Canberra Raiders and St George Illawarra asked to explain the presence of concussed players THE NRL has issued "please explain" letters to Canberra and St George Illawarra for allowing concussed players to remain on the field last weekend. 
Following the NRL's strict new directive on head knocks - and amid impassioned debate about player safety in the wake of the Frank Pritchard tackle - officials were concerned about incidents involving Raiders centre Shaun Berrigan and Dragons centre Nathan Green.
Berrigan was allowed to play on after suffering a head knock in his side's win over the Titans on Saturday night, while Green was laid out and play stopped for several minutes against the Bulldogs before he, too, was allowed to continue without leaving the field.
It immediately raised the ire of NRL football operations director Nathan McQuirk, who wrote to both clubs asking them to explain the actions of their coaching staffs.
"The NRL is closely monitoring the compliance by clubs with the league's concussion policy," McQuirk said last night. "We've requested reports from two clubs following last weekend in relation to possible head injuries sustained by players. These reports and video will be reviewed by the NRL chief medical officer (Ron Muratore).
"A detailed report has been received from the Canberra Raiders, and we're satisfied that the actions taken in relation to the player are within our guidelines."
Under tough new concussion guidelines, players who have received severe head knocks must undergo a series of cognitive tests if they are to stay on the field. If they fail, they are assessed by their club doctor on the sideline.
Source: Herald Sun
Topic: Raiders asked to explain concussed players
