ON THE BENCH: AFL set to introduce strict new concussion protocolsGlenn Valencich
Published: 25/01/2021Updated: 25 January 2021 6:17 PM
AFL and AFLW players are set to miss more games with concussion as the league finalises plans to extend the mandatory rest period following a diagnosis.
Players are currently required to sit out seven days, long enough to enable a return to the field the following weekend in most cases.
But 7NEWS understands the waiting period will be pushed out to at least 10 days for the 2021 season, all but enforcing players to miss one game for recovery purposes.
The decision will have a significant impact on the finals and particularly the grand final, but it comes amid fresh concerns over brain injuries.
It was revealed this week that former Richmond player Shane Tuck, who died last year aged 38, had been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
A degenerative condition with symptoms such as memory loss and depression, CTE is caused by repeated head knocks and it can only be diagnosed after death.
Football greats Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer and Danny Frawley were both diagnosed after they died in 2019.
CTE concerns have prompted Hawthorn great John Platten, 57, to speak out about his symptoms in the past, while Western Bulldogs premiership player Liam Picken has already pledged to donate his brain to research.
Ongoing concussion symptoms following a knock during a match in 2018 forced Picken to retire at the age of 32.
The AFL is expected to announce the updated protocols later this week ahead of Thursday’s AFLW season opener between Carlton and Collingwood.
Brad Ebert was concussed in his final game in last year's finals. Credit: Getty
The ‘return to play’ rules have been tightened multiple times in recent years.
“We have strengthened match day protocols for the identification and management of concussion, we continue to change the laws of the game to discourage high contact,” AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said last year.
“We also moved earlier this season to change the tribunal rules to more strictly sanction tackles that endanger the head ... and further strengthened the return to play aspects of the concussion management guidelines.”
https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/on-the-bench-afl-set-to-introduce-strict-new-concussion-protocols-c-2027054
