|
The shoulder charge
'Just like football'
March 6, 2008
"I'd definitely like to have a tackle like that on my resumé. And I don't think that streaker will be running onto cricket grounds any more."
Sonny Bill Williams of the Canterbury Bulldogs, considered the greatest exponent of the shoulder charge in rugby league, approves wholeheartedly
"I reckon it was awesome. It's the best hit I've seen for ages. We should sign him up."
Willie Mason of the Sydney Roosters sure enjoyed it
"He didn't drive through properly. He didn't finish the tackle off."
Trevor "The Axe" Gillmeister, former Queensland rower isn't overly pleased with Symonds' technique, though
"Would he have done the same if the streaker was a woman?"
Navjot Sidhu raises a rhetorical question on a TV show
"It was great actually ... it was just like playing football."
Robert Murray David Ogilvie, the masochist streaker himself, is unrepentant
"I only saw it live and it looked like the guy was running at him, and Andrew to some extent tried to protect himself."
Stuart Clark stands up for his team-mate
"He [Symonds] was dealing with self-preservation, which we support 100 percent. Andrew was in the zone and was severely threatened."
Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's spokesperson, goes very slightly over the top
"It'd just be an absurdity if he was prosecuted for assault because he took firm but reasonable and proportionate action to deal with someone who was invading the pitch at a particularly difficult time of the match."
Terry O'Gorman from the Council for Civil Liberties is relieved Symonds wasn't charged
"He could have done some injury to Andrew Symonds, because he seemed to run straight at him and all of a sudden he is on his back."
Richie Benaud, who was live on air for Channel 9, thinks Symonds had fair cause too
"No. Wake up to yourself."
Ogilvie is surprisingly realistic when asked if he will press charges
"I'd just got out, so I was sooking. I haven't seen it yet. There's been a bit of talk and laughter around the dressing room, but I haven't spoken to Symmo about it"
Ricky Ponting had more pressing concerns at the time
"The Indians are on to something with their Symonds obsession. The land of gurus and enlightenment know that we have a cricketer so neanderthal that he should sleep in a cage."
Garth Montgomery the Sydney Daily Telegraph's blogs editor stands up for the naked underdog
© Cricinfo
|
