Rugby league kick-off rules could be changed to reduce collisions, NRL says |

A staple of rugby league is under threat as calls mount to address the high velocity collisions in traditional kick-offs, and the NRL says it cannot rule out change.

St George centre Moses Suli was concussed on the first play of the Anzac Day game against the Roosters on Thursday, when a sprinting Jared Waerea-Hargreaves met the Dragons defensive line at top speed.

The NRL’s head of elite football, Graham Annesley, said collisions “are a big part of our game” but that long kick-offs were not immune from reform, despite their cherished place in rugby league.

“Never say never about anything, because the game evolves, and the game is a different game now than what it was 20 years ago or 100 years ago,” he said.

“Player safety is a high priority for the [Australian rugby league] commission, it’s a high priority for the administration.”

Respected sports doctor Nathan Gibbs said the Suli incident was a good example of the risks of accidental head injuries.

“This can occur when players have 20 to 30 metres to get to full speed then crash into each other with no deviation intended,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

“There’s a high risk of injury. So an easy way to reduce the injury toll is to ban the play.”

But some see the tradition of the deep kick-off as untouchable.

Former Kangaroo Luke Lewis believes the sight of a forward charging from his own line on a long run to meet the onrushing defence was an essential part of the game.

“If we get rid of the kick-off I’ll never watch rugby league again,” he told ABC Sport on Sunday.

The NFL has experienced a similar debate in recent years, and has tweaked its rules for next season to reduce the speed at which defenders meet a kick-off returner.

Annesley said he is aware of the importance of the physical contest to the sport, but also that player safety is paramount.

“What we’re desperately trying to do, what the commission is very focused on and what we’re focused on operationally, is try and reduce the impact on heads,” he said.

The NRL made a change to its restart rules this season, which encourages teams to kick the ball shorter from drop-outs and kick-offs.

Rather than concede a penalty, if a restart goes over the sideline or drops short of 10 metres this season, the result is a play the ball – a lesser punishment designed to reduce the risk of giving up points or territory.

Annesley said the rule change did have the “benefit” of reducing some collisions, but was driven by a desire to create more contests in the sport.

“They can…