Michael Ennis believes the NRL should look into making headgear compulsory across all ages of junior rugby league.
The Cronulla Sharks hooker took some time out of preparing for the Sharks’ semi-final with Canberra to present a De La Salle junior team with headgears this week.
It is also a big weekend for the De La Salle kids, who are one of five local Cronulla teams playing in the annual Tommy Bishop Cup at Cronulla High School on Sunday.
The competition, started by the Engadine Dragons in 1971, began as a metropolitan knockout competition before growing into an event recognised as one of the most entertaining junior league knockout competitions in NSW.
And Ennis said it was important that young players were looked after now.
“I think it’s important. They’re our future, they’re the future of the game,” he said.
“I always wore a headgear as a kid and mum and dad always made me wear it. And then I got to first grade and I was always concerned it was a little bit wussy. That was the sort of era I came through.
“Guys like Johnathan Thurston have led the way in [changing that].
“For me I think if it protects you in any which way I think it’s a great initiative in terms of the way we see the game and the way the game is going with concussion.”
Ennis resumed wearing a headgear last season after sustaining a bad cut in a game against the Roosters, and said he thought coincidentally he had played his best football since.
“I was probably contradicting myself a little bit,” he said.
“I was getting my sons to wear it on a weekend playing junior footy and I wasn’t doing it.
“You want to encourage them to play sport but they also need protection in these contact sports.
“Any prevention is good.”
See a picture gallery of the Tommy Bishop Cup online at theleader.com.au next week.
