One of the Australia's leading authorities on brain injuries has warned the National Rugby League "missed an opportunity to show how serious it is about tackling concussion when Melbourne lock Dale Finucane's removal from the field late in the grand final was delayed," according to Adam Pengilly of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Brain Injury Australia CEO Nick Rushworth said that the Finucane incident "could have been a line in the sand for rugby league's handling of concussions." His "fears the NRL's strict concussion guidelines would be twisted in the heat of a grand final were realised when a trainer, who indicated Finucane was required to undertake a sideline concussion test, did not remove the player from the field." Rushworth said, "The NRL has got some really good sports clinicians in place and it's times like grand finals when you think of the grassroots amateurs and the millions of eyeballs that are looking for the NRL to exercise leadership in a game like a grand final. They can set an example for every other club right across the country for how this should be handled and, based on my understanding, it simply didn't happen." Finucane was just one of a number of players to "leave the field with head knocks during a brutal grand final with teammate Kenny Bromwich joining Sharks players Jayson Bukuya and Matt Prior for concussion tests." Rushworth said that given the "severe danger for players to be injured from second-impact syndrome, it was imperative players be immediately taken out of the firing line" (SMH, 10/8).
