Wayne Benett backs NRL judiciary decision to downgrade Josh Reynolds* lifting tackle charge (ABC)

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Josh Reynolds has received support from an unlikely source with Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett claiming the Blues five-eighth's tackle on Brent Tate in State of Origin I was an example of great technique.

Reynolds and back rower Beau Scott were charged after an ugly tackle that saw Tate flipped as he hit the ball up during the Origin opener.

Scott's penalty was not enough to see him serve any time on the sidelines, while there has been a general outcry since the NRL judiciary downgraded Reynolds' original charge from grade two to grade one, freeing him to play in State of Origin II.

Bennett, however, refused to join the chorus of dissenters when he spoke to ABC Grandstand following his side's loss to the Warriors on Sunday.

And the Knights coach has more than a passing interest in the topic, with the injury to his player Alex McKinnon the catalyst for the alleged crackdown on lifting tackles.

"There are two types of tackles that concern me in our game. One is the lifting tackle where they deliberately go in and lift you without any intention to tackle you and the other is the rugby league tackle which can turn a bit sour on you," Bennett said.

"In my opinion that was a rugby league tackle.

"It probably needs a bit more debate and I don't want to see that tackle again if I can avoid it, but we have to tackle in our game and it happens in a fraction of a second.

"He hit him through the middle, it was great technique and as a coach you're proud of what he did in the tackle. All of a sudden you've got a guy up top and you have another situation.

"It's what we teach and we can't not teach that. It's the only way you can stop a big guy running at you, not that Brent (Tate) was a big guy, but a big guy's running at you, you have to hit him in the middle and that's been a part of our game for 100-odd years, but when you get him in that position above the shoulder then you've got another decision to make."

Bennett happy with judiciary process

Bennett said he was happy with the judiciary process that has freed Reynolds to play in State of Origin II.

"At the end of the day, I was happy enough it was graded, it went to the judiciary, they've made a decision and they've downgraded it a little bit," Bennett said.

"I can live with that because that's the way it should be and that's the system we all have to live under and we all have to play by those rules.

"It's not about them (judiciary) being the sole judge of penalty, it's about your opportunity to go and present your case and he's done that and he's won it fair and square and that's the way it should operate.

"It's not about the NRL every time they charge you with a grading they're going to be right."

While Bennett backed the NRL crackdown on lifting tackles, he believes it may never be eradicated from the game.

"We're going to never eliminate this problem, but what we have to be is absolutely on the money about it and keep giving guys gradings which they just a couple of weeks after the Alex (McKinnon) situation. They gave about six guys gradings and all of a sudden the lifting tackle was just about non-existent.

"I'm not saying it won't come back. Periodically it will and they have to judge each on its merits."

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24045445/wayne-benett-backs-nrl-judiciary-decision-to-downgrade-josh-reynolds-lifting-tackle-charge/