Grant died after a rugby league match in 2016. Nine years on, his family believe he didn’t have to lose his life

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The family of a rugby league player in NSW's north coast says the tragic death could've been avoided if concussion protocols were more robust, after reaching a settlement with the sport's governing bodies outside of court.

In a semi-final against Casino in 2016, he suffered a brain injury from being hit in the head during a rough tackle. The 28-year-old bloke, who had two little nippers aged five and three, sadly passed away soon after at the Gold Coast University Hospital.

An investigation into Cook's death found concerning gaps in concussion protocols at the local level, including insufficient concussion training, a shortage of proper medical gear, and poorly enforced return-to-play guidelines.

The Country Rugby League, which was overseeing the game, had no official concussion rules in place, and the medical staff attending the games hadn't received any proper training at the time.

The CRL was shut down and folded into the NSWRL just as the inquiry's findings were being handed down in October 2019. The inquiry also found that crucial questions that would have shown that Cook suffered a trauma-related cardiac arrest weren't asked by the ambulance dispatchers. As a result, a helicopter rescue service wasn't deployed.

The tragedy led Colleen, the widow of Cook, along with their kids Carter and Mia, and Geoff and Jean, Grant's parents, to start a Supreme Court lawsuit against three parties: Lloyd's of London and Chubb insurance through CRL, NSW Ambulance, and Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League.

The parties have now resolved the issue.

While feeling relieved that the issue had been sorted out, Cook's parents were calling for tougher changes to be made to keep athletes at all levels safe from the risks of head injuries and for laws to be put in place.

“Fair dinkum, the law covers the sport, not the bloke playin',” Geoff Cook said to this masthead. “If you cop a major injury, even a fatality, there's no provision for compensation unless you can prove negligence. In New Zealand, the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) offers comprehensive, no-fault personal injury cover.

“ACC’s role as a government-recognised authority is to prevent injuries and assist people return to their normal daily routines if they've had a sports-related accident. It achieves this by providing customised assistance such as medical treatment, rehabilitation, and weekly payments covering up to 80 per cent of their income.”

The Cook family said that while there's been some progress in making rugby league safer, they're not convinced that enough's been done about concussions. Geoff Cook pointed out that there's still no provision for compensation for players who get serious or life-threatening injuries, and it's made worse because players or their families have to prove someone was negligent in a long and expensive court case.

Cook's parents made a submission to the Australian Senate inquiry into concussions, asking for new laws to control how concussions are treated in sport. They specifically suggested a "HIT, STOP, SIT" system, which would mean that any player suspected of getting a concussion would be taken out of the game straight away until a medical expert says it's okay for them to play again.

The idea is inspired by similar laws in other countries, such as the United States' Lystedt Law and Canada's Rowan's Law, both of which were introduced after young athletes died or were left with permanent injuries from returning to play too quickly after getting concussions.

The Lystedt Law, passed in Washington state in 2009, requires athletes who show signs of concussion to be checked by a qualified medical professional before returning to play. Rowan's Law, introduced in Ontario, Canada, follows a similar approach and includes mandatory concussion education and strict rules for all sports organisations.

"The bloke's death could've been prevented if the right procedures were in place," Geoff Cook said.

“We need a law that guarantees every athlete, from the young bloke playing for the local footy club to the pros, is safeguarded from the potentially life-threatening effects of a concussion.”