No-one in rugby league talks sense like Peter Sterling.
As if 228 games for Parramatta, 13 State of Origin matches for New South Wales and 18 Tests for Australia wasn’t enough, Sterling’s post-retirement career as a media commentator has been notable for his consistently insightful, reasoned analysis.
Sterling has always stood out from the crowd, and now, on the red-hot issue of concussion in rugby league, ‘Sterlo’ is once again setting himself apart from many of his contemporaries.
He’s not an easy man to catch. With a calendar chock-full of charity events, golf days, and TV and radio commentary duties, Nine’s recent digital hacking scare also relieved him of his phone for a few days. But eventually the stars aligned and Sterling generously found time to discuss the concussion issue, in depth, exclusively with The Roar.
He begins by providing context about his decision to donate his brain to concussion researchers:
“I felt that I owed the game to contribute something back, to help make rugby league better, bigger and stronger in the future. It really wasn’t a difficult decision. As many have told me, it’s only a small donation, but if players of the future benefit from it, then I’m very happy to do it.”
We separate incidences of concussion into two broad groups: injuries to players making tackles, and injuries to victims of foul play. The former throws up some interesting insights.
“I don’t like the evolution in the way tackles have progressed to the point where everybody goes in high and holds high. But these days, the way the game is played, it’s actually a disservice to tackle low,” he says.
“There’s no great reward for a legs tackle, in fact it isn’t considered dominant, which only allows for a faster play the ball, with the tackler struggling to get back to marker. Every tackle has its own time-frame, and it would be great if we could get referees, coaches and players to understand that better, when it comes to legs tackles.
“I’d love to think that rugby league could rid itself of the high wrestling, get fewer players standing upright in the contact areas, going in lower and so on. But at the moment, how you win football games is by dominating the ruck area, controlling the speed of the game.”
A case in point is the recent concussion suffered by Newcastle’s Kurt Mann.
Kurt Mann. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)
St George Illawarra’s Mikaele Ravalawa ran the ball to the defence at high speed, where he was confronted by no fewer than four Newcastle defenders, all entering the collision area upright.
There is little good that can come of this situation; it is akin to a car crash test. Given the velocity and the proximity of heads and shoulders converging to a single point, the only surprising thing about this incident is that just Mann was concussed.
Concussions in these circumstances are routinely described as ‘accidental’, although perhaps more correctly, as a result of players not being encouraged to tackle low, are they better described as accidents waiting to happen?
“Even with low tackles, we can never eliminate the risk of concussion,” Sterlo says. “You can’t legislate for poor technique.”
But Sterling offers an interesting perspective with respect to how a change of emphasis might come about, saying, “If we go back to the wrestle and how that was orchestrated and became part of the game, if it’s possible to come up with a plan to introduce a style of tackle that changes how the game is played in that way, then it should be possible to come up with a plan to ensure that we encourage players to tackle in a way that makes the game safer.”
Also falling into the ‘accidental’ category are concussions incurred at training.
“I agree with James Graham,” says Sterling, “who made a salient point about the need to look more closely at the way players train. The adage has always been, ‘you train as you play’, so obviously it makes little sense to put measures in place on-field, without doing more to minimise head contact off the field.”
With respect to foul play, Sterling is encouraged by the shift to harsher penalties for attacking the head of an opponent, although he notes, “I’m in the camp that would like to see those punishments made heavier.”
But, citing recent cases where players like Felise Kaufusi, Cody Walker and Andrew Fifita escaped with little or no suspension, I ask if things really are getting tougher, or are we just being told they’re getting tougher?
Ashley Klein puts Felise Kaufusi on report. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
“I think there are anomalies, and it’s true that we’re being sent mixed messages,” Sterling agrees.
“Overall, the punishments are too lenient. I think that the inconsistency irks the rugby league public, and I don’t think there’s any doubt that we need to get harsher, so that we make the head an absolute no-go zone.”
Sterling isn’t about to dump on any of his colleagues in media roles, but I ask him if rugby league is ready to move on culturally from commentators joking about or downplaying head-high contact?
“I don’t think it has a choice,” he says. “Things are so much different now in all areas of society and life, and we have to move with that. Rugby league can still be gladiatorial and physical, and we can retain the fabric of the game, but within all of that we must adapt.
“We still need the game to appeal to mums and dads of six and seven year-old kids, so they will encourage them to play rugby league. But they’ll only do so if they believe the game is safe. In this respect, it’s obvious that concerns around concussion are only going to become more pronounced and more significant.”
Cultural change is a topic that Sterling is happy to expand upon:
“I think we’re learning on the run a bit, but we need to be learning very quickly. We certainly need to be taking notice of all the best medical advice, and if we have international concussion experts [Dr Chris Nowinski] telling us that there are concerns around how the NRL is defining and reporting concussion, then we need to be taking notice of that.
“The other battle we have is safeguarding the players themselves. The mentality of ‘I’m ok’ or ‘just let me go’ has been the culture and outlook of players since 1908. It’s ingrained. So we need to find a way to take those things out of the hands of players as much as possible.”
