AFL Round 12 West Coast v St Kilda: Saints helpless to diagnose Rowan Marshall for concussion

As the Saints were hanging on late, Rowan Marshall copped a nasty knee to the head. What happened next has caused a cry for an alteration of the AFL’s rules surrounding the HIA on the field.

The AFL has been urged to alter its rules mid-season to allow clubs doctors to escort players off the ground for head injury assessments after a St Kilda doctor was helpless to diagnose Rowan Marshall on Saturday night.

The AFL on Sunday night checked off the process that saw St Kilda’s medico vainly attempting to assess Marshall’s condition as he was involved in a boundary throw-in.

The league is continuing to assess the use of independent club doctors in concussion diagnosis but is less open to removing players from the field for HIA assessments.

The Saints star was kneed in the back of the head by rival ruckman Bailey Williams with 2.50m on the clock in the final term as the Saints were desperately trying to hang onto a lead.

The club doctor would have been trying to get Marshall to answer some simple questions as part of the Maddocks Test, which forms a part of the head injury assessment.

If a player passes that test – which is currently allowed on the ground – then they do not have to progress to the 15-minute SCAT 6 test which is done in the club’s changerooms.

Rowan Marshall of the Saints. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The AFL spoke with St Kilda and approved their process, having also

ticked off Geelong’s handling of Jeremy Cameron, which Fox Footy vision showed occurred in only 40 seconds as he remained around the play.

Concussion expert and neuroscientist Alan Pearce told the Herald Sun on Sunday the league had to consider independent doctors who might have a less familiar relationship with the player.

And he said allowing club doctors to stop the game – similar to a blood rule – would also be a step forward for the game.

“The doctor just wants to do his due diligence. Even if he wanted to do the Maddocks questions, you could go off to the side of the field for a minute or two, let the player calm down when he’s full of adrenaline, settle down and do the questions. Then check he is coherent and if he is, let him back on. At least the optics would show they are caring for players health and wellbeing.

Bailey J. Williams of the Eagles and Rowan Marshall clash. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

“Which rule hasn’t changed halfway through the season? You could argue it is possible to see where the AFl’s priorities lie in terms of preference.”

Pearce said the AFL would also be helping club doctors with their legal obligations given the difficulty in assessing players midgame on the field.

“It is all about helping the club doctors. Eddie McGuire spoke recently about indemnifying club officials. But if you don’t get the player off and then Rowan Marshall has some delayed symptoms and then is in the concussion protocol, who does that help?

“This is where an independent doctor also helps. He would stop the play (after assessing the vision of the incident) and get the player off. Rather than the medico coming on the field and the player telling him to get off because they know each other. If you have a relationship with someone during the week it’s more difficult to assert your authority.”

AFL doctors association boss Barry Rigby told this masthead last month club doctors were in favour of independent doctors but only in consultation with existing medical staff.

THE ROSS LYON MASTERCLASS AND UNLIKELY HERO THAT SAVED SAINTS

Harley Reid may have lost his strong grip on the AFL Rising Star honour.

The red-hot favourite faces a nervous wait to see if he’s still eligible to win it after the MRO is finished with looking at St Kilda’s 14-point win over West Coast on Saturday.

Reid’s brutal tackle on Saint Darcy Wilson in the third term could cost the number 1 draft pick the honour.

It was a strong tackle from Reid, he held on to it too long and slung Wilson to the ground, the young Saint hitting is head on the Optus Stadium turf. Wilson did finish playing the game.

This came the same weekend that Western Bulldogs forward Sam Darcy was ruled out of the race for the award with the MRO handing out a two-match suspension for a careless hit on Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard.

Ironically, if Reid is suspended, it will leave Wilson as one of the favourites remaining for the Rising Star Award.

The Saints fought back from 11 points behind in the final term to win 12.10 (82) to 10.8 (68).

Harley Reid dominated early but Marcus Windhager and St Kilda restricted his influence after half-time. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

TIME TO TAG

Earlier, Reid had turned the game on its head, with 13 touches and six clearances in a dominant second quarter.

The Saints had led by eight points in the opening term and by three in the second.

But Reid sent the Eagles into half-time with a 14-point advantage.

St Kilda was heading to a fourth consecutive loss and to 16th spot on the ladder.

But Ross Lyon’s decision to move Marcus Windhager on to Reid after half-time restricted the teenager’s impact on the game.

“When someone is that hot, that’s the instruction (to shut him down) and it’s sometimes hard to do at times, because he was so red hot,” St Kilda assistant coach Corey Enright post-match.

“Especially in that second quarter and he got the momentum going for them.

“For Marcus at half-time, it was ‘can you go to him and nullify him as best you can?’

“He got involved when he needed to, but more around stoppage and clearance where Harley was getting the ball, that was his instruction.”

Whether it was the incident with Wilson, or the closer attention, Reid he had just three touches after the main break.

NO KING, NO ISSUES

With Max King subbed out of the game at three-quarter-time with a knee injury, the Saints looked done.

He’d kicked two of his side’s seven goals.

Jamie Cripps kicked his third goal early in the final term to give the Eagles an 11-point lead.

Liam Ryan had booted West Coast’s previous three goals and looked super dangerous.

But three goals from Mason Wood in the final term and some classy ball movement from Liam Henry, gave the Saints their second win in eight games.

“We don’t know exactly; it’s a jarred knee,” Enright said of King post-match.

“It’s early. We had to sub someone out and he was under a little bit of a cloud, so it was an easy option for us.

“What it looks like going forward, we’ll go back to Melbourne and scan.

“We’re quite hopeful at this stage.”

Mason Wood booted three goals in a huge final term. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos

WASTED GOOD START

The Saints were keen to get off to a good start and they did – sort of.

They dominated the early run and had 11 of the first 12 inside 50 entries.

King even kicked the first goal of the game.

But for all of their efforts, all they got was 1.2 in the opening term.

Eagles defenders Jeremy McGovern, Tom Barrass and Alex Witherden had nine marks between them for the term.

Then Matt Flynn made his mark on the game for West Coast.

By quarter-time, the inside 50s entries had almost evened up and Eagles led by nine points.

IN LIKE FLYNN

West Coast has waited 13 weeks to see what impact bringing in former Greater Western Sydney ruck Flynn would have.

A hamstring tendon injury sidelined him for the start of the season and he played only one game in the WAFL.

He started on the bench and had eight touches in the first term, too three marks and West Coast led clearances 10-8 at the first break.

And Bailey Williams, who has been holding the ruck together, took a solid mark in the second term and kicked a goal.

The early signs for this pairing is pretty good.

Tim Membrey during the win over the Eagles. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Scoreboard

WEST COAST 2.5 6.6 8.7 10.8 68

ST KILDA 1.2 4.4 7.8 12.10 82

BEST

Eagles: Yeo, Ryan, Barrass, Cripps, Reid, Ginbey.

Saints: Wood, Sinclair, Dow, Henry, Wanganeen-Milera, Steele.

GOALS

Eagles: Ryan 3, Cripps 3, Darling 2, B Williams, Gaff.

Saints: Wood 4, King 2, Sinclair, Ross, Henry, Caminiti, Higgins, Membrey.

INJURIES Eagles: Waterman (shoulder), replaced in selected side by J Williams. Nil. Saints: King (knee).

47,526 at Optus Stadium.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

BRAD ELBOROUGH’S VOTES

3 Mason Wood (SAINTS)

2 Jack Sinclair (SAINTS)

1 Elliot Yeo (WCE)

Originally published as AFL Round 12 West Coast v St Kilda: Saints helpless to diagnose Rowan Marshall for concussion