Players must make informed decisions with concussion, says Phil Clarke
Thursday 19 March 2015 19:44, UK
Rugby is tackling the risks of concussion but ultimately it still comes down to the player, says Phil Clarke...
Any article written about rules or referees is certain to provoke a comment or reaction.
Several of the readers of this column added their opinion to what I’d posted online last week and it will be interesting to see what happens next.
It’s true that both codes of rugby have their challenges in this area, but it’s important to me that rugby league addresses theirs now. Let’s hope that the powers that be take time out to look at how the game needs to be played and officiated in the future. The very near future.
At the start of the season I wrote about the issue of head injuries in rugby league. Some people have a different interpretation of concussion to others but what’s not in doubt is just how serious this issue is becoming in modern day sport.
I spoke this week with a friend of mine, Dr Fergus Connolly. He’s the Director of Elite Performance at the San Francisco 49ers and in conversation he made me aware of the retirement of one of their players. However, this wasn’t an old veteran but a young man aged 24.
Chris Borland had just completed his first season with the 49ers and had won the respect and admiration of players and coaches throughout the NFL. He made 107 tackles in the eight games that he's played in the last season and didn't even suffer a serious concussion during those matches, but has decided that the risks to his long-term health are too great.
He’d earned over $1m in his debut season and was set to earn significantly more but balanced this against the research he gathered regarding repeated hits to the head and decided to walk away. He is an intelligent man and was described as the consummate professional, so his decision has provoked great debate in the States.
The NFL claim that concussion injuries have reduced by 25 per cent this season and that the rules now make the game safer, but it’s still early days and that has not been enough to convince Mr Borland to stick at the game.
It was interesting to read about the South Sydney scrum-half, Adam Reynolds, who apparently received a blow to the head while attempting a tackle last week in their game with the Roosters. He had to leave the field with what looked like concussion, not just to most fans in the ground but also to a doctor on the sideline.
The Rabbitohs looked lost while Reynolds was off the field being assessed. When he re-entered the game about 12 minutes later he was instrumental in his team ultimately winning the match. I have no doubt that he was under ‘pressure’ to re-enter the field, even if that only came from himself.
So where does that leave us over here? I realise that we are in a long-term process of education with head injuries. Players, coaches, fans and officials are learning about the need for a proper assessment while the player is off the field.
He/she is only allowed to return when it’s safe for them to do so. They must follow the agreed guidelines of the return-to-play protocols if a concussion has occurred and it is pleasing to see that this is starting to happen.
The sport has never spent as much time or money on player welfare as it does now, at all levels of the game. Ultimately however, it comes down to the player. They are the ones who need to make an informed decision.
If you currently play rugby league on a professional level don’t waste your spare time watching TV or drinking coffee. Do your research and work out what’s best for you. You are the most important person here and you need to know what’s good for you.
