Health and safety may be far from most minds amid the blood and sweat of a football match, but one commentator says more should be done to promote OHS in sport.

Football journalist and commentator Phil Rothfield says the physical expectations for most Rugby League players would be completely ludicrous in any other job.

He says the risks are exacerbated by competitions such as the State of Origin, which forces gruelling extra matches into the already physically-demanding timetable of players.

“The human body was never designed to cope with the physical punishment of Origin football, let alone being asked to play another NRL game 48 or 72 hours later while the body is still in a recovery stage,” Rothfield writes.

“This is a serious workplace health and safety issue that no elite athlete should be subjected to.

“The fact some of them are earning up to $800,000 a season doesn’t matter because no amount of money compensates players for this sort of workload.”

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is one indicator suggesting the large physical toll that sport takes.

DOMS involves the microscopic tearing of the muscle fibres, which can easily lead to larger tears and injuries if they are not given the appropriate time to repair.

Reports say players are often forced to take painkilling ­injections, topical anaesthetics and a huge amount of strapping tape just patch themselves up between matches.

Seven-time premiership coach Wayne Bennett has been outspoken in his concern about the wear and tear on elite players, suggesting a one-week mandatory rest period after Origin games for some players.

The NRL’s head of football Todd Greenberg has reportedly been considering improvements for the health and safety of players.