AFL Round 13: Port reveals Zak Butters, Tom Jonas set to face Sydney after head knock controversy
Port caused controversy after it allowed Tom Jonas and Zak Butters back on the ground after they clashed heads. The Power have revealed whether the pair will play in round 14.
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Port Adelaide expects captain Tom Jonas and young gun Zak Butters to play against Sydney at home next Saturday.
Two days after clashing heads in the 12-point loss to Richmond at the MCG, the Power duo are feeling fine and at this stage will face the Swans.
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Port Adelaide’s decision to put the bloodied players back onto the field without them undertaking a 20-minute concussion test provoked external criticism during Thursday night’s game, but on Friday the AFL approved the club’s handling of the situation.
Butters has a small crack in his cheekbone that will not stop him from lining up against Sydney, in what looms as a crunch game for the 5-7 Power.
The club gave the 21-year-old and other Victorians permission to remain interstate to catch up with family for a couple of days at the start of Port Adelaide’s nine-day break.
‘Reckless’: Port’s failure to test poleaxed pair slammed
The AFL has cleared Port Adelaide of any wrongdoing in its handling of two players’ sickening head clash on Thursday night as it was revealed Zak Butters suffered a minor crack to his cheekbone in the incident.
Power medicos came under fire from commentators for putting Tom Jonas and Zak Butters back onto the field late in the fourth quarter against Richmond without taking the league’s standard 20-minute concussion test, but on Friday the AFL was satisfied that the club complied with protocols.
The Port Adelaide duo bumped heads on the wing and came off the ground bleeding before club doctors assessed them on the interchange bench.
Butters returned to play after six-and-a-half minutes then Jonas about 90 seconds later.
Richmond led by two points when the collision occurred.
On Friday morning, Port Adelaide’s head doctor Mark Fisher contacted the AFL’s chief medico Dr Michael Makdissi, who had reviewed HawkEye vision of the collision, as well as the club’s management of the players and sideline assessments.
A league spokesman said there was “no clinical indication of concussion that warranted further investigation and testing, thus the club doctors allowing both players to return to the field”.
“The AFL is satisfied that the club complied with the AFL’s concussion guidelines in the management of the players,” he said in a statement.
Club doctors have been advised to perform concussion tests on players if they observe any symptoms such as staggering on their feet, blurred vision, unconsciousness or stiff arms.
Power coach Ken Hinkley leapt to Fisher’s defence, post game.
“I have got the most experienced doctor in the AFL making these decisions. Do you want him to go back to medical school,” he said.
Captain Jonas also backed the club’s handling of the matter.
But concussion campaigner and veteran player agent Peter Jess said Port Adelaide should have given Jonas and Butters the 20-minute test.
“They were poleaxed, both of them,” Jess told News Corp.
“The force of which they were hit resulted in both of them getting cuts at force.
“Not to test them is reckless in my view.”
Both players received stitches, while Butters has suffered a minor crack in his cheekbone.
Port Adelaide general manager football Chris Davies said this would not rule Butters out of the Power’s Round 14 match against Sydney.
Davies said club doctors would check in with the two players over the next couple of days for any delayed symptoms.
“I know that our doctors have been in contact with the players today to do some follow up testing,” he said on SEN SA.
“If they were to, if any player not just those two comes back to the club with any delayed concussion symptoms then they would be put in the protocols as if they had a concussion during the game.
“So that would not be something just for Zak and Tom in this case, it would be for anyone with the delayed onset of concussions.”
Jonas said he was asked on the interchange bench to name things like where he was, his birthday, his wife and phone number, before being cleared to go back on the ground.
“The doctors already have a look, they come over and see how you are going and they say ‘we’ve assessed the footage and there is nothing on there that would indicate a concussion’,” Jonas told Triple M.
“These are people who have studied their whole lives and have many years of experience in the system.
“I wouldn’t have gone on if I felt like I was putting the doctors, the club and the competition at risk given all the great work we have done in that area.”
