Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters in Loggerheads with the NRL to take action regarding concussion protocols following the incident involving Penrith’s Taylan May colliding with Reece Walsh, for which May was not charged.
Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters has expressed his frustration with the NRL’s decision not to charge Penrith’s Taylan May following the head clash that sidelined Reece Walsh for potentially six weeks.
Walsh’s injury, confirmed by scans to be a fractured face, occurred during the Broncos’ 34-12 defeat to Penrith, preventing the star player from flying home with his team.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Brisbane, potentially facing the absence of three key players in their upcoming match against North Queensland next Friday.
While dealing with on-field challenges, Walters is particularly incensed by the NRL’s response off the field.
May was placed on report for the incident on Thursday night, wherein he rushed out of the defensive line and collided with Walsh after a pass was thrown, resulting in a head clash. Despite referee Gerard Sutton instructing May to exercise a duty of care to avoid such collisions, the Panthers center was not charged on Friday.
Expressing his confusion and concern over the matter, Walters questioned the application of duty of care rules to protect players from head injuries.
“I’m a bit confused about the rules, you know. Where’s the duty of care for our players?” Walters queried.
“Reece is going to miss four-to-six weeks. There was contact to the head, which is duty of care. If the NRL are serious about concussions and protecting players, where does this sit with that? Where does it sit with that, NRL?”
Walters intends to address the issue with the NRL, fearing that without repercussions, players may target Walsh in the future.
“I’m certainly not a sore loser. But what I am very strong on is the protection of our players,” he asserted.
“If this is let go, next time Reece Walsh comes back on the field what are they going to do again?”
The injury adds to Brisbane’s woes with Payne Haas (knee) and Adam Reynolds (knee) also sidelined, leaving them with a depleted lineup for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary defended May’s tackle, labeling it as an unfortunate accident.
“No-one wants to see the best players go off, but I just saw it as an accident,” Cleary remarked.
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Following Thursday’s result, Penrith climbed to fourth place on the ladder with a 2-1 win-loss record, while Brisbane sits in 12th place with one win from three matches.
