Get Your Head Examined!

[Graham]

The NRL will introduce ‘Brain Bunkers’ for the 2019 season in a move to help monitor concussions more effectively.

The concussion spotters will be used in every game to assist doctors in spotting for possible head knocks and to ensure players receive adequate treatment thereafter.

After trialing a range of techniques last season in a bid to reduce concussions, bunkers were seen as the most successful method to determine whether a player needed to exit a game to have a Head Injury Assessment (HIA).

Increasing the protection of players with concussions will legally help the NRL protect itself against retired players who take legal action against the league.

NRL Head of Football Graham Annesley said doctors would still be used on the boundary to assess potential HIAs.

“They are at the ground and in the best position to make a medical decision,” he said.

“But player welfare is always our priority and anything which helps identify potential head knocks is positive for the game.”

Annesley was confident that the combination of doctors at the ground and bunkers would put the NRL at the forefront of all sporting codes in monitoring concussions and protecting player’s health.