A 12-year-old boy is recovering at home with a broken shoulder and shattered confidence after a dangerous lifting tackle during a junior rugby league match in Sydney left him hospitalised and unwilling to return to the game.
Oliver Campbell, a front-rower for De La Salle under-12s, was playing in a division three match against Kogarah when he was violently hurled to the ground in a high tackle.
The tackle, caught on video, shows Oliver being lifted off the ground and thrown onto his side. The referee blew the whistle immediately, and Oliver was helped from the field by an adult.
His father, Peter Campbell, has since spoken out, saying the boy who tackled his son was clearly too strong for the division and should have been placed in a higher grade.
‘You can see on the X-rays how far out his humerus bone has been smashed,’ Peter told News Corp. ‘I freaked out when I saw how bad it was.’
Oliver was taken to Sutherland Hospital, where he spent nine hours in treatment. He is now awaiting further assessment at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick to determine whether surgery is needed.
Oliver was lifted off the ground by the larger opponent (in the blurred area) and slammed into the ground, shattering his shoulder
Oliver, pictured in hospital after the tackle, does not want to return to rugby league because of the incident
The young player has been prescribed strong pain relief, including Endone and fentanyl, and has been unable to attend school since the incident.
‘Oliver went to hospital. He’s upset and struggling to sleep because he’s in a fair bit of pain,’ Peter said.
‘The tackle was dodgy and put Oliver above the horizontal – it’s just lucky he wasn’t dropped on his head to be honest.’
De La Salle has launched an internal investigation into the tackle, and the Cronulla Junior Rugby League has confirmed it is aware of the incident. The NSWRL has also been informed.
The player responsible was penalised on-field and may face suspension. However, Peter says more needs to be done to prevent similar incidents in the future.
‘Kids aren’t that aggressive in division three – that’s why they’re playing division three,’ Peter said.
He believes the current grading system in junior rugby league needs urgent reform to better reflect players’ physicality and ability.
‘Kogarah doesn’t have a gold or silver side, but they had these two players who were well above everyone else on the field,’ Peter said.
X-rays show the extent of the damage to Oliver’s shoulder, which will require extensive treatment and recovery
He’s now calling for elite junior players to be moved to teams that match their skill and strength to ensure safer competition for others.
‘Ability needs to be considered. If players are that far above the standard of that division, they need to be going to other clubs that are in higher divisions.’
Peter insists he only let Oliver play because division three is generally a lower-intensity grade. ‘He’s never going to play NRL – he just wants to play for fun. He suffered a hit you might get in the gold division,’ he said.
Other parents and players were visibly shaken after the incident, with some De La Salle teammates refusing to take another hit-up for fear of injury.
‘All the parents are rattled by it,’ Peter said. ‘I have never seen a kid get pile-driven like that before.’
Oliver’s arm is now in a sling and he’s not expected to return to school until he’s had further medical assessments.
‘He’s done, he doesn’t want to go back. I want him to play again but I’m not going to let him when this type of thing happens.’
He believes the opposing coach must have known the potential for harm: ‘The opposition coach would be aware their players were capable of tackling like that.’
South Sydney part owner Russell Crowe is an advocate for weight divisions at junior level
Penrith champion Nathan Cleary also wants to see juniors play in weight divisions
The tackle has reignited debate around junior footy safety, with many parents questioning whether they should continue letting their children play the sport.
‘My kid was purposely spear tackled in his game yesterday. The player was sin-binned for just 10 minutes but my kid had to spend the rest of the game on the sideline,’ one parent posted online.
Another wrote: ‘If I could turn back time I would not let my son play. ACL and meniscus tear. Knee reconstruction surgery at 14 – and at 28 he still has pain.’
Others called for the return of weight-based grading in junior competitions, rather than age-based ones.
‘When my father played rugby league, it was weight graded, not age. That’s the way it should be,’ one comment read. ‘My son got knocked unconscious by a kid triple his weight.’
The NSWRL introduced weight and age-based competitions in 2017, with guidelines setting both lower and upper limits for each age group to promote fair play.
South Sydney Rabbitohs part-owner Russell Crowe and NSW Origin star Nathan Cleary have both voiced support for weight-based divisions to help level the playing field.
Cleary previously said: ‘If you’re just getting smashed all the time it’s not much fun as a little bloke.’
A NSWRL representative said: ‘All of our junior leagues have a rigorous grading process that takes places in the early weeks of the competition and that has been the case for many years.
‘We have every confidence that the process works well and that it will continue to work well this season.’
Some footy fans defended the tackle as part of the game.
‘Saw the video … the kid who got tackled had very poor technique,’ one commenter wrote. ‘The tackler just made a strong tackle.’
Another added: ‘It’s a bloody contact sport and anyone who signs their child up knows the risk.’
