Former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons says he is "gobsmacked" by the Blues' decision to send Boyd Cordner back on field after suffering an alleged concussion in the State of Origin opener.
Cordner was helped off Adelaide Oval after going down when his head made contact with the elbow of Felise Kaufusi in the first half of the Maroons' 18-14 win.
But it's the Blues' medical staff's decision to return the skipper to play that has come under scrutiny.
The NRL has issued a "please explain" to NSW which they are yet to respond to, while Cordner ruled himself out of the remainder of the series.
A well-vocalised proponent of concussion reform, FitzSimons was left shocked by Blues' decision to return Cordner to play and has asked the camp for a justification behind their reasoning.
"I was completely gobsmacked that he came back on the field,"FitzSimons told Nine's Sports Sunday. "I'd like to know, if he didn't have concussion, what is it that he had?
"Because if there was any sense of concussion when he was in that dressing room he should not have gone back on the field.
"If I'm wrong, and I may be wrong, then tell us. Because the last time this happened (with Boyd) they gave the reason of emotional worry of the tragic death of his cousin. But here and now, he went into that dressing room with what looked like something to do with concussion. He went back out.
"Under the protocol he can't get back out if there was any suspicion of concussion. So, if it wasn't concussion, what was it?
"You have a man with a history, a recent troubling history of a lot of concussions, you put him back out there…when you're getting concussions with this frequency, you've got to stand down. Mate, this is serious."
In the wake of public scrutiny, The NRL is expected to go public with the findings of its investigation into the management of Cordner's incident.
The NRL has historically opted not to name and shame teams that haven't followed health protocols amid fears doctors would quit the game due to the reputational damage.
Punishments have been kept private ever since the Titans, Knights and Dragons were slugged with $350,000 fines early in 2017.
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