Eels coach Brad Arthur said he followed his team's medical advice in putting hooker Nathan Peats back onto the field after passing a concussion test.
In the seventh minute of the Eels' 29-16 loss to the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday night, Peats had to come off the field and take a test after Jacob Lillyman appeared to knock him out with his shoulder. Peats, the Eels hooker, looked in a mess, but surprisingly passed the test and returned to the game.
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Warriors doctor suggests dazed Eel Nathan Peats shouldn't return
Parramatta hooker Nathan Peats receives a concussion test in the Eels' 29 - 16 loss to the Warriors but controversially plays on.
Arthur was quizzed heavily on how it was that a player who looked so dazed was able to come back into a game and the coach  said he went with the word of his medical team that Peats was OK.
"I was told he was good to go back out there," an increasingly frustrated Arthur said. "I've got my head in the game, we've got medical staff I trust and they told me he was good to go back out and finish the game out."
When asked if he was surprised Peats passed the test, which is set out by the NRL, but conducted by the club's doctor, Arthur said: "Like I said, I've got a good medical staff and they told me he's fine to go back out, he's fine to go back out."
With the number of concussion worries  last season in the NRL, it's likely they will look into what happened and Arthur said he didn't have a problem with that.
"They can take a look at it and go through their processes like they will and they'll see that we followed our processes," he said.
Arthur was then quizzed on whether there should be an independent doctor carrying out the assessment and he said that wasn't for him to judge. "That's not for me to make a comment or decide on," he said. "Like I said, I've got faith in our people and they told me he was fine to go back out."
Arthur said he felt Peats played well when he returned later in the first half and said he should be able to play next weekend."He's saying he's fine. Obviously there are processes we've got to go through to make sure he passes all of the tests to play next week, but he finished the game OK."
While the Eels appeared happy for Peats to play, the Warriors doctor clearly showed concerns about it on the TV footage and Warriors coach Andrew McFadden said he was surprised to see him continue.
"I was [surprised], he looked like he was pretty dazed, but obviously he's been cleared so that's cool."
While the Warriors picked up their second win of the season  McFadden will be far from happy. While the scoreline suggested a comfortable win, the Warriors went from being 28-0 up early in the second half to scrambling to stay ahead.
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