By Dan Walsh
NRL clubs will be required to video all contact training sessions and deploy head injury “spotters” as the game weighs up limiting wrestling and tackling training drills in a bid to reduce avoidable head knocks.
A roll-out of new NRL training mandates is underway to collect data on potential concussions and replicate match-day head injury protocols.
The Herald revealed last August that the NRL is considering limiting pre-season full-contact training having observed similar measures adopted by the NFL and NCAA.
NRL head of elite football Graham Annesley said the new training practices prioritise player welfare and understanding what, if any, limitations should be recommended to the ARL Commission.
Clubs will be required to log any potential head injury incidents suffered during training with head office, including video for analysis.
“We’ve put a range of measures in place to initially, in the first instance, treat head contact injuries at training the same way it is treated on game day,” Annesley told the Herald.
“Clubs have to apply ‘spotters’ at contact training sessions and additional training is available if needed. And any incidents of head contact where a player suffers indicators of a possible concussion needs to be reported. That has to then be reviewed by the doctor.
“We are requiring clubs to provide us with details of their contact training sessions and to videotape those sessions.
“So that when an incident does take place, we can review it medically. We are also requiring them to provide GPS data of their contact training sessions and we’ll be collating all of that data.
“It might be that nothing has to change based on the data. But rather than just make a subjective decision on what someone thinks is the right amount of contact training in any given week, we want to do it on the basis of scientific data.”
Luke Keary raised the prospect of NFL-style contact training limits with the Herald last year.Credit: NRL Photos
Roosters star Luke Keary spoke last year in support of pre-season contact training limits, particularly at junior levels, while Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold also believes it is a measure that will eventually be introduced to the game.
As the English national rugby union defensive coach before taking charge at Manly, Seibold worked toward World Rugby guidelines that advised weekly limits on full-contact training.
World Rugby advised its constituents in late 2021 to keep full contact training to 15 minutes a week, with controlled contact (40 minutes) and live set piece training (30 minutes) also capped.
Those guidelines are yet to be stringently enforced though. Policing any similar rules in the NRL would likely require independent observers at training.
Kalyn Ponga returned to full training after suffering multiple concussions last year.Credit: Getty
“I do think in the future that we’ll have similar guidelines like that and what the NFL has,” Seibold said.
“There does have to be a happy medium I think to ensure players are ready for contact and have the right technique to ensure they’re still safe in contact. If you don’t, you’re not preparing your players safely.”
The NRL’s monitoring of training sessions comes after Thursday’s announcement of a reduced HIA threshold to trigger the 18th man substitute during games.
Two failed HIAs will now make an extra interchange player available for teams in 2023, given the previous rule requiring three players being ruled out of a game was rarely enacted despite the toll of losing players still being keenly felt.
Annesley said clubs were “in unanimous agreement” during consultation on increasing vigilance around training head knocks.
“The feedback we’ve had is that this the appropriate way to go about collecting the data and that this is an issue we have to take seriously,” he said.
“Any decisions on limiting contact training sessions have to be based on scientific evidence and there hasn’t been any wane, in any way, shape or form, for the upcoming season when it comes to contact with the head or neck.”
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