Cronulla Sharks great Paul Gallen has shot down mounting debate around the introduction of a medical substitution despite a recent spate of serious head knocks in the opening round of the season.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson raised the possibility of going the way of the AFL who recently introduced an extra man on the bench that can only be used should a club doctors assess an injured or concussed player as "medically unfit" to continue.
It follows serious match-ending concussions for Eels star Ryan Matterson and Roosters skipper Jake Friend, whose sides were forced to battle with a man down already this season.
But Gallen was against the idea, claiming clubs would inevitably find a way to bend the rules outside of their scope.
"It'll be rorted," Gallen told Wide World of Sports Radio on 2GB.
"You will have cases like we saw with Cleary on the weekend, clear cut cases, where the bloke is out because someone has hit him with a high tackle. That's a clear-cut case.
"But then you'll have one the week before where the Brisbane player went down with a sore neck, it was (ruled) a HIA. It had nothing to do with his head.
"I know your neck and head are very close to each other but it'll be rorted somehow.
"I like the gladiatorial aspect of the game where it's last man standing, you do your best for 80 minutes – I don't agree with it."
The introduction of an 18th man has been an initiative floated almost annually by the NRL's competition committee but has yet to eventuate due to concerns about the impact a fresh player would have on the game.
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from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/paul-gallen-against-18th-medical-substitute-after-hia-concussions/f46c2d5d-b14a-4171-875d-a61dd2faaa73
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