Titans boss Graham Annesley has urged the NRL to consult medical staff accused of flouting concussion guidelines before handing out breach notices, after three clubs fined a staggering $350,000 for their handling of head knocks all filed responses on Monday.
It's understood the Titans, Knights and Dragons will all contest the sanctions stemming from round three in submissions made to head office.
The Titans, who crafted a comprehensive 16-page summary to hand to NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg, also took a swipe at League Central for not speaking to their medical staff before doling out a $150,000 fine to the club over incidents involving Ryan Simpkins, Kane Elgey and Joe Greenwood.
Gold Coast will argue Elgey stayed on the ground for fear he had broken his jaw and Greenwood's wobbly legs were a result of a poke in the eye, but were most critical of the process in which they were slugged the huge sanction without consultation.
"I've got absolute confidence in our medical staff," Annesley said. "The breach notice system is not new, it's been around for a long time and in some cases breach notices aren't issued immediately. Player misconduct is one of those areas, off-field misbehaviour, if you will.
"There is usually an investigation that takes place before a breach notice is issued, so we've made some observations about that in our submission and hopefully the NRL will give that due consideration and we'll get some answers from them soon."
The Dragons were initially aggrieved at being fined $100,000 for failing to take Josh Dugan off the field for a Head Injury Assessment in their local derby win over Cronulla, an incident which couldn't be reviewed on the sideline by club medico Dr Tom Carrigan because of a faulty television monitor.
The Knights, who are the subject of legal action by former player James McManus over their handling of a series of concussions, have also indicated they will fight a charge levelled against their handling of fullback Brendan Elliot in the narrow loss against Souths.
The Rabbitohs were under the microscope after skipper Sam Burgess stayed on the field for more than two minutes following a head clash in their loss to the Roosters last Thursday night, an incident which is being reviewed by the NRL.
But it's understood the NRL will take into consideration the mitigating circumstances involved, with the Rabbitohs doctor at the time tending to Burgess' teammate Siosifa Talakai, who was accompanied off the field for his own HIA.
The concussion issue will again be a hot one when the State of Origin series begins in May after tensions boiled over in the ANZ Stadium tunnel after the opening game last year.
Blues coach Laurie Daley was furious Queensland centre Justin O'Neill stayed on the field and wasn't escorted off a for a head assessment and led NSW officials in an attack on the NRL's chief medical officer Paul Bloomfield, who had warned the sides he would be acting as an independent concussion spotter on the sidelines.
Greenberg confirmed at the launch of the series on Monday the NSWRL and QRL would both be liable for heavy sanctions if guidelines weren't followed.
"I hope we don't have to get to that point in time," Greenberg said. "Player safety is obviously very important, but the stakes are high at Origin. The same principles apply.
"From what we've seen over the last couple of years they've been very well regarded ... the policies. We've met with the chief medical officers of both states and worked with both states. I don't anticipate any problems.
The Knights, who were walloped 40-0 by Penrith last Friday night, will need two of their players to pass tests this week to be cleared to play against premiers Cronulla at Southern Cross Group Stadium on Saturday.
"Jacob Saifiti is going to have to pass the concussion protocols, Danny Levi is going to have to pass the concussion protocols as well," Knights coach Nathan Brown said. "Whether they tick those boxes we'll see. They'll go the process and we'll see how they go."
