The NRL are reportedly weighing up a major change to the concussion rules which currently govern the aftermath of head injuries in the sport.
As it stands under the current rules, players don't have to miss a game.
Players instead can, with the clearance of an independent doctor at multiple stages of the recovery, return within a six-day window, should a number of return to play protocols be met in the shortest time possible.
That may no longer be the case though, with the clause allowing an independent doctor to clear a player possibly set to be removed, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Instead, it's understood that the NRL are weighing up a mandatory stand down period of 11 days following any head injury - that would automatically rule a player out of the following round's action.
Pending the turnaround time between games and how much training is achievable, it could possibly leave a player looking at two weeks out.
Concussion has become a major issue in sport right around the world, with the NRL no exception to the rule. The protocols around concussions have tightened over the years, and the NRL are also moving to an 18th man being able to be activated after just two failed head injury assessments in 2023, whereas in 2022 it took three players to be ruled out before a substitute could be brought into the game.
Concussion tests and policies for players being taken out of the game were also beefed up in 2022, with an independent doctor now watching all games from the NRL bunker and monitoring for any signs of a possible concussion. The doctor in the bunker can then grade each concussion event, with the possibility to rule a player out of the remainder of the game on the spot without a test.
While the NRL's major competitor in Australia, the AFL, already have a 12-day rest period for concussion events, NRL fans saw an extended rest period in play for the first time during the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, which was held in England.
The English Super League have already employed the 11-day model for some time, and that policy carried over to the World Cup, with players being ruled out for more than a week throughout the course of the tournament.
