Brodie Smith sent for X-rays on Monday after heavy knock in Saturday’s loss to Swans saw club doctor take full precautions
Brodie Smith couldn’t get his breath back, had chest pains and his heart rate wouldn’t return to normal after a heavy knock against the Swans on Saturday. He tells what happened next.
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Chest X-rays have cleared Adelaide’s Brodie Smith of any serious damage after he missed the entire third quarter on Saturday while doctors monitored him for signs of internal bleeding and damage to his vital organs.
The Crows midfielder told The Lowdown Podcast this week that he thought he was winded after appearing to land on the footy in a marking contest with Sydney’s Callum Mills on the weekend.
But when he couldn’t get his breath back, had chest pain and his heart rate wouldn’t return to normal, the club doctor took every precaution before allowing him back onto the ground for the last quarter.
He finished with seven disposals and on Monday was sent for X-rays, which he said were all clear.
“I feel okay, a bit sore but it was a very bizarre set up,” Smith said.
“I took that mark and it looked like I landed on the footy, so I got winded from that and normally a minute or two goes by and you get your breath back and you’re good to go.
“Mine was just getting worse and worse, there was this pain through my chest and I couldn’t get any air in, thankfully it got to halftime and I saw the doc and was expecting I’d get a bit of a painkiller and out I go.
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“Then all of a sudden I had blood pressure (machines) strapped to me, my heartrate was being checked, which was precautionary, and it’s great that they check all that stuff.
“The doc said ‘five more minutes and we’ll check again’ and after five minutes he still wasn’t happy, my heartrate wasn’t dropping to a point he was comfortable with.
“So, he kept me in his little jail cell for the third quarter, which was pretty annoying because I was sore but felt okay, but once they started talking about why they were checking things – like your liver and internal organs if they’re bleeding – you understand why they take those precautions.
“Thankfully that looks all good.”
The Crows were sent home from the club on Monday with a fitness program to follow and encouraged to spend the time with family to help slow the spread of the coronavirus in the community.
Players will still have access to the club doctor and have been told in no uncertain terms if they feel unwell then to contact them immediately.
“If anyone gets crook or shows any signs of coronavirus symptoms, we’ve been instructed that the club doctor is the first person we call so we still have those guys to see,” Smith said.
“And there are other guys in rehab who will need to see physios – whether that’s home visits or if they’re interstate, there is someone they can contact because clearly that stuff is important if we are still going to play some footy this year.
“It’s about spending time with family and in doing that, the self-isolation, if you do go and see your family making sure you stay inside and do the right things to make sure everyone is safe.
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“Hopefully we can get back into a footy season and make everyone a lot happier again.”
Smith admitted Adelaide’s midfield – which he is part of this season – was “smacked” by the bigger-bodied Swans on the weekend.
“There’s no hiding from that, the centre bounce was 20-5 which is a huge number and it was pretty tough in there,” he said.
“I’ll learn a lot this year and I tried to get myself next to (Josh) Kennedy as much as I could because he’s one of the best in the business.
“Inconsistent is the word, the first quarter was really good and the contests we look at were green for the first quarter then not much after that.
“There was a patch in the second (quarter) where they kicked four goals in five minutes and that blew the game open from there.
“Fischer (McAsey) played his first game, Billy (Frampton) his first for the club and Benny Davis his second, so they all showed really good signs and we know going forward we have a lot of work to do, but there’s a lot of good stuff to build on.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au