SEN’s Greg Alexander has returned serve to Cameron Smith after the former Melbourne captain refuted claims that the Storm created the hip drop tackle.
The back and forth started earlier this week as Alexander claimed the controversial technique emerged from the men in purple, with Smith stating on SEN 1170 The Captains’ Run that it was “over the top” to declare that the tackle came from just one club.
In response to Smith, Alexander doubled down by stating that he felt it was a “general consensus” that the rugby league community agreed with him in that the Storm were the first to utilise the hip drop.
“I will do it as respectfully as Cameron did yesterday,” Alexander said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“He is a colleague and I do enjoy chatting on Monday morning with Cameron and Matty Johns, but I didn’t think it was any kind of revelation when I made those comments about the hip drop emanating from the Melbourne Storm.
“I was actually surprised that Cameron and Denan (Kemp) were surprised that someone would actually think that, that the hip drop tackle started out of Melbourne.
“I just thought it was a general consensus that over the last 20 years all the tackles, the wrestle techniques have come from Melbourne.
“I may be generalising or even jumping to a conclusion but I don’t think I am.”
On top of creating the hip drop tackle, Alexander thinks a raft of controversial techniques emerged from the Storm as the club looked to bring in new ways to slow down the play the ball.
“Now these tackles over the last 20 years, all the different types of techniques, they appear in the game then it takes a little while for the game to catch up to them,” Alexander said.
“I remember watching in 2020 and noticing tackles and not just Melbourne Storm players but two of the first three charges in 2020 for hip drop tackles were Melbourne Storm players – Jesse Bromwich and Max King.
“I distinctly remember the Max King incident because I was calling the game down in Kogarah … Max King just fell on the back of Blake Lawrie’s legs.”
“I think history shows, and it’s not a stretch for me to jump to a Melbourne Storm conclusion that for 20 years – the grapple, the chicken wing, the rolling pins, the crusher, the hip drop – I think they all emanated out of Melbourne.
“Melbourne have led the way, they changed the game back in 2002 and 2003 where the wrestle became part of the game.
“All those variations of slowing the play the ball down, I think they all emanated out of Melbourne, they were ahead of the game.”
One point Smith made in his argument was that Alexander was never inside the four walls at the Storm to understand what techniques they were implementing, but the former Panther refused to lay down, insisting that he’s seen the club’s tackling style evolve from two decades in the commentary booth.
“I’m not at training, I have been to one session, they weren’t wrestling at the Melbourne Storm that day,” he continued.
“But I’ve been commentating now for 20 years, actually 21 years on Fox.
“Through those 21 years I have watched the tackle techniques of teams but Melbourne led the way.
“Melbourne were the ones that set the standard in those tackling techniques.
“Again, respectfully, I was surprised that Denan and Cameron were shocked that someone would actually say those tackles emanated out of Melbourne.”
The spotlight has been on the hip drop this week following Patrick Carrigan’s tackle that broke Jackson Hastings’ leg in last Saturday’s Broncos v Tigers clash.