'Absolute madness': Uproar over 'dangerous' State of Origin drama
Peter FitzSimons has led the outcry after Boyd Cordner was allowed to play on in the State of Origin opener after a concussion scare.
A dazed Cordner, who has suffered three recent rounds of concussion, was helped from Adelaide Oval early in Wednesday night’s clash between NSW and Queensland.
‘JOKE’: Outrage over 'unacceptable' State of Origin farce
‘NO RESPECT’: Channel Nine savaged over 'disgusting' moment
The NSW captain copped an accidental blow to the head and then hip when he got into an awkward position trying to tackle Felise Kaufusi.
The 28-year-old was assisted from the field for the mandatory 15 minutes under concussion protocols amid fears over his recent history of head knocks.
But Cordner returned to action after passing concussion tests.
“I obviously got a head knock, come in and spent some time with the doctor to do the HIA,” he said after the game.
“Passed that, was fit to go back on and play, so got back on and played.
“It's not ideal to keep getting head knocks ... but I have the best people around me.
“I have sought the best advice during the year. I will keep doing that, I will keep working with the medical staff.”
Outcry after Boyd Cordner returns to the field
Former Wallabies player FitzSimons, a vocal advocate of increasing awareness around concussion, lashed out at the decision to allow Cordner to continue.
“The issue is not Cordner’s alone. The outrage was putting him back on,” FitzSimons tweeted on Wednesday night.
“Does ANYONE doubt that he was concussed last night?
“So WHY was he put back on? Absolute madness. And twenty years from now, legally dangerous.”
NSW great Ben Elias expressed his fears for Cordner’s future and warned “all hell will break loose if something unfortunate happens.”
“I can say this for a fact... Dr Nathan Gibbs who is the medical expert at NSW is probably the best doctor in the country for this type of position,” Elias said on Fox Sports News.
“My question is - you’ve got a long life to live in. He’s had a lot of history. I do worry about him in a lot of ways.
“I know the man personally. He’s a wonderful, wonderful human being. I worry about him because he has had too many knocks.
“He is our captain. He is our showpiece for New South Wales. To get him one more knock and put him into Disneyland would be a real disappointment.
“It’s a real tough decision because you don’t want to not play a State of Origin game. It is a really tough call for Boyd himself and the officials.”
@nrlphysio It’s not just players that say it’s easier to suffer (less traumatic impact required) the more they have had, the science tells us. The science tells us that it takes longer to recover too, and greater risk of post-concussion syndrome. #protectthebrain #Origin
— Alan Pearce (@alanpearcephd) November 4, 2020
Boyd Cordner’s scary history of concussion
Before Wednesday’s game, Cordner shrugged off concerns over his string of concussions after missing seven games for the Roosters this season because of head knocks.
The Blues stalwart suffered his first bout of concussion in a round-eight loss to Melbourne, returning a fortnight later but copping another knock to the head in training.
Cordner was then sat out for a further five weeks, consulting a specialist about headaches, before returning in round 16.
He suffered yet another knock against Newcastle in round 18.
Cordner came back from that setback in round 20 but was a shadow of himself in the defending premiers' semi-final loss to Canberra.
In 2018, he suffered a head knock during round four, passed a head injury assessment and returned to the field.
A few months later in Origin II, he suffered memory loss in a sickening clash with Dylan Napa.
And last year, Cordner stood himself down after what he described as the worst concussion of his career.
with AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.
