Ponga’s plight not a trigger for change
ANDREW Abdo says talks are ongoing on whether the NRL will introduce a mandatory 11day stand-down policy for concussed players.
He has also confirmed that any talk about salary cap dispensation for long-term layoffs would be held off until the end of the season.
The NRL chief executive said the ARL Commission was constantly reviewing its policies around concussion but there wouldn’t be any immediate change to the rules after Kalyn Ponga’s head knock.
The Knights star was forced from the field following a tackle he made against the Tigers on Sunday afternoon.
It was his fourth concussion in the past 10 months.
The issue also prematurely ended his campaign last year after he suffered three concussions in six weeks.
While there are no suggestions Ponga will be sidelined long-term, other players such as Roosters pair Boyd Cordner and Jake Friend had their careers ended early because of repeated head knocks.
The Roosters reportedly received salary cap dispensation when Cordner retired but the next step for the commission could be a policy that would result in clubs receiving relief if they had a player who had to sit out long-term.
“The salary cap auditor has provisions within his remit to look at career-ending injuries, and also can look at long-term injuries as well,” Abdo said.
“Any type of dispensation would need to be handled case-by-case by the salary cap auditor within the rules.
“But again, if there is an opportunity for us to modernise our rules based on what we are seeing in the game or based on what we would like to see in the game, there is the avenue to explore that.”