Should the NRL bring back the shoulder charge?

Cameron Smith believes the NRL should not bring back the shoulder charge. Photo / Getty

Australian skipper Cameron Smith says there's absolutely no place for the shoulder charge in the NRL.

Amid calls by the likes of former great Peter Sterling and NSW Origin captain Paul Gallen for the defensive move to be reintroduced, Smith is adamant it shouldn't be following the death of James Ackerman.

The 25-year-old played for the Sunshine Coast Falcons, one of the Storm's Queensland-based feeder teams, and died two days after being injured in a tackle.

"It's pretty clear cut for me, it's got no place in the game anymore," Smith said. "Only five weeks ago James Ackerman tragically lost his life to a shoulder charge.

"Whether it was the direct contact to the head or the effects of the blow, to me it doesn't matter. If someone has lost their life to a tackle such as a shoulder charge we shouldn't even be looking at it."

Smith's comments contrast to the thoughts of his Origin captain counterpart Gallen.

Gallen wants the shoulder charge brought back into the game, so long as it is clean and not dangerous.

His comments came on the back of prop Kane Evans' spectacular charge on Bulldogs forward Sam Kasiano in Friday night's match, which earned the Rooster a warning but not an official reprimand.

The Cronulla back-rower said he hopes clean shoulder charges like Evans' will be re-introduced, but said the dangerous ones should be punished severely as a deterrent.

"I just think they should bring it back to be honest with you," he told Sky Sports Radio. "I just think, if you're going to shoulder charge someone and it's going to go wrong and you hit someone in the head, they're going to have to mark it really, really hard and give you weeks on the sideline.

"If it comes off like the one on the weekend, well, you know, play on."

Gallen acknowledged the charge is a "risky play", but said the mandatory penalty for all shoulder charges on the field was especially disadvantageous for NRL teams.

"A penalty in rugby league is big these days, especially from the kick, gifting a team field position coming out of their own end," he said.

- AAP