NSW Rugby League defends processes after 12yo shatters shoulder in high tackle

Footage of the tackle shows Oliver being lifted by the other boy and landing on his shoulder.

The NSW Rugby League has defended its grading process after the father of a 12-year-old whose shoulder was shattered during a junior rugby league match called for change.

Sydney dad Peter Campbell spoke out after his son Oliver was thrown to the ground in a dangerous high tackle in his under-12s division-three match, breaking his humerus and leaving him unable to attend school for a week.

Footage of the tackle shows Oliver being lifted by the other boy and landing on his shoulder. The ref blows the whistle and penalises the boy for the incident while Oliver is later helped from the field by an adult.

Mr Campbell told Code Sports he believes the boy who made the tackle was of a skill level clearly above that of the other players and suggested he should have been playing in the division above.

“Kids aren’t that aggressive in division three – that’s why they’re playing division three. Kids that want to go and smash each other – that’s what the top divisions are for,” he said.

“You can see on the X-rays how far out his humerus bone has been smashed. I freaked out when I saw how bad it was.”

Footage of the incident has left parents rattled. Picture: Bar TV Sports

The dangerous tackle saw Oliver lifted off the ground. Picture: Bar TV Sports

The NSW Rugby League does not agree with the call to reassess its grading process however, saying that its process is “rigorous”.

“All of our junior leagues have a rigorous grading process that takes place in the early weeks of the competition and that has been the case for many years,” a spokesperson said.

“We have every confidence that the process works well and that it will continue to work well this season.

Mr Campbell said parents were left “rattled” by Oliver’s incident and that his son no longer wants to play rugby league.

Meanwhile, parents from the opposition team told The Daily Telegraph the boy who made the tackle is actually young for his division and is a good and well-liked kid. They added that the tackle, “wasn’t deliberate or nasty. It was just a hard tackle.”