TITANS SEE STARS AFTER $150K BLOW

PENALISED OVER CONCUSSION FEARS T

THE NRL has threatened to dock competition points from clubs that fail to comply with its head injury assessment rules as experts warn a cultural shift is needed to ensure players put their longterm health before the needs of the team.

The move comes as the Gold Coast Titans were fined $150,000 for three separate incidents during their win against Parramatta on Friday night.

The incidents involved Kane Elgey, Ryan Simpkins and Joe Greenwood, with Greenwood admitting in a post-match interview with the Bulletin he defied a trainer’s order to leave the field.

La Trobe University’s Dr Alan Pearce and Bond University’s assistant professor Annette Greenhow, both experts in the field of concussion management in football, said they were encouraged by the NRL’s stance but a cultural shift was also needed.

“It’s still the case (staying on the field when injured) is still very much a badge of honour, you’re out there for your mates,’’ said Pearce, a neurophysiologist and associate professor at La Trobe University.

“If you see something like a knee or an ankle, it’s easy to see you’re injured, therefore you’ve got to come off.

“But with the brain, it’s hidden inside a skull, so you don’t see that, other than some symptoms which are generally quite transient.’’

Greenhow, an assistant professor in the faculty of law at Bond University, specialises on concussion management and the policies of the major football codes.

She said cultural change would take time.

“We have a regulatory system and regulation is not just about the law, it’s about social aspects involved, it’s taking into account the medical aspects,’’ she said.

“But significantly, if we’re going to have rules, we’ve got to make sure that they’re being complied with.

“So next time if (a head knock) happens, a player says, ‘I understand this, I’ve got to get off, and there’s a system around that player to ensure they don’t lose their position in the team and suffer negatively as a result of the decision to come off the field.’’

While the Titans refused to expand on a brief statement issued yesterday saying they would consider the breach notice, the incident puts them at loggerheads with the NRL once again after last week’s standoff over new recruit Dale Copley.

But the record fines are a sign the NRL is serious about player safety.

A recent study by Dr Pearce, comparing 25 former NRL players with a history of concussion to a control group around the same age, found significant differences in the cognitive abilities and motor tests.

And he is happy to see the move by the NRL to ensure clubs know they are serious about player safety.