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The NRL has made a step forward with the latest change to the concussion rules in the NRL. With all the latest medical research on the long-term effects of head injuries, I strongly agree with the NRL’s hard line on concussions.
The only change I would make to the current rules would be to appoint an independent doctor for every match. This should go a long way to ensure impartiality and consistency is maintained across all games.
However, this will, or should, lead to more players leaving the field and not returning. While I agree that this is needed to protect our players, it will occasionally lead to teams being disadvantaged for possibly long periods of the game. If it’s a halfback that is injured and forced from play the consequences could be dire.
The loss of key players for example Johnathan Thurston, Adam Reynolds or Ben Hunt could be catastrophic for their respective clubs. To limit the impact that the concussion rules have on the outcome of matches the NRL should make some changes to the current interchange rules.
I propose that a fifth player be added to the interchange bench to be used only in the event of a player leaving the field due to concussion. This would allow clubs to field a back-up halfback as the 18th man, as most clubs play without a replacement half.
The 18th man would only be able to enter the game after a player has left the field and failed the mandatory tests. If a player has to leave the field as a result of foul play then the 18th man may immediately enter the game, pending the result of the concussion tests.
If the concussed player is able to continue after the 15 minutes he will return to the game and the 18th man will again only be able to be used as a concussion replacement. If the concussed player is unable to continue then the 18th man takes his place for the remainder of the match.
This tweak to the interchange rules will allow the NRL to protect players from the effects of concussion without greatly reducing the quality and attractiveness of the game we love.
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