Jonas said his role as an AFL Players’ Association board delegate made him further appreciate the gravity and seriousness around concussion.
Davies said the protocols were followed by the club.
“The communication between myself (in the coaches box) and Dr Fisher was around finding out whether they were going to be assessed for concussion,” he said.
“Because at that point in time if they were and they were going to be assessed for concussion because if they were and they were going to be off for that period of time we were going to do something different tactically.
“But Fish suggested up the line that neither player was going to be subject to the concussion test based on what he had seen of the incident itself, the discussions he had with both of the players on the bench and most importantly looking at the footage of the incident itself.
“So that is a decision the team doctor makes … he needs to be able to make the right call which Dr Fisher did.”
No damage, no pressure: Jonas responds to concussion row
Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas says there was “absolutely no pressure” from the Power coaching box for him and Zak Butters to quickly re-enter Thursday night’s loss to Richmond after a sickening head clash between the two.
The Power pair smashed heads after colliding as they tried to tackle Liam Baker.
Both were immediately cut open from the collision, and were immediately taken from the ground.
But just over six minutes later Butters returned to the game – which was very much still alive at the time – and Jonas joined him on the field eight minutes later.
The two returned without an extensive concussion test, which raised eyebrows given the severity of the head clash.
Post game Ken Hinkley bristled at questions about why the two didn’t undergo an extensive concussion test.
“Do you think a doctor of 25 years’ experience would take a risk with concussion with the seriousness of the injuries that go on?” Hinkley said.
“I have got the most experienced doctor in the AFL making these decisions. Do you want him to go back to medical school?”
Jonas on Friday morning that apart from stitches he had no other issues from the head clash.
“I felt for Buttsy hitting the person with the hardest head at the club,” he said on Triple M.
“But all good, a few stitches. No other damage.
“Certainly was one of those ones where you expect to touch the eye-socket and there is no pain so no damage there so I was pretty relieved on that.”
The incident is set to reignite debate around the league’s and clubs’ handling of potential concussions in games.
Jonas said he was more than comfortable with how it was handled and revealed how the doctors made an assessment that he and Butters did not suffer a suspected concussion.
“So they basically ask where you are, what’s your birthday, who is your significant other, what’s your phone number all those sort of things,” he said.
“So they get rattled off and in terms of last night there was absolutely no pressure from the box for us to get back on.
“Particularly in my role as a Players Association board delegate I appreciate the gravity and seriousness of the concussion issue.
“So there was no pressure to go on and I wouldn’t have gone on if I felt like I was putting the doctors, the club and the competition at risk given all the great work we have done in that area.
“The doctors already have a look, they come over and see how you are going and they say we’ve assessed the footage and there is nothing on there that would indicate a concussion.
“So these are people who have studied their whole lives and have many years of experience in the system.”
Hinkley backs ‘most experienced Dr in the AFL’ in concussion row
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has dismissed concerns around the handling of Zak Butters and Tom Jonas after a sickening head clash in the 12-point loss to Richmond.
The Power pair smashed heads in an attempt to tackle Liam Baker in the thrilling last term and were immediately taken off the ground to have their nasty wounds treated by medicos.
However, there were eyebrows raised when Jonas and Butters returned to the action within minutes without an extensive concussion test, reigniting debate over the league’s concussion protocols.
It is the second time Port Adelaide could come under fire for a concussion incident after it was fined $20,000 in 2016 for rushing Hamish Hartlett back out on to the ground in a game against Hawthorn.
In that incident Hartlett returned to play five minutes after a head knock instead of 15 minutes as per league rules.
Ten thousand dollars of the fine was suspended until 2018.
In 2016, Hinkley said the club would “own” the league sanction and that every member of the club had to take “responsibility”.
“We accept we didn’t get it the way we should have got it,” Hinkley said in 2016.
Doctors are advised to perform concussion tests on players if they observe any concussion signs or symptoms such as players staggering on their feet, blurred vision, unconsciousness or stiff arms.
Hinkley said he had ultimate faith in the club’s doctors that the right call was made and bristled at suggestions the club could have been more careful.
