CLUBS face stiff penalties including loss of competition points or deregistration of individuals if they are found to have breached the NRL’s new concussion policy.
The efforts of coaches in past
years in trying to influence doctors to clear players to return to the field after head knocks is something the NRL is looking to end as part of new guidelines for the protection of players during matches.
The Courier-Mail reported on February 8 that the NRL will have a new set of guidelines to protect concussed players during games this season.
Meetings since have consulted all club CEOs and coaches and involved consultation with the Rugby League Players Association, the QRL and the NSWRL.
The NRL last week ruled out having an independent doctor present at all games to rule on player concussions despite concerns raised by some club doctors about whether some players with head knocks had been kept on the field last year in the interest of winning games.
“Under the policy, you will find there are some minimum tests that have to performed on that player for him to go back on the field,’’ NRL head of football Todd Greenberg.
“It would be a brave medical practitioner who makes decisions on team performance and not on the welfare, health and safety of the player. (Club doctors) will have to document those and be accountable.’’
The NRL told clubs in 2012 that gthose who did not follow the League’s policy at the time on concussions could be fined, but the sanctions did not extend to loss of premiership points or deregistrations.
Asked how the League would view a doctor who in the view of other medical officers was not making decisions during games on medical merit, Greenberg said: “You would be accurate to describe that (when) a club or a coach or a doctor doesn’t adhere to the policy, significant sanctions would apply.
“That would be not only significant fines, but competition points, the loss of registration of personnel.
“We have now spent time over the last month and a half consulting on the specific details on what we would call a concussion sideline assessment policy.
“We are collating all that and hope to make a policy recommendation prior to the start of the season.’’
The NRL moved earlier in the off-season to ensure club doctors in future would report to club chief executives and boards, not head coaches.
“It’s a good thing that the doctors can do their job as a practitioner and not have any issues around team performance or preparation,’’ Greenberg said.
The two state leagues are important stakeholders in the process of drafting a new policy as the NRL wants a policy on concussions to be relevant to less resourced levels in the game.
Greenberg said the NRL was investigating making video replays available on sidelines at NRL match days so doctors could aided in diagnoses by reviewing head knock incidents to determine points of impacts.
The NRL has yet to decide how long club doctors should have to inspect players with head knocks during games and make a decision on the sidelines.
During that time the player’s team would be given an interchange which would not count towards the interchange limit, Greenberg said.
“They will be able to bring him from the field and the doctors will have a period of time to provide an assessment,’’ he said.
Paul Malone
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-lays-down-law-on-concussion-breaches-with-strict-new-policy/story-fniabjcr-1226833038654
