The St George Illawarra Dragons have today determined that they would not seek leave to appeal, under the NRL’s Appeal Process, against the NRL’s determination in respect to the HIA rule.
Despite independent legal advice supporting the Club's disappointment with respect to the process, in particular "procedural fairness" – the Club accepts there may have been a technical breach of the HIA rule.
However, it believes that there were many mitigating factors including conflicting information emanating from the NRL with respect to the interpretation of the rules and the NRL’s technology at the game.
The Dragons have always had player well-being as the highest priority, and wish to again clearly confirm our support for the integrity and professionalism of our staff that look after the well-being of our players each and every day.
Josh Dugan was assessed at the time of the incident, at half-time, full-time and in the week following. At no stage did he present any symptoms relating to concussion as a result of the contact made by Russell Packer.
The Dragons will look to ensure that this incident, along with the circumstances at Newcastle and the Gold Coast, lead the NRL to review the interpretations of the HIA rules so as to provide clear guidance for improvement in outcomes for players and Clubs which will then be administered consistently, in all respects.
