes the wrong way, pay a heavy price. But outlawed, no."

THE DOCTOR - YES

Dr Dave Givney, who looks after both Cronulla and NSW, concedes he is "terrified" by the shoulder charge. "As a league fan I love player collisions. But as the man who patches them up, it terrifies me because the margin for error is so small. It shouldn't even be up for discussion. I think the shoulder charge's days are numbered."

THE QUEENSLANDERS - NO

Given we couldn't poll every Bananabender, we asked the one man who speaks on behalf of them all, Wally Lewis. "Banning the shoulder charge is ludicrous. If players can't get it right, penalise them harshly. What happens when a ball carrier charges into a defensive line shoulder first ... is he banned too? Of course not."

THE CELEBRITY FAN - YES

Premier, mother, Rabbitohs fan. Yep, Kristina Keneally has always been a woman rugby league wanted to impress. "The shoulder charge should be out because it's not really a tackle. It's not about trying to catch the player, either. It's simply a dangerous move that can potentially lead to serious injury."

THE IMMORTAL - YES

Saints legend Johnny Raper was taught to tackle around the bootlaces at age eight. Nothing has changed. "The shoulder charge is a ridiculous tackle that is turning people off rugby league. I blame the coaches. They're all about winning at all costs. Well, 'all costs' is turning people off rugby league. Fans want to see the skillful plays doing their thing."

THE HUMAN MISSILE - NO

Long before some bloke in Speedos tried claiming the "Missile" moniker, Rambo Ronnie Gibbs was living it. "Ban the shoulder charge? Oh, bloody hell, let them play touch football when they've retired like the rest of us. If you wanna change anything, how about the inconsistency of the judiciary - it's a disgrace. There should be strong penalties for those who try a shoulder charge and make contact with the head ... not different results depending on which bloke is fronting the judiciary."

THE JOURNALIST - NO

Fox Sports' Alana Smith wants the shoulder charge to stay. "I'm not dismissing the safety concerns but, ultimately, it's an element that differentiates the game from others, provides a wow factor. It's also a risk that participants of a tough and physical game knowingly take on."

MAN ON THE HILL - YES

Dragon Army member Jason Young has spent 25 years following his beloved team and was there last weekend when favourite Dean Young was KOed by a Greg Inglis shoulder charge. "And it's got to go. We've already got rid of the chicken wing, spear tackle and head slam ... now it's time for the shoulder charge. I've spoken with plenty of Dragons fans who feel the same way."