Junior rugby league clubs hand out free headwear to keep tackle-happy kids

Free headgear will be offered to hundreds of junior rugby league players to let kids who love to tackle stay safe while playing footy.

Free headgear will be offered to hundreds of junior rugby league players to encourage parents to register their children to play footy.

The Eastern Suburbs Junior Rugby League is implementing the new safety measures at a time when concussion and head injuries have become such a hot topic in the NRL.

Headgear that normally sells for $70 at major sports stores will be free with every registration.

The NSW Rugby League introduced new rules late last year banning tackling in the younger age divisions. The kids were to play tag football instead.

But following a backlash from parents, South Sydney and Manly junior leagues chose to ignore the edict.

“There was a concern we’d lose players to South Sydney,” said Eastern Suburbs junior league president Bob Tate.

“All the kids want to play tackle like their NRL heroes, so we decided to look into providing headgear for every player. We got a sponsor, Storage King, to pay for them all.

“The kids don’t have to wear them but we will encourage them to do so (and) early indication is the kids love it. A lot of their heroes wear headgear, so it’s not uncool.”

Rooster juniors Jack Williams, Kingston Docker and Joey Brady model the new free protective headgear.

Saoirse Brady and Tilly Greig try the headgear on for size.

Many of the biggest names in rugby league have worn headgear, including Johnathan Thurston and Kalyn Ponga.

Tate says parents have been overwhelmingly supportive.

NRL superstar Johnathan Thurston wore headgear while playing. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“There hasn’t been one complaint,” he said.

“The parents have really embraced it. All the feedback has been so positive — anything with an extra layer of protection that might make the game a little bit safer for their little ones.”

The NSWRL has now temporarily shelved plans for the non-tackle game, following a negative response from clubs and parents.

“The NSWRL board remains committed to a staged approach to a statewide implementation of all of the initiatives,” a spokesman said.

The move comes just one week after the founder of the Australian Sports Brain Bank warned tackles in junior sport increased the risk of children developing a degenerative and debilitating brain disease in later years.

Clinical Associate Professor Michael Buckland — the neuropathologist who discovered high amounts of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the donated brain of late rugby league player and coach Paul Green — said all football codes must reduce “cumulative lifetime exposure to repetitive impacts”.

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