Sharks defend playing Brown

CRONULLA has defended naming five-eighth Fa’amanu Brown for tonight’s clash with Canberra after his sickening head knock last week.

Brown (pictured) was taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious when accidentally struck in the head by a stray knee during the Sharks’ win over the Warriors.

Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan said the 22-year-old passed the

NRL’s strict concussion protocols

The incident has been likened to the one that saw Billy Slater laid out by a Sia Soliola high tackle.

“From the reports I read Billy couldn’t remember the Origin, had a lot of memory loss,” Flanagan said.

“Nu had none of that. He knew about the game. He just didn’t have much recollection of the tackle.

“Completely different situations.”

Brown is filling in for sidelined Blues playmaker James Maloney

“When he got back to the hotel he was surprisingly in good spirits and he was bright and alert,” Flanagan said.

“It’s hard to tell with some of these things. They affect people a little bit different.

“But he’s done what he needed to do this week. Our medical staff have made sure everything’s covered.

“There’s plenty of stages (of tests). There’s no exercise or physical exertion for 48 hours post the head knock. There’s graduations back into training.

“They look at their heart rates. They’ve got to do some computer tests. They’ve got to see the doctor. They’ve got to have no headaches.

“The NRL have a really good process in place the club follow that.”