GIANTS captain Brett Hodgson has come out in full support of head coach Nathan Brown over accusations he is bringing the ‘grapple tackle’ into the English game.
Castleford coach Terry Matterson claimed the Giants were ‘round our heads all day’ as Huddersfield secured a thrilling 26-24 Super League triumph at The Jungle.
Brown immediately launched a rigorous defence of his coaching and his players’ tackling technique.
And 31-year-old former Wests Tigers skipper Hodgson has backed his every word over the illegal tackle, when players are grounded with an arm around their neck.
"I can say categorically that ‘grapple tackling’ has never once been coached to us, and we would never, ever expect it to be," said Hodgson.
"If we have been guilty of such a tackle, it’s simply down to poor technique and a mistake on our behalf, and if we end up tackling around the head we deserve to be penalised. Simple as that.
"None of the players at the Giants would ever condone the ‘grapple tackle’ and neither would Browny. He’s totally against it and it’s the last thing he would coach us here."
