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Wayne Bennett EXPLODES at NRL for ‘pandering to clubs’ over concussion protocols and calls for bunker medics to be SCRAPPED: ‘You don’t need an independent medic’
- Kalyn Ponga controversially asked to undergo HIA after collision
- The Knights trailed 14-12 but lost 20-12 with their star man off the field
- Wayne Bennett believes the NRL’s concussion protocols need to change
Wayne Bennett has called on the NRL to remove the independent doctor in the bunker and put the responsibility for identifying possible concussion solely at the clubs, with fines and penalty points used to reinforce this.
The NRL’s concussion protocols were back in the spotlight on Friday night after Kalyn Ponga was removed from the field late in Newcastle’s defeat to the Warriors.
Ponga later claimed he was fine and did not know what incident had prompted the independent doctor’s intervention with the Knights trailing 14-12 before losing 20-12.
Knights coach Adam O’Brien was also infuriated by the call, claiming the doctor was “jumping in the shadows” after Ponga slid onto Addin Fonua-Blake’s hip.
The blow to Ponga’s head was deemed serious enough by the independent doctor, who was at the game in Wellington due to its remote nature, to be category two, requiring him to leave the field for 15 minutes to be treated. they will review it.
Wayne Bennett has called on the NRL to remove the independent doctor and let clubs determine whether or not players have suffered concussions.
Kalyn Ponga was removed from the field at the end of Newcastle’s loss to the Warriors
The Newcastle star insisted he was fine and didn’t know why he had to undergo a HIA
If the incident had been identified as a category three, Ponga would have been able to remain on the field if it had passed the coach’s verification.
O’Brien’s criticism comes after independent doctors got in front of television sets early last year, allowing them to quickly review various angles of the incidents.
The NRL has said the off-field positioning also helps ensure decisions are not affected by the emotion of the game, and its independence takes the pressure off club doctors.
But Bennett insisted on Saturday that it would be better to put the system solely in the hands of the clubs.
“The game has never been more conscious of head injuries and I think we do a lot of things right,” Bennett said before the Dolphins’ first game.
“But all they have done is take the responsibility away from the clubs and give it to someone independent.
The clubs have to be the owners. The game, when they had some moments in recent years, did not punish the clubs enough.
“They took some soft options with them, but if you make the clubs more responsible, you don’t need an independent doctor.”
The AAP has been told that the club’s medical staff strongly supported the decision to use an independent doctor.
On paper, the independent doctor works with the club doctors, and both have the power to take players off the field.
Bennett said the solution was for the NRL to punish clubs with hefty fines and point deductions if they left players on the field when indicators showed the need for an off-field review.
“You’ll get rid of him pretty quickly,” Bennett said.
‘It’s like the rules about head contact.’
NRL football chief Graham Annesley has hit back at managers who criticized the independent doctor’s decisions last year, insisting that such calls were a medical and not a football decision.
Bennett is the most experienced coach in the NRL, but the league’s second most experienced mentor Tim Sheens endorsed the role of independent doctor on Saturday.
“It was a fair shot and Kalyn was stunned, but that’s the doctor’s role,” Sheens said.
Sydney Roosters manager Trent Robinson (left) and Tigers boss Tim Sheens (right) defended the current approach to concussion and the role of the independent doctor.
‘Did it impact the game? Yeah, but the rules are the rules and that’s it.
Sydney Roosters manager Trent Robinson also endorsed the current system.
“It’s a good thing, because we’ve shown that we can’t always take care of our own in the game,” Robinson said.
“It has been shown that players will stay depending on the position they are in. We need to be independent.”