Alex McKinnon and the Difficult Decision Dividing Rugby League
Why are league fans so divided by Alex McKinnon’s decision to pursue legal action over the tackle that left him quadraplegic, and what could it mean for the sport? Jarret Filmer explains.
Former Newcastle Knights second-rower Alex McKinnon today announced that he will be pursuing legal action against the NRL and Melbourne Storm prop Jordan McLean over the tackle which caused severe spinal injuries that have left him quadriplegic. To suggest that this decision was divisive is a little bit like suggesting that David Boon was fond of the odd beer.
Some fans seem aggravated by the idea that McKinnon has violated some unwritten code of rugby league by pursuing a legal resolution to the situation. Rugby league is a violent game but it doesn’t need to be ugly. The NRL has a duty of care to ensure that all players understand their responsibility to protect themselves and their opponents when they step onto the field. The tackle made by Jordan McLean that saw McKinnon injured was ultimately deemed an accident, but just because it wasn’t the product of malicious intent doesn’t mean that the NRL is blameless. As an employer they have a duty to provide a safe workplace and reduce the risk of harm to its players. If McKinnon had suffered his injury in any other workplace I doubt there would be very many questioning his right to pursue legal remedy.
Other fans seem aggrieved that McKinnon has decided to sue the NRL and Jordan McLean after the NRL offered an unprecedented amount of support to him following his injury in the form of the ‘Rise for Alex’ round and the offer of a ‘job for life’. A cynical interpretation might suggest that these events were organized in a pre-emptive attempt to win public support and head off the possibility of just such legal action. A more charitable suggestion is that the NRL was not prepared to deal with such an incident and were doing the best they could the only way they knew how. In any event it is a bit churlish to suggest that McKinnon should take what he has been given and fade silently into the background – he is a young man facing a life full of complications and this law suit might represent his last, best chance at determining his future.
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Some suggest that McKinnon contributed to the severity of his injury by ‘ducking’ his head while being tackled in order to milk a penalty. While it certainly seems possible that McKinnon contributed to his injury it’s the sort of thing that should be determined by experts rather than loud blokes in threadbare Balmain jerseys. At the very least by the end of this process there should be a clear understanding of everyone’s responsibilities, from the players to match officials to the NRL itself.
McKinnon’s lawsuit could prompt a whole slew of changes, ranging from the introduction of new measures designed to limit the potential for a reoccurrence of a similar incident to increasing the penalties for reckless play, or even something as drastic as eliminating the third player in the tackle or introducing weight restrictions.
This is possibly the most confronting element for many long term fans. For a sport that has traded on its history of unashamed violence and brutality rugby league faces the difficult prospect of ensuring the game survives into the 21st century without compromising what made fans love it in the first place.
The NRL obviously understands that it must be most forceful in prosecuting its duty of care – in recent years the shoulder charge has been binned, fighting now results in an immediate, automatic on field sanction and a whole menagerie of exotic infringements from the chicken wing to the prowler have been implemented to protect the tackled player. McKinnon’s legal case will answer whether the NRL still has work to do.
At the heart of this story is a young man who in the course of an instant went from living his dream to being trapped in a nightmare. We want everyone affected by tragedy to be a perfect victim, to act with the precise amount of courage, humility and contrition that makes us feel good about bearing witness to their suffering. Some fans are convinced that McKinnon’s decision to seek a legal remedy is a poke in the eye of the charity NRL and the wider rugby league community who swung into support of him after his injury. While the impulse to label McKinnon churlish is, on some level, understandable, it is also hopelessly short sighted – he is facing a life of massive health challenges and uncertainty and if he feels as though he lacks the financial certainty to confront that future then it’s hard to blame him for doing what he feels is necessary.
At the very least it must be acknowledged that McKinnon’s decision to pursue legal action is exceptionally courageous. He has now opened himself up to immense public scrutiny and vitriol, his every decision now open to debate, spurning the role of dutiful victim so he can pursue his own destiny as best he can.
As sports fans we are conditioned to view everything through the lens of the contest, an epic battle between opposed forces, good triumphing over evil, underdogs pulling off unbelievable upsets. We like players slot into easy roles – the hero, the villain, the underachiever, the journeyman. There is something comforting about the familiarity of these stories, a common language that is both binding and soothing.
When something like the McKinnon incident happens these stories fail us. There are too many complexities, too many shades of grey, too much reality. We want to force those familiar roles onto the players involved but they don’t simply fit. The beauty of sport is that it reduces the world to something small and understandable but the enormity and complexity of a situation like this defies reduction.
Empathy isn’t a game of winners and losers and we don’t have a finite amount of sympathy. It’s possible for us to feel compassion for McKinnon’s plight while also feeling for Jordan McLean and empathising with the difficult situation the NRL finds itself in and worrying about the future of the game we love so much. Sometimes it’s more important to be human than a fan.
Comments on RugbyPass
The World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
19 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments