A spate of players staying down after high shots is cause for concern. The NRL needs to review its current policies for head injuries.
After all, a player’s safety should never be questioned.
On the flip side, the frustrations of fans and opposition coaches boil over when a player deliberately stays down to increase the chance of a penalty.
I feel that once it is confirmed a player has sustained a head injury and stays down they are automatically sent to the sideline.
Off the field the injured player’s well-being is reviewed by the team’s doctor or an independent doctor.
The injured player is replaced by a player, but doesn’t cost the team an interchange.
While the injured player is reviewed on the sideline the offending player is also sidelined; they are not entitled to a replacement.
Hence the opposition team will be down to 12 players.
The offender should be sidelined for as long as the medical review takes, but this should be capped at five minutes.
Should the injured player not return to the field the offender can come back on after five minutes.
I feel this practice will improve players safety and stamp out the deliberate ploy of some players staying down so that their team may receive a penalty.
The NRL should review what other codes employ. The NFL has adopted a policy that has an independent trainer who observes the game and alerts team trainers to players suffering from head injuries.
A player’s well-being is of greatest importance to all concerned.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Anzac Round is done and another NRL touchpoint is ticked off amid the onward march of the 2024 season. It helps to see things…
The Sydney Roosters have been dealt another major blow with club legend Luke Keary announcing that he will retire from the NRL at the…
The Bulldogs are facing a $4 million lawsuit from former player Jackson Topine, after allegedly being forced to wrestle his teammates as punishment for…
Brad Arthur's future as Eels coach is looking more bleak by the round after revelations that club officials refused to allow star signing Zac…
New coach Michael Maguire is considering as many as 50 players for the State of Origin series opener with not even captain James Tedesco…
Round 8’s NRL was a weekend of domination, with an average win margin of 21 points and some teams seeing their finals hopes really…