Notably, just three days after our discussion, leading rugby league identity Phil Gould and recently retired player and TV commentator Paul Gallen discussed the same issue on the Nine network, with Gould insisting, on behalf of players, “Why are they protecting us when we don’t want to be protected? We don’t need to be protected.”
I query Sterling as to differences between rugby league and AFL, where there is far more willingness on the part of ex-AFL players to join legal action to seek compensation for concussion related injuries, which has to date confounded lawyers looking to launch class actions against the NRL.
His response is one that all rugby league fans can relate to: “We’ve always looked at toughness, team loyalty, and loyalty to the game as such admirable qualities. It’s difficult to be critical of that because I’d like to think that’s how I was. There aren’t many places in life where you can forge bonds with like-minded people, where you share a deep, genuine fellowship that sticks with you, no matter what else happens.
“So, in that sense, it’s not a surprise that players and ex-players are protective of the game.”
Which brings us back to the dilemma that faces rugby league. Is being ‘protective’ of the game through resistance to change, more harmful to the game in the long run? Sterling’s response, as ever, is thoughtful and considered:
“A lot of the decisions we are making, about how we play the game, are going to be put to the test more and more, just because of the very nature of the sport. It’s a tough balancing act because we don’t want to see rugby league changed too much, even though we know it has to change.
“We all fear that we’re headed down a litigious path, and fear the dire consequences that could have, so I think that anything we can do to control our own destiny, to make some of the changes ourselves, where we can retain the essence of our game, so that we’re not forced to make changes that are detrimental to the sport, then we should be looking to do that.
“If not, I fear that there’ll be legislation forced upon us, that does it for us.”
In an environment where commentators and ex-players – people of influence – have been slow to grasp the seriousness of the concussion problem, or are paying lip service to it, Sterling’s position is a beacon of light.
If the NRL is genuinely serious about effecting change in rugby league, and bringing fans and participants along for the ride, they would do well to ensure that Sterling’s voice is heard loudly and clearly.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Thanks seagle, just had a look at that, and yes, it's exactly the kind of thing that should be being jumped on. This is also another example of what happens when you take the 2nd referee out of the game. You can see Kolomoatangi look around to make sure the ref isn't looking before he slams Young's head into the ground. Another ref in the pocket would have picked this up, or stopped him from doing it.
seagle
'As for the foul play aspect, that’s a long way from being sorted. We have a ‘crackdown’ underway, but a lot of it has been pushed back to the referees and there isn’t a crystal clear framework. That is why there is so much inconsistency.' I think the match review committee needs to its job properly and review every 'head' incident, not just the one reported. Let us see if they are serious about head injury or whether it is 'window dressing'. An example occurred in the second tackle of the Raiders Souths game last night. After the play had been stopped as a result of Canberra losing the ball, Souths number 11 uses his hand to smash the Canberra players head into the ground. It was a cheap shot to the head that potentially can cause a Brain injury. You can see it on the extended highlights. I wonder whether the match review committee will take action. I bet they will not. It is my perception that the 'stars' of the game get away with a lot more than the average players.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I’d suggest your kids are well and truly entrenched in RL Folklore and good on you. However to deny the inexorable march across the land is like being an Egyptian! —- Excellent work with Sun Tzu. —- The point is not flimsy. You guys are doing the work. However the rate of progress is much slower in the NRL. Even Stevie Wonder can see this. —— Yes, many in AF circles have been dismayed. I was one of them till 6 or 7 years ago. I’ve advocated a major law change in the AFL to make it less congested, more free flowing and have been howled down. Yet my changes have merit re CTE and for the battle with the hearts n minds of parents; esp mothers. —— Our respective codes are in this battle. The AFL are winning because our rate of response has been quicker.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
First step is to penalise any tackle above the shoulder. Step two if it is more than a grab i.e. a swinging arm, send off. Referees are too lenient with this and prefer the report. Yes, we will have the commentators screaming blue murder about penalties. Same thing happened in union 25 odd years ago and these tackles were virtually penalised out of the game. Do the NRL and referees have the wherewithall to do this. I doubt it.