“I trust the people who are running that part of our organisation in those facets of the game,” Hinkley said.
“Both boys were split open, both boys were bleeding, they both got bashed up.
“I spoke to both boys in the rooms straight after the game. They weren’t laying down and they weren’t fainting.
“They weren’t doing anything silly and they were talking to me very clearly.”
Both Port Adelaide players remained down on the ground momentarily after the head clash but were able to leave the ground without any clear concussion symptoms.
Butters was off the ground for six minutes and 20 seconds, and Jones for eight minutes and seven seconds.
Tom Jonas and Zak Butters have both come from the ground following this incident.#AFLTigersPowerpic.twitter.com/wYFTB8yi5j
— AFL (@AFL) June 9, 2022
However, the force of the head clash prompted wide spread concern from commentators and analysts in the radio boxes considering the current spotlight on concussion and the emphasis on protecting players. Port trailed by only two points at the time.
Hinkley said they would not gamble with players’ wellbeing at any point in a game.
“Do you think a doctor of 25 years’ experience would take a risk with concussion with the seriousness of the injuries that go on?” Hinkley said.
“I have got the most experienced doctor in the AFL making these decisions. Do you want him to go back to medical school?”
News Corp revealed this month there were spotters in the AFL bunker on the lookout for concussion incidents. The league could follow-up with Port’s medical staff over the weekend to clear the club of any wrongdoing.
The AFL’s concussion rules say that any player who is suspected of suffering a concussion must be immediately removed from play and tested.
Channel 7’s boundary rider Abbey Holmes said she was surprised the two returned so quickly after head knocks.
“You would have thought looking at that vision it was an automatic concussion protocol testing,” she said.
Butters required more treatment on his cut cheek after he again hit his head, this time on the ground.
If the two develop any delayed concussion symptoms, they will automatically miss the game against Sydney next week – which the Power will need to win with their finals chances now on life support after going down to Richmond by 12-points.
Former Adelaide and Geelong forward Josh Jenkins said the incident looked serious in nature.
“To me the vision looked like it’d be enough for them to need a concussion test, but clearly not,” Jenkins said on SEN.
Collingwood great Brian Taylor said on Triple M it was “strange” they returned to the game so quickly.
Earlier in the season Adelaide’s Ned McHenry suffered a head knock against GWS and did not return to the game. After the Crows initially said he received treatment for a cut to the head, the day after McHenry was placed in the league’s concussion protocols.
Port goes down in thriller amid late controversy
— Ronny Lerner
Richmond has re-entered the top eight after outlasting Port Adelaide by 12 points at the MCG on Thursday night in a game where the AFL’s concussion protocols, as well as the Power’s medical team, are sure to come under scrutiny.
Star Port duo Tom Jonas and Zak Butters clashed heads in a sickening collision on the wing in the final quarter, leaving them with nasty gashes above the eye and on the cheek respectively.
The incident came at a crucial time with the Power trailing by just two points, but curiously, neither player was concussion-tested, and returned to the field of action in a desperate bid to help their side pinch a victory.
Those efforts would be ultimately in vain, however, and the 11.11 (77) to 10.5 (65) result ensures the Power will finish the round at least two games outside the top eight, and they could be three games adrift if Collingwood upset Melbourne on Monday. In that scenario, the Tigers would also slip back outside of the eight.
After affording himself some respite with five wins in the past six games, following Port Adelaide’s 0-5 start, Power coach Ken Hinkley is sure to experience increased pressure on his job as his team’s finals hopes fade yet again in his 10th year in charge. No coach has ever survived a 10th season having not delivered his club a premiership.
After squandering a 33-point lead to Sydney in their last game, Richmond looked like they were headed for another dramatic fade out when their 26-point lead evaporated as Sam Powell-Pepper put the Power back in front early in the final term.
Richmond bookends Noah Balta and Josh Gibcus switched ends in the last quarter, after Todd Marshall (three goals) had the better of Gibcus in the opening three quarters, and the move paid off with Gibcus putting the Tigers back in front four minutes later.
