WATCH: The worst tackle in rugby league history…

Rugby League is an incredibly tough sport, everyone knows that.

With massive hits traded throughout 80 minutes, things can sometimes get heated and things may boil over from time to time.

But, every so often sometimes things go too far, as this clip of Allan MacMahon throwing Mick Ryan into the ground back in 1979 shows.

An extremely talented fullback from the Illawarra region, McMahon joined the Balmain Tigers in 1975 after starring for Country Firsts in 1974.

The number one represented Australia as a winger on five occasions between 1975 and 1977, and also toured with the Kangaroos in 1978.

But, because of the footage above  in 1979, McMahon has been remembered ever since by the Newtown faithful when he was sent off at Henson Park for a brutal spear tackle on Jets centre Mick Ryan.

In an ironic twist, the two would actually become teammates the year after when they became the club’s centre pairing when McMahon left Leichhardt for Henson in 1982.

After a final season with Canberra in 1983, McMahon turned his hand to coaching and served as the Newcastle Knights’ inaugural first-grade coach. He passed away in 2003.