A new rule is set to be implemented in the NRL that will stop players ‘milking penalties’ following an increase in such actions.
In recent seasons, players have been more inclined to stay down following heavy contact in a bid to earn a penalty from a video referee replay.
Now, the NRL’s Head of Football, Graham Annesley, has confirmed that there will be a ‘remote independent doctor’ to ensure that players “who do not regain their feet within 15 seconds after identifiable head contact” will have to undergo then a mandatory 15-minute head injury assessments.
Annesley told The Age Australia: “One of the signs the independent doctor in the bunker looks for is any player who is slow to stand after any kind of head contact, whether it be accidental or as a result of foul play.
“While I’m not suggesting that players may be feigning injury in an attempt to receive a penalty, players who do not regain their feet within 15 seconds after identifiable head contact, will generally find they are removed to undergo a head injury assessment.”
With that in mind, could Super League eventually follow suit? Other rules such as the six again have been adopted from the NRL, and with players ‘milking’ penalties becoming an issue in the northern hemisphere, too, it would be interesting to see the new rule make it halfway across the world.
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