Dale Finucane’s shock medical retirement from the NRL due to repeated concussions has sparked a call for change in tackling technique.
Finucane, who suffered a head knock in Round 3, announced his immediate retirement on Tuesday based on the advice from two independent neurologists as well as two neuropsychologists
The 32-year-old opened up on his concussion history while speaking on NRL 360 and revealed it was the number of concussions he had suffered that convinced the medical experts that he needed to retire.
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“It’s interesting because I haven’t been typically symptomatic like the other players who have retired in the past,” Finucane said.
“For me, it was the number that came into it. I was up in the double figures of occurrences of concussion and the fact I’d had a handful of them and clusters close together.
“I think in 2020 and 2021 before I left Melbourne I had two in close succession and in 2022, my first year with the Sharks, I had two within a month. I was probably thankful I did my MCL in that same time so I had a little more time off.
“I only played 13 games last year but obviously I’ve had one to start this season.
“I just think the cluster of them, being so close in succession and the number I’ve had that it was pretty definitive in their conclusion.”
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Finucane said “there’s no magic number” when it comes to a stand-down period after a player suffers a concussion but believes the fact that it’s gone from six days to 11 shows the NRL is “doing everything they can to be as well informed as they can.”
But NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent has called on the NRL to implement changes to prevent concussions — rather than focusing on recovery.
The NRL has put in place a number of protocols like head injury assessments, an independent doctors on the sideline and a return to play policy.
But Kent pointed out that’s “all post-concussion stuff” and believes it’s “critical” to change that.
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“If we’re not careful, the game will either be run by lawyers or ruined by lawyers. That’s where the game is heading if we just keep going down this track,” he said.
Kent believes there wasn’t as many concussions 15-20 years ago — and he thinks that’s because the tackling style has changed since then.
That’s why he wants to see the NRL introduce harsher penalties for high tackles, which should then put pressure on coaches to change players’ tackling styles.
“It’s often the tackler that’s getting knocked out these days because of the technique they’re employing,” he said.
“Players are so upright in their defensive style. The old days of bending and hitting under the ball are gone.
“No one tackles like Jake Trbojevic anymore, who hits under the ball. It’s all over the ball. That leaves your contact zone… you’ve got about this much between the ball and under your chin, it’s not a lot of room for error.
“We’ve got to start changing the way (players tackle). Only coaches can drive it. How do you make coaches drive it? You start suspending players for longer than a week or two weeks for careless high tackles.
“They won’t do it if there’s no risk on them.”
“It’s going to take some courage from the NRL to do it but if we don’t do it we’re just going to go down this track where the lawyers are going to step in and say ‘we’ve got a big issue.”
Source Agencies
