By Scott Bailey in Sydney

THE NRL has told clubs players must be sidelined for 11 days after a concussion in the biggest shake up to its player safety protocols in close to a decade.

The ARL Commission met on Tuesday night to determine updates to the game’s concussion policy, with the rules to come into effect from Thursday’s round-three opener between Manly and Parramatta.

Under the new rules, players who have been diagnosed with a concussion will be automatically stood down for an 11-day period.

That will mean they are guaranteed to miss the following weekend’s match, and potentially a second game depending on turnaround times.

Players will only be able to return sooner in exceptional circumstances, after being given approval from an NRL-appointed independent neurologist.

To return early, it will need to be deemed the player was asymptomatic the day following the concussion and that cognitive testing has returned to normal.

Players will be ineligible to apply for an early return if they have had five or more concussions previously, experienced a concussion in the past three months or have had a prolonged recovery in the past.

The rules comes as injured players in the AFL launch a class action against the league, seeking up to $1 billion in damages.
The NRL say their changes are about player safety rather than legal threats, following advice from experts and after watching worldwide trends.

“There is no greater priority for us than player safety. It’s front and centre of everything we do,” ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys said.

“Our current head injury protocols are exceptionally strong.

“Following a review of the data and the expert advice we have received, the Commission have enhanced these protocols even further by providing a mandatory 11-day stand-down period following a diagnosed concussion.”

The NRL will also consider ramping up its processes, monitoring technologies such as blood and saliva testing as a tool for diagnosing concussions.

The updated protocols mark the biggest change to the NRL’s approach to concussions since the introduction of the head injury assessment system in 2014.

They bring the sport into line with World Rugby, who last year introduced an 11-day stand-down period for the 15-player game.

Manly coach Anthony Seibold on Wednesday backed the move, having experienced the World Rugby system first-hand during his time as an assistant coach with England.

“I have experienced it before and would have no qualms with it,” Seibold said.

“It’s about protecting the players and protecting their health, both in the short-term and long-term.”

The changes come days after the latest concussion suffered by Kalyn Ponga, with Newcastle weighing up how to best deal with his fourth brain injury in 10 months.

Class action launched against AFL over concussions