RUGBY league players will be limited in the amount of time they can be on the field as the sport tackles the big brain issue.
Stars will also only be allowed to tackle under the height of an opponent's armpit in future and, as SunSport revealed, independent concussion spotters will be at top flight games in 2024.
The 13-a-side code has voted to bring in 44 recommendations around brain health, spanning from under-6s to Super League, as a legal case brought by former players hangs over it.
One of the main ones will see forwards and backs of different ages restricted to playing the equivalent of so many full domestic games over a 12-month period – 30 for a back over 22-years-old and 15 for a forward under 18.
Concussion spotters will also be employed at all Super League matches in 2024, initially on a trial basis and if it works, they will come in fully for 2025 then through the rest of the professional game for 2026.
Repeat offenders for the tackle height rule will be sent to 'tackle school' to learn how to adapt fully.
Based on the findings of the sport's brain health committee, involving players, coaches and medical experts, the spotters will have access to replays and liaise with a club's doctor on the touchline if one has been missed.
And former ref Rob Hicks, now the Rugby Football League's director of operations and legal, said: “It's an added safety net as the doctor could be treating someone else.
MOST READ IN RUGBY LEAGUE
SAM ANSWERS
England eye answers over Samoa 2024 Test series by the end of the year
ULTRA-KEV
Kevin Sinfield route tracker: Where the ultramarathon is taking place
BORN TO RUN
Kevin Sinfield ready and willing to raise more MND funds with Ultra 7 in 7 in 7
A MUS-T
Zane Musgrove hopes to ‘change the narrative’ around him after Warrington move
“The spotter will have access to replays and have contact with the bench. He will then speak to the doctor of the club concerned, they’ll look at clips and make an informed decision as to whether a player needs to leave the field.
“The actual practicalities are still subject to finalisation but the quicker you spot signs of concussion and remove them from the field, the better it is for that person’s recovery and the ideal position will be it’s done quickly.”
Most read in Rugby League
SAM ANSWERS
England eye answers over Samoa 2024 Test series by the end of the year
BORN TO RUN
Kevin Sinfield ready and willing to raise more MND funds with Ultra 7 in 7 in 7
A MUS-T
Zane Musgrove hopes to ‘change the narrative’ around him after Warrington move
CRACK ON
Kevin Sinfield admits Humpty Dumpty may need putting back together in challenge
Current official Liam Moore admitted the change is the biggest in his time in the game.
But he said: "We're not doing them to kill the game. We're being instructed by the sport to protect our players.
"We're safeguarding the future of the game rather than killing it."
But Hicks denied the legal case influenced them, insisting: "All the changes are based on knowledge we now have, not in response to anything that may happen in a legal claim.
"We're just being a responsible governing body."
Source: Read Full Article
