Penrith winger David Simmons has leapt to the defence of the Panthers’ medical team after the club was issued with a ‘please explain’ letter from the NRL regarding possible breaches of the new concussion rules.
The Panthers along with western Sydney rivals Parramatta and Canterbury have been asked why players were allowed to remain on the field after showing signs of concussion.
Under new guidelines players must be taken from the field and given 15 minutes to pass a cognitive test from a doctor.
If they fail the test they have to be ruled out for the rest of the game.
Penrith are under scrutiny for a delay in replacing hooker James Segeyaro against Melbourne in round two after he received a blow to the head.
However, experienced winger Simmons, who led calls for the implementation of concussion rules in 2012 after being knocked out by a shoulder charge, is happy with the manner in which he and his teammates are looked after.
“I have all the confidence in the world behind our coaches and medical team,” Simmons said.
“Our training staff are on the field on game day. We trust them, they have been in the game a long time. They know players and they know us and I feel confident in them.”
Simmons, who ended up in hospital after being poleaxed by Canterbury’s Frank Pritchard two years ago, was vocal in urging the NRL to do something about concussion.
The 29-year-old denies being a crusader but applauded the code for taking positive steps.
“I’m just concerned about players and want them to finish their careers healthy so they can do great things with their families and work,” he said.
“I’m pleased the NRL have given us a conservative line to those injuries and just hope they help guys stay healthy and happy.
“Everyone will be different. There are some blokes who don’t care too much about it and some who keep playing and others that are more concerned.
“But it’s good they’ve taken it out of their hands and left it up to the doctors to take care of them. I think it’s a good thing.”
Simmons also said he didn’t agree with Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett’s claim that the new rulings are overkill and said it was important players and coaches respect the new initiative.
“I don’t know if it’s overkill, but a player always wants to stay out there,” he said.
“It’s something that’s part of the culture. You don’t want to let the team down.
“I just hope it doesn’t get abused and players and coaches respect the game enough to use it for what it is.
“It will have to be tweaked going forward because it’s new. But we are going down the right track.”