Roosters star Luke Keary speaks out about NRL concussion concerns

A hidden issue with potentially nightmarish consequences has finally been given the spotlight with past and present players uniting for the cause.

It was scary scenes for the Roosters star when he was concussed against Newcastle.

A groundbreaking study that found two former NRL players suffered from a degenerative brain condition linked with repeated head knocks has brought the concussion issue back front of centre for rugby league.

To men with more than 150 first grade games each were found to have Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a disease that has been found in former American football, ice hockey, soccer, rugby union and other contact sports exposed to repeated head injury.

The concussion issue has been bubbling away behind the scenes in rugby league for several years and seen the NRL react by instituting the head injury assessment (HIA), where independent doctors assess head injuries and test players during games.

But the lifelong ramifications are now coming to the surface. Current and former players have been quick to pledge their brains to further study with Peter Sterling the most prominent so far while former stars Mark Carroll, Brett Kenny and Eric Grothe and Dragons player James Graham have also joined the pledge.

But as more light is shed on the issue, the Roosters’ Luke Keary is becoming the poster boy for concussions in the NRL.

Keary seemed to be a certainty for his maiden NSW Blues State of Origin jersey but a series of concussions saw him sidelined by the premiers for the past six weeks.

The 27-year-old halfback has suffered five concussions in the last 18 months with the Roosters putting him on the shelf for his own health.

Luke Keary is on the way back to the NRL.

A one-on-one interview between Keary and Fox Sports presenter Lara Pitt will headline a special edition of League Life tonight at 8.30pm on Fox League.

Former rugby league hard-men Carroll and Martin Lang will talk about concussions with League Life hosts Yvonne Sampson, Jessica Yates, Lara Pitt and Hannah Hollis.

There’s also an interview with Eels premiership winner Ray Price who’ll visit a brain specialist to get a scan.

Keary said the NRL response to concussions has been great, especially when the injury doesn’t always exhibit itself in a physical way.

“What I can say is that as a game I think we are taking very big steps in the way we deal with it and how we deal with it and the emphasis that we are placing on it,” Keary said.

“I know from my experience over the last 18 months I’ve had the spotlight put on me and I’ve had to pass several tests to say that I’m good.

“The club and the game have basically said your health comes first and then you can go back on the field and that’s why I’ve had this six weeks now to get myself right and kind of break out of that cycle.

“They don’t have all the information and it’s kind of hard to pass that onto the player but they are doing everything they can to prevent long term disease.”

Off the field, Keary’s life is going as well as his career on the field.

The two-time NRL champion and 125-game veteran married his high school sweetheart Amy Bugeja (now Keary) in 2017 and the pair are expecting their first child.

With his life coming together, Keary said he’s content with the information he has as he continues his NRL career.

“It’s hard because I think during it other people have worried more than I have,” Keary said of the many knockouts throughout his career.

“It’s hard because they don’t go and see the neurologist and they don’t go and see the doctors, they don’t have all the information that I have.

“I’m very happy and very confident of what I’ve been told and where I’m at physically and mentally. I wouldn’t put myself — and I know my doctors and the club wouldn’t let me put myself — at risk.”

Keary in full flight has become one of the NRL’s biggest attacking weapons.

As for whether he’ll join the pledge to donate his brain, Keary said the research must continue.

“The more information and research that can be done will help future generations of our game and I’d definitely be open to something like that and I think a lot of players would,” he said.

“If we could help people and we’re going to fast track this research they’re going to need as many brains as possible to get the stats and all the information they need to be able to adjudicate on head knocks and find patterns and non-patterns of what’s happening.”

Don’t miss League Life’s concussion special tonight at 8.30pm on FOX LEAGUE and streamed on Foxtel Now.

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Keary and Jake Friend are expected to return from injury ahead of schedule against the Wests Tigers on Friday night with Kiwi Test prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, English back Ryan Hall and Sitili Tupouniua all set to return.

Keary is set to be the big addition with his start to the season providing plenty of highlights as he was the front runner for the Blues starting job before the concussion concern sidelined him.