Concussion Laws

[Ari Gold]

After seeing tonight's game I can't help but feel this is going to be manipulated and become a story at some point in the year. Free interchange for concussion protocol, free interchange to come back on if you aren't concussed. Players stay down to try and get penalties all the time. At some point a team is going to be out of interchanges and someone is going to fake a concussion like injury to get the interchange.

 

[Nashy]

Bellamy will have the Storm doing it this week.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

I think it would be a little hard to fake a concussion when you've got doctors observing you. Does the NRL have an official doctor of their own on the sideline to judge if a player is actually concussed or not?

 

[Ari Gold]

I think it would be a little hard to fake a concussion when you've got doctors observing you. Does the NRL have an official doctor of their own on the sideline to judge if a player is actually concussed or not?

That's just it though. You get a free interchange to come off and be assessed for concussion. And you get to go back on with another free interchange if you're not concussed. You could, as far as I'm aware, fake concussion like symptoms and come off for a 10 minute rest and not use up a single interchange. It would be very effective if your team were out of/short of them.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

That's just it though. You get a free interchange to come off and be assessed for concussion. And you get to go back on with another free interchange if you're not concussed. You could, as far as I'm aware, fake concussion like symptoms and come off for a 10 minute rest and not use up a single interchange. It would be very effective if your team were out of/short of them.

I dunno, it just seems like a rather hard thing for the NRL to miss. Surely they've thought about this and have planned accordingly.

 

[Nashy]

You're giving the NRL a lot of credit there.

 

[Crazy Sam]

Pretty sure Greenberg threatened them with fines, loss of points etc in the media when it was announced.

Under the new concussion rules a potentially concussed player must be diagnosed by the head trainer, and then if warranted assessed by the club medical doctor, who will determine if he is fit to return to the field. If, according to a series of tests, he is not fit to return, the new rules deem any contravention of that illegal.

If clubs flout the new rules and a concussed player returns to the action, Greenberg outlined a number of possible sanctions which included:

* the loss of competition points;
* a substantial fine; and
* suspension of registration of club personnel.
Greenberg said if a coach, trainer and club doctor are all found in collusion they could all face sanction.
"It would be a very brave coach who puts his position on the line to gain a tactical advantage (by flouting the rules)," Greenberg said.
"I have made that very clear.
"These changes are for the good of the game.
"The gravity and seriousness of the situation must be understood."

 

[Nashy]

Yeah, but how are they going to enforce it.

The coaches *cough*Bellamy*cough* are going to tell them. Make sure you put on a good act on the field, the club doctor can 'train' them for the test so it can be abused.

Just threatening teams doesn't do anything. Especially the Storm.

 

[Kimlo]

They're some serious punishments, I can't see a club risking a finals game for the sake of an interchange.

 

[Nashy]

"Our staff were simply looking after the wellbeing of our player by having him checked after heavy contact".

The NRL wouldn't dare go against player welfare.

 

[Morkel]

"Our staff were simply looking after the wellbeing of our player by having him checked after heavy contact".

The NRL wouldn't dare go against player welfare.

Exactly. Just asking to be rorted.

 

[1910]

After seeing tonight's game I can't help but feel this is going to be manipulated and become a story at some point in the year. Free interchange for concussion protocol, free interchange to come back on if you aren't concussed. Players stay down to try and get penalties all the time. At some point a team is going to be out of interchanges and someone is going to fake a concussion like injury to get the interchange.

The Scat test is done when you get taken off which dicates if you're concussed.

 

[Ari Gold]

The Scat test is done when you get taken off which dicates if you're concussed.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that only affects if you are concussed and allowed to return to the field? The way the commentators explained it, the interchange to take the potentially concussed player off the field is a free one and remains free regardless of the test results?

 

[Cult]

Jarryd Hayne has been faking getting knocked out cold for years. The rule should be if you go down like that you get a free interchange but don't get to return.

 

[Kimlo]

Jarryd Hayne has been faking getting knocked out cold for years. The rule should be if you go down like that you get a free interchange but don't get to return.

Can you imagine that happening to Thurston in a finals game? I don't like that kind of a rule.

 

[Cult]

Can you imagine that happening to Thurston in a finals game? I don't like that kind of a rule.

Maybe they don't have to accept the free interchange if they want to bring them back on. In all honesty, if you're out cold you shouldn't go back on the field at all.

 

[Ari Gold]

I am pretty sure if you are out cold you won't pass the SCAT3 test. I would have bet on Kurt Gidley returning on the weekend as I thought he looked pretty fine but obviously he wasn't even able to pass it.

I still maintain the real potential is for a shit player to fake a concussion to get a free interchange, not for an actually concussed player to wrongly return to the game.

 

[Super Freak]

The NRL also have penalties in place for clubs that cheat the salary cap or use performance enhancing drugs, but it didn't seem to stop everyone.

Unless the NRL can actually prove it, I don't see what they can do about it.