Did these players really need HIAs? The NRL is watching

The NRL issued two clubs with “please explain” notices last weekend asking them to clarify details of players who had left the field for head injury assessments.

In other words, did the players really require a HIA?

Let’s start with Saturday evening and James Fisher-Harris, the New Zealand Warriors prop widely regarded as one of the most intimidating players in the NRL. Even his tattoo of a panther, to commemorate his four premierships with Penrith, is considered scarier than any of his former teammates’ ink.

Fisher-Harris went to make a tackle on Kurt Donoghoe, the Dolphins forward who has left plenty of journalists questioning their own concussion status when trying to remember how to spell his surname on deadline.

Donoghoe caught the ball near the tryline and appeared to clash with Fisher-Harris, who then went down, watched where the ball finished up ... then stayed down.

A minute later, referee Adam Gee signalled time off because somebody, somewhere, had asked for Fisher-Harris to come from the field for a concussion test. He passed.

It was not the first time Fisher-Harris had come from the field in the first half of a game this year.

In round two, on a soggy night in Canberra, referee Peter Gough received the message “from the trainer or doctor” that Fisher-Harris, looking pretty gassed midway through the opening stanza, needed to come from the field for a head check.

Ditto in round 12, when an exhausted Fisher-Harris lay on the ground after trying to tackle the much smaller St George Illawarra hooker Damien Cook.

So the NRL wrote to the Warriors during the week, firstly to check if everything was OK with “Fish”, then to ask what signs he had displayed to warrant an HIA.

As long as the on-field trainer and Warriors’ chief medical officer were satisfied with what transpired, the NRL were happy to take their word. At the end of the day, who is the NRL to question club medical staff?

On Sunday afternoon, at a half-empty CommBank Stadium, Penrith’s Mitch Kenny copped an accidental slap to the back of the head from the trailing arm of Roosters centre Billy Smith. Kenny clutched at the back of his head, Smith was penalised, and Kenny later came from the field for a HIA.

In his defence, Kenny told the trainers he was feeling dizzy and had a ringing sound in his ears. Like Fisher-Harris, he returned looking fresh for his next stint.

Phil Gould maintained on the Nine commentary “it was a completely unfair penalty” against the Roosters.

When a player is forced off the field to undergo a HIA, it essentially gives teams a free interchange. And fresh legs, especially in the middle of a half, is always a bonus.

The NRL’s emails to the Panthers and Warriors will hopefully serve as a reminder that they are watching, and do not want a rule brought in to protect players from concussion and head knocks to be abused.

For what it is worth, clubs have spent the last few years whispering and pointing the finger at each other when it comes to HIAs.

After asking around on Friday morning, this masthead was told was that one club used to employ a “code word”, which was a cue for a player to stay down or even stumble.

The timing of HIAs is an issue that frustrates rival clubs perhaps more than any other. Fisher-Harris laying down in the middle of a first half has happened three times. Warriors hooker Wayde Egan has come from the field five times for HIAs this season, and passed four of them.

In the round-three match against Newcastle, Egan clutched at the back of his head midway through the second half. Knights players stood around wondering where on earth the contact had taken place. Egan then came off for a HIA.

Those same Newcastle players will be quick to point out any shenanigans on Sunday in the semi-final clash between the sides at Eden Park. They will be watching. So will the NRL.

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Friday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.