LeagueNews.co | Jason Patrick
The NRL has shed some light on why Jake Trbojevic was given the green light to continue playing on Saturday night despite appearing a bit wobbly.
Jake Trbojevic, the seasoned Sea Eagles player, wasn't immediately ruled out of the intense semi-final clash with the Roosters as the independent doctor in the Bunker wasn't convinced that he showed clear signs of motor incoordination following a rough collision with Lindsay Collins.
Manly had already suffered a loss with Tolu Koula being knocked out at the start of the game due to a mistimed tackle on Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
While Koula was quickly deemed unfit to continue playing, Trbojevic's case was a bit more complex.
Despite looking a bit out of sorts and stumbling after a tackle on Collins, he was categorized as a level 2 injury.
The situation was a bit fuzzy as Connor Watson pushed Trbojevic back to the ground while trying to clear the ruck.
After passing a head injury assessment in the locker room, Trbojevic made his way back to the field 15 minutes later.
"In the eyes of the independent doctor in the Bunker, Jake's display of possible motor incoordination was the key factor," explained NRL head of football Graham Annesley.
Overall, the decision to let Trbojevic continue playing was based on a fine line between performance jitters and serious injury concerns.