Wests Tiger coach Michael Maguire questions NRL concussion protocols

Only two weeks into the NRL season and questions are being asked about new rules that coaches are “still trying to work out”.

West Tigers coach Michael Maguire says the NRL needs to ‘have a look’ at the new concussion protocols. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Michael Maguire has become the latest NRL coach to question the league’s new concussion protocols after a couple of incidents in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Newcastle.

The newly introduced independent doctor was forced to intervene and pull Tigers pair David Nofoaluma and Joe Ofahengaue at critical junctions in the opening 40 minutes.

Nofoaluma was forced to complete a head injury assessment close to the half-hour mark, minutes after copping a high shot from Knights back-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon.

Nofoaluma was cleared of a head knock; however, Fitzgibbon went unpunished.

Soon after, a Tigers trainer was calling for play to be stopped when Ofahengaue was left behind play after copping a stray boot to the head.

However, with the Knights attacking the Tigers’ tryline, the referee ignored the call before eventually receiving a message from the bunker to send Ofahengaue from the field.

David Nofoaluma was cleared of a head knock. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

There have been mixed reviews on the NRL‘s decision to employ independent doctors away from the ground, where they have the power to overrule club medicos on HIA situations.

Maguire refused to use the incidents as an excuse for his team’s poor performance in the 24-loss but conceded it was an area the league needed to address.

“I’m not going to make it as an excuse around our performance, but they definitely need to have a look at that,” Maguire said.

“I thought some of the decisions around how and when it comes into play … we had people rotating all over the place at one stage.

“But I’m not going to take that away from where we need to be from the performance.”

Asked about the Nofoaluma shot, he said: “I’m still trying to work that one out.

“Those things need to be sorted. It definitely needs to be looked at because you’ve got someone not here getting a feel for what’s going on. David Nofoaluma said he had nothing wrong with him.

“Trying to work out what’s right and wrong in that space is something the game definitely has to get a hold of. We had a lot of changes, but I’m not taking that away from where we need to be as a team.”

Originally published as Wests Tiger coach Michael Maguire questions NRL concussion protocols