Roosters coach Trent Robinson has dismissed Wayne Bennett’s criticism of his club’s handling of HIA protocols.
Bennett, who coached the Dolphins in their expansion season in 2023, said he believes the league needs to take over teams over their concussion policy, claiming the clubs have manipulated the rule.
ARL introduced new rulings to reduce the impact of headbands on players, including independent doctors in the bunker who had the power to force headbutt checks, but Bennett believed that clubs did not act in the interests of their players .
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“Clubs have a duty of care, they talk about a duty of care, but none of them practice it and they have a duty to their players, I think, look at Victor Radley,” said Bennett.
“Everyone who saw the incident knew he was knocked out when he was knocked out. I do not care. I saw enough players who came down with a concussion. He was certainly beaten.”
The Roosters boss was said to be angry with the comments behind closed doors, according to The Daily Telegraph, but Robinson was adamant that he always acted in the players’ interests.
“I’m really at peace with the way we handle our players,” Robinson said.
“Whatever comments around it are, I know how we look after players, I know how we treat HIAs, I know how we deal with players in game and after game, and over the course of their careers.
“Normally you’re excited about these kinds of things, but I’m really quiet because I know how we act and the form is there that we take care of our players.
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“It was no different this weekend. What I said after the games was clear – it was not angry. We do not need to change.
“We are not a team that cheats the system, we are not one of the reasons why they had to change the rules. I am really at peace with what we have done and we do not have to change.
Storm enforcer Victor Radley was one such player who experienced the new bunker rules first hand, pulled out and was forced to sit out the rest of the match after the independent doctor saw his symptoms as “category one”.
Bennett supported the new changes, hoping it would combat clubs manipulating the old HIA system to get free exchanges.
NRL chief executive officer Andrew Abdo said rules had been put in place to reduce the onus on club doctors and medical staff.
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“It’s hard to see how people can criticize what we do because all we do is think about how we can use technology and resources to better protect players,” Abdo said.
“The second point is that this was not introduced because we thought the clubs were running the system, or we did not trust clubs or club doctors. Not at all. This was introduced in a collaboration between the medical advisory panel that the NRL has and the Club (Doctors).
“What unfortunately people do not realize is that the independent doctor is there to look only for indicators of potential head injuries, not to diagnose clinical concussion.
“They are not there to overwhelm or trump the club doctor. Thanks to it this way – there is a different set of eyes to watch the game. The decision to move a player off the field is a common one. It is the most conservative view then used.
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