‘These are player safety issues’: NRL defends handling of head injuries after Rabbitohs concussion criticism

The NRL have rebuked claims Taane Milne was incorrectly dominated out of South Sydney’s loss to Canberra after a head knock, telling coaches they aren’t certified to query the league’s impartial docs.

Milne was deemed to have copped a category-one head knock within the Rabbitohs’ loss to Canberra, and instantly dominated out of the match after displaying concussion signs on-field.

Afterwards, Souths coach Jason Demetriou claimed he can be talking to the NRL over the incident, adamant that there had been nothing fallacious with the winger.

However at his weekly media briefing on Monday, Graham Annesley confirmed replays of Milne’s head hitting the bottom earlier than he stumbled again to the Souths’ line.

The NRL’s head of soccer additionally revealed Milne had failed his off-field HIA, which means he wouldn’t have been allowed again on the sphere even when he was thought-about a class two.

“These are participant questions of safety. These should not points to be dismissed by gamers, coaches or anybody else,” Annesley stated.

“For non-medically certified folks to say he was OK or that he may have come again on the sphere (is fallacious).

“To be brutally trustworthy, we won’t be led by opinions of non-medically educated folks or by the participant himself. It is a medical analysis that takes place.”

Annesley stated he had not heard from Demetriou on Monday over the state of affairs, with the Rabbitohs additionally dropping Tevita Tatola to a head knock.

The incident comes after coaches raised a number of points over gamers being deemed class ones within the early levels of the season, instantly ruling them out of video games.

And whereas Annesley admitted they’d probably been too cautious within the early rounds upon the implementation of the impartial physician, he was adamant this was not the case with Milne.

“We’d be the primary to confess that possibly within the opening two rounds whereas we settled the system down, possibly some calls made that had been too protected,” Annesley stated.

“Perhaps they went too far. However that is not the case on this incident.

“This isn’t a choice that needs to be debated.

“It is a determination made by an impartial medical practitioner who has noticed indicators that point out a doable concussion.

“That call is taken not in the perfect curiosity of the NRL… however in the perfect curiosity of the participant.” 

In the meantime Annesley once more defended a number of key calls over the weekend, together with Dane Gagai’s no-try in Newcastle’s loss to Brisbane and the Christian Tuipulotu excessive hit in Manly’s defeat to Parramatta.

He additionally stays adamant the choice to not name an obstruction earlier than Selwyn Cobbo’s attempt in opposition to the Knights was not a howler, and was open to interpretation as a 50-50 name.

AAP