Limited interchange has decreased NRL players leaving the field

[injuryupdate]

A study released this month in Sportslink has shown that NRL players are less likely to leave the field to have their injuries checked under the limited interchange rule. The interchange rule was brought in during 2001 and allowed a maximum of 12 player movements per team per game. Statistics from the Sydney Roosters have shown that an average of slightly less than one player per game (0.8) left the field injured and unable to return before and after the rule change. However, the number of players leaving the field injured in total dropped from 1.9 per team per game to 1.2 per team per game, indicating players with minor injuries were more likely to stay on the field rather than come off to have their injuries checked. Most of the minor injuries which players stayed on with were to the upper body. There is a small risk of a player failing to come off the field to have a serious injury checked under the new rule. Click to read the full article (.pdf format). http://www.injuryupdate.com.au/images/research/LimitedInterchangeRule.pdf