A stoic Greg Inglis said he grudgingly accepted the doctor's verdict despite desperately wanting to return to the field after being laid flat during South Sydney's 22-16 victory over the Titans on the Gold Coast.
The Rabbitohs captain has been through the ringer over the past 10 days, ending up in hospital during Origin camp with a bout of tonsilitis, only to be collected in a heavy collision by Titans goliath Ryan James 55 minutes into contest at Robina.
Inglis had lowered his centre of gravity to take a bomb before being floored in a fair and accidental shot by James that went unpenalised, although the fringe Blues forward was already on report for an earlier crusher tackle on the South Sydney fullback.
Inglis took a minute to stir and eventually swaggered his way down the tunnel to undergo a concussion test by South Sydney medical staff. The result was proof enough that independent doctors aren't required at this point, with Inglis being given the red light and sitting out the remainder.
Inglis made it to the post-game press conference and said he felt no immediate effects from the knock. He said he believed he could have returned to the field but backed the judgement of team doctor Andrew McDonald.
"I've pulled up fine. I obviously got assessed by the doc. With the new concussion rules in place, it's all about player welfare. That's the reasoning behind not going back on," Inglis said.
"Our doc, he's very thorough and I back him 100 per cent. As a competitor and an athlete I wanted to go back out there but as I said, our doc is very good at what he does."
Souths found themselves in a concussion controversy back in March when halfback Adam Reynolds was sent back into the action against the Roosters, only to have Roosters doctor Ameer Ibrahim criticise the call.
That was before the NRL beefed up the rules and this time Souths were taking no risks with their star fullback, who showed some spark and energy in attack after struggling to make a huge impact in the Origin opener after a difficult preparation, three days of which was spent in hospital.
Inglis said he had rebounded quickly from his illness and was never in danger of missing the match, which ended in drama as Titans forward Lachlan Burr dropped the ball over the line with two minutes to go. A conversion would have sent it to golden point.
"I felt fine coming into the game. No dramas whatsoever. This time of year, those things happen. We've got people in place at the club that look after you in the right way. But once you cross that white line you're here to do a job," Inglis said.
It wasn't an overly convincing performance from the premiers, who have now won back-to-back for the first time since round three and did so without Reynolds, although his composure and kicking game remain sorely missed.
"We had a lot of opportunity close to their line. We'll have a look at our attack. We probably went a little bit sideways in the first half. Plenty to learn from that game," Souths coach Michael Maguire said.
Titans coach Neil Henry said he felt for Burr, who was shattered to have let the ball slip out in the tackle from Souths winger Alex Johnston, who to his credit never game up on the play even when it looked to be a certain score.
"Burry is upset about that but by and large he's had a tremendous game. He's a young player that's playing some big minutes through the middle," Henry said.
