NRL Sets New Safety Rules to Cut Injuries

0:00The National Rugby League just dropped landmark safety rules capping contact time and training for all 17 NRL clubs and 12 NRLW teams. This is the first time they've set hard limits to cut down on injuries like concussions. In season, NRL players get no more than 100 minutes of contact per week on a 7-day schedule including wrestling. For NRLW, it's 85 minutes. Preseason allows up to 200 minutes for men and 115 for women but with strict structure. These guidelines kick off with a graded intro-no physical contact at all for the first five days of preseason. That's just screenings, meetings, and non-contact skills. Clubs also can do high-intensity contact on back-to-back days or more than three days straight without recovery. NRLW preseason limits high-intensity stuff to 35 minutes max per week. Other big leagues beat them to it. World Rugby started in 2021 capping full contact at 15 minutes weekly and the NFL cut back in 2011.

1:03They both face lawsuits over brain injuries with the NFL paying out $1 billion in claims. Here, players like former roosters captain Luke Kiri pushed for this years ago saying we should have done it sooner. The push comes amid rising concerns over chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, found in brains of players like Paul Green and a 20-year-old. Manly Kid, INRL Clubs now film every contact session to spot risks building on last year's concussion monitoring updates. Meanwhile, the AFL lags behind no formal limits yet even after a corner recommended them in 2023 following a player's suicide linked to CTE. They're tracking data and might cap by 2027, but NRL's move sets a strong example as research rolls on and guidelines evolve with new. Season stats. From your city, powered by AI, this is Sydney News Today.