Soon after, Dustin Martin extended Richmond’s lead to eight points but after a tense 12 minutes, Connor Rozee got the Power back within three points after a sensational running effort from 50m out after bursting clear of three Tigers.
However, fittingly, Liam Baker, who was magnificent in the final quarter, had the final say, kicking a beautiful dribbler under pressure to put the Tigers up by nine points and the Power had nothing left to give after that.
But in a slight concern, Baker might come under match review scrutiny for a headhigh bump on Marshall in the first quarter.
The Tigers’ delivery to their forward line wasn’t flash for large parts of the night, but their huge advantage in inside 50s (64-47) proved pivotal.
The Power finished with more disposals (373-341), and even won the clearances (39-30) despite their makeshift ruckman Jeremy Finlayson doing most of the grunt work against Richmond duo Toby Nankervis and Ivan Soldo, but they were let down by poor ball use and skill errors too often.
Baker was well supported by Trent Cotchin and Dion Prestia while Dylan Grimes, Robbie Tarrant and Nick Vlastuin were huge down back.
The defeat came at a cost for the Power who lost Trent Dumont (calf) to injury.
BOLTON BOTTLES CHANCE AFTER CHANCE
Shai Bolton could’ve single-handedly ended the contest a lot earlier in the final quarter, but he uncharacteristically missed three gimme chances, the worst of which was a howler from 10m out under no pressure which he dribbled to the left of the goalpost. He finished the contest with a career-high five behinds.
SHORT SHOCKER SPARKS POWER
Port Adelaide’s second surge in the third quarter was sparked by a shocking defensive error from Jayden Short whose miskick grubbered along the ground straight to Port Adelaide’s Trent Dumont who handballed it to Ollie Wines and the reigning Brownlow Medalist made n mistake from 40m out to cut the margin to 14 points against the run of play after Richmond kicked the first two goals of the second half.
FARRELL MAKES TIGERS PAY
Thirteen minutes later, the Power’s Kane Farrell exploited a glaring Richmond defensive lapse when, after being awarded a 50m penalty on the wing, he strolled to the 50m line and without a Richmond player manning the mark, he unloaded with his booming left foot to cut the deficit to one point in time on of the third term. In the process, Farrell saved the blushes of Todd Marshall who had the chance to get the Power within two points, but missed an absolute sitter from 10m out.
Kane Farrell's left boot ðŸ˜
— AFL (@AFL) June 9, 2022
Port are within a point!#AFLTigersPowerpic.twitter.com/0yV0B8pVBY
CLARKE HITS THE GROUND RUNNING
Richmond debutant Judson Clarke got off to a flyer, joining the illustrious first-kick-first-goal club with a converted set shot from 40m out in directly in front after being taken too high by Willem Drew. And eight minutes later, Clarke bagged another one courtesy of another set shot from 40m out to get his team going early. He finished with 11 touches (five contested), two goals and three tackles in what was a nice start to his career.
SCOREBOARD
TIGERS 5.2, 6.4, 8.5, 11.11 (77)
POWER 2.1, 5.2, 8.4, 10.5 (65)
LERNER’S BEST
Tigers: Baker, Prestia, Vlastuin, Grimes, Tarrant, Cotchin, Clarke.
Power: Amon, Rozee, Wines, Burton, Marshall, Houston, Clurey.
GOALS
Tigers: Clarke 2, Martin 2, Graham, D.Rioli, McIntosh, Riewoldt, Balta, Gibcus, Baker.
Power: Marshall 3, Amon, Dixon, Finlayson, Farrell, Powell-Pepper, Rozee, Wines.
INJURIES Tigers: Nil. Power: Jonas (cut eyebrow), Butters (cut cheek), Dumont (calf).
UMPIRES Fisher, Donlon, Fleer
VENUE MCG
CROWD 21,757
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LERNER’S VOTES
3 L.Baker (Rich)
2 K.Amon (PA)
1 N.Vlastuin (Rich)
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