Junior rugby league clubs along with neuroscience experts have embraced the National Rugby League's (NRL) recent modifications aimed at tackling rising injury concerns, though they argue additional protective measures for children are still needed.
The newly implemented rules stipulate that for the ongoing men's season, teams are limited to a maximum of 100 minutes of contact training within a seven-day period.
Starting with the preseason in 2027, this limit will increase to 200 minutes per week for contact training.
For the NRLW, set to kick off in July, female athletes are restricted to 85 minutes of contact training weekly on a seven-day cycle, with a maximum of 115 minutes during the offseason.
All contact training includes wrestling activities.
Prolonged exposure to head injuries, prevalent in various Australian football leagues, has been associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive brain condition.
Sean Evans, president of the Townsville-based JCU Saints junior rugby league club and a former player, expressed support for the increased awareness regarding concussion effects.
He stated he was a "big fan" of the new regulations.
"From an ex-player, I've seen a lot of the effects of what CTE has on people," he remarked.