KenW
Roar Rookie
I’ve beaten Sun Tzu before ( if he wants a rematch he knows where I am). So I don’t know much about the changes in AFL over time, but I’m completely happy to take your word that the game played in 1981 was far more brutal than the version played in 2021. Where your point is flimsy though is the idea the exact same thing hasn’t happened in RL. It just doesn’t hold up, there was a massive shakeup in the 80’s which has continued to evolve to the present day. To quickly address 2 of your points: – Change generates complaint. Are you saying there have not been any dissenting voices in AFL? I’d be massively surprised if that were true. – AFL winning on junior sign-ups. Despite zero interest in the Victorian game, a couple of my kids signed up for a season of Auskick when they came to the schools. They were giving out a full showbag of goodies to put your name down – the one that got them most excited was the bluetooth speaker. A couple of weeks in my kids were bored and we had to cajol them to finish the season – it wasn’t for them. No argument though that they run a very slick and well-resourced operation, the equipment was new the coaches well drilled. Swans players turned up to one of the nights (we’re about 20kms NW of the city). It was an impressive setup. This is where the AFL is beating the NRL.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Might l suggest you are being obtuse in not knowing where l was going with that statement ------- Thanks for your interaction. One day l might tell you why l go for the Maroons :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I know quite a bit about the NRL. I've also read Sun Tzu and use his axioms at will. One being "Know thy Enemy". I would suggest l know way more about RL than you do AF! (Thanks be to Sterlo) ------ Whilst the NRL are working on it their speed and efficacy is poor compared to the AFL. So l haven't indicated they've just "cottoned on", rather, that they have moved slower than a dead elephant. ------- I hear RL types castigate the AFL for being soft and this is because the laws protecting the head are far more stringent and more stringently enforced. Even a careless brushing hand above the shoulder will incur a penalty. ------ You still have troglodytes like Gus banging on about the reaction to head trauma is a beat-up as implied by what he wishes was still OK to be in the NRL ------ And the evidence is in. AF is caning RL with Junior sign-ups? Why because parents, especially mothers, see the differences in the games laws. Only a Trump Defence Lawyer couldn't see the advantages the AFL has in this area. ------- The NRL will be forced to further changes re tackling by Insurer's and their Lawyer's. To deny this is head in the sand territory.
KenW
Roar Rookie
RL will be just a tougher version of touch By very definition you are right, but it seems like a redundant statement. Touch was literally created to be a 'less-tough' version of RL.
KenW
Roar Rookie
Without intending to assume too much, it sounds like you're very knowledgeable about AFL and not at all about RL. The reason I say that is because RL has had the identical transformation over the last 40-odd years that you talk about with AFL. We just had Tommy Raudonikis pass away, his career spanning 69-82. A legend of the game, halfback for Australia, but even his biggest fans acknowledge that the brutality of his play would be completely abhorrent in the modern day. He would be sent off immediately and effectively suspended out of the game. The game was cleaned up massively in the late 80's especially and it has continued to evolve since then. High shots & swinging arms always existed but they are no longer tolerated (mostly). The number of tackle styles considered dangerous has multiplied, tackling in the air and shoulder charges have been banned and now through to the HIA protocols. The idea that RL has just cottoned on to the fact that dangerous play will hurt them in media, player numbers and litigation is nonsense. They've been working on this for more than 40 years.
Kashmir Pete
Roar Guru
Great stuff Geoff Cheers KP
Nick Symonds
Guest
The future is probably tag rugby.
Joey
Guest
Fully appreciate the toll on the body that league, rugby, and other combatant contact sports will take. There’s not really any part of the body that is ever safe from damage. But then, we are talking about combatant contact sports, and solid contact with the opponent is what is often required. I’m not really sure where all of this focus is leading, apart from outlawing the game altogether. Ball carriers will also charge headlong into the defensive line yet no one is suggesting not to run so hard to lessen the impact. League is never going to meet the same safety standards of your everyday office workplace. I’m all for the current protocols and checking if hurt players are ok to continue, but otherwise we all need to realise the game has inherent risks, no player is unaware of those risks, and no player is forced to sign a contract to play against their will.
Diamond Jackie
Roar Rookie
Spot on. Insightful.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
I would like to see low one on one tackles rewarded for the defending team. I’ve got no idea how to do this. Maybe the attacker has to wait until the the tackler is at marker before playing the ball?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Has she got an older sister? :silly:
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
That’s a cause you’re losing the under-age race. The AFL is getting numbers in Qld & NSW whilst the NRL is lagging in junior sign-ups in the AF states. The AFL identified mothers as the key demographic to impress —- As I’ve mentioned elsewhere Insurer’s and their Lawyer’s will increasingly control what constitutes a tackle. The AFL is much further down the road as they made contact with the NFL many years ago to see what they were doing. Hip n Shoulders, increasingly known as the bump, is being watered down. —– The difference in the game of Australian Football from the 60’s to the 20’s is huge. Players l knew from the SANFL in the 70s and 80s would never be allowed to replicate their style in the current AFL game. Dave Granger, commonly known as Grave Danger, would be up on murder charges if he played today. It was a much tougher game back then. Rugby League is 20-25 years behind. In 10-20 years time RL will be just a tougher version of Touch.
Tony
Roar Guru
Are you referring to Paul?
Greg
Roar Pro
Yeah i suppose it is more wrestling. Its just when i think of wrestling that needs eliminating i think more the potential to cause harm type eg. chicken wing tackles moreso than just holding down. I dont really have an issue with allowing the flop as there is just so many of them let go now with the new rules, so whats the problem with some more in this situation. But it would have to be policed properly however ie my second paragraph and the example you have provided. But i tend tp agree with Matth below moreso. Penalise anything and change the height of "high" to nipple line/arm pits. That way there shouldnt be any tackles bouncing up to the head from the ball or shoulders.
AJ
Guest
Have always rated Sterlo as player and commentator. (First player to ever score perfect 10 RLW?) This issue will only be resolved/taken seriously when the penalty costs the offending team competition points. End of story.
Tony
Roar Guru
Get into it