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Kalyn Ponga of the Knights gets attention after being tackled high by Matthew Lodge of the Roosters.
The NRL’s controversial crackdown on illegal contact with a player’s head has reduced concussions by more than 40 percent this season, said ARL committee chairman Peter V’landys.
In the 2021 season, the game’s focus was on high tackles infamously taking center stage during a showpiece Magic Round event that featured 14 sin bins and three send-offs, a tough stance that continued for months afterward.
Despite Kalyn Ponga, Luke Thompson, Lindsay Collins and Luke Keary enduring high-profile concussions this season, NRL data shows a marked decline in head injury ratings (HIAs), concussions and high tackles.
According to the NRL, 100 concussions were recorded in rounds 1-19 last year, and that number fell 43 percent this season to 57 for the same period.
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HIAs declined nearly 18 percent over the same period, from 234 ratings to 192. Of those, 61 players did not return to play the same game, another sharp drop from 105 in 2021.
Notably, high tackle costs have also fallen sharply, from 75 to 25 compared to the same period last season, with only 12 percent of concussions sustained in incidents that resulted in penalties or worse.
It’s this figure that led V’landys to applaud players and officials for adapting to the game’s strict edict of head-contact, stressing that this year’s downturn stems from improved techniques and discipline rather than leniency. the referees.
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NRL chairman Peter V’landys states that the number of concussions has decreased by 43%. (File photo).
“The umpires have been told to send everyone to the sin bin for any powerful blow to the head and that’s exactly what they’ve done,” V’landys said. “There are fewer HIAs and fewer concussions and the players have adapted in a short time [to the head contact crackdown].
“You will never completely eradicate it, but I think they have adapted and the professionalism of the players is exceptional. They realized they can’t go wrong and the vast majority have.
“You get one every now and then because it’s a physical game and there’s still a little way to go, but there’s been a huge reduction.
The numbers come amid heightened concerns about players being repeatedly punched in the head, with Bulldogs backer Thompson fearing he would be the last player to be swept out for the season due to ongoing concussion.
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Luke Thompson of the Bulldogs recently suffered a concussion.
Thompson has not played for Canterbury since Round 12 when he suffered a concussion against the Dragons as symptoms persisted in the months since and he has sought specialist advice.
Ponga continues to weigh his near future after meeting neurologist Dr Chris Levi last week.
Collins is also expected to be sidelined after he sustained his last heavy hit in Manly’s Roosters 20-10 defeat on Thursday.
The Tricolors prop is said to be in good spirits after full-time, but remains a concern as his first-half concussion was classified as category one – the most serious rating – and his second in as many matches.
Collins made his comeback from a two-week hiatus after a similar blow he suffered in Origin III, while also receiving a serious blow to the head last year that sent him off the field with a medicab.