THE Newcastle Knights believe skipper Kalyn Ponga should have been allowed to play in Friday's clash with Gold Coast Titans and have queried the consistency of the NRL's concussion protocols.
The Queensland fullback was ordered from the field after being hit high by NSW halfback Nathan Cleary 10 minutes from full-time in Origin II on Sunday, after the NRL's bunker-based independent doctor ruled he had suffered a category-one concussion, based on vision of the incident.
Queensland coach Billy Slater admitted after the game Ponga "staggered on the field, so he came straight off". Knights coach Adam O'Brien' however, said the Maroons' team doctor, Matt Hislop, had subsequently "cleared" Ponga, but the preceding bunker decision will preclude Newcastle's most important player from backing up on Friday.
"The way it's been explained to me, by our medical officer here, is that once it's deemed a category-one in a Sunday game ... there's a mandatory six-day [stand-down period]," O'Brien said on Wednesday.
"He'd have to get cleared on a Saturday afternoon to play on Sunday this week.
"Because we play Friday, the moment it's given category-one, he's got to follow that timeline.
"That sixth day is when he has to tick everything off. That's the way it's been explained to me ... he was given a category-one, by the bunker, so that timeline rules him out for Friday and Saturday."
O'Brien said it was frustrating that "the people that are actually talking to him and doing the assessment don't get to make the final decision".
He said Ponga was showing no lingering ill-effects on Wednesday.
"I think the inconsistency is probably the thing that is frustrating for most," O'Brien said.
"They've seen other guys staggering and it's not given a category-one."
Sunday's incident was the fourth time this season Ponga has required a head-injury assessment and the second time in the space of a fortnight, after a sickening collision with Penrith's Viliame Kikau on June 12.
O'Brien said Ponga's health and well-being was "the No.1 thing" and allayed concerns about the series of head knocks the 24-year-old has suffered recently.
"They haven't all been [concussions]," he said. "He's been cleared and returned to the game.
"Speaking to him around the Penrith one, he felt that wasn't a concussion. That was just a heavy contact against Kikau."
Speaking on Channel Nine's 100 Per Cent Footy, former Cronulla warhorse Paul Gallen said it was "ridiculous" that a bunker decision could overrule a hands-on assessment by a doctor.
"Surely the club doctor or the doctor at the field should have the right, or should have an opinion, on whether it's a category-one or category-two," Gallen said.
"It's common sense."
