Brisbane’s Matt Maguire forced to retire after another concussion
BRISBANE defender Matt Maguire has been forced into retirement following the seventh concussion of his career.
BRISBANE defender Matt Maguire has been forced into retirement following the seventh concussion of his career.
Speaking exclusively to the Herald Sun, the 31-year-old revealed his “head was cooked” after being knocked out in a NEAFL game in April.
A scan six weeks ago showed blood spots on his brain and Maguire has been unable to exercise since the incident because of dizzy spells and blurred vision.
“I just can’t do it anymore,” the 170-game veteran said.
“I can’t run, I can’t train, I can’t fulfill any of the requirements to play AFL footy.
“When you look at that you know your time is up but the thing is I’ve been pushed out.
“The decision was made for me by my brain and how it has been acting.”
Maguire’s story will send shockwaves through the AFL as the league grapples with the long-term effects of concussion on players.
New guidelines were introduced this season with a strict criteria surrounding players returning to games after suffering heavy knocks.
Maguire, who informed his teammates on Tuesday of his retirement, suffered his first major concussion in 2005 when he was playing with St Kilda.
In 2010 he suffered a fractured cheekbone and severe concussion in a head clash with Sydney’s Jude Bolton.
Maguire was knocked out cold for almost 10 minutes after the latest incident where he was punched to the head in a late spoiling attempt which earnt his opponent a two-week suspension.
He was subsequently put through numerous tests and scans and recently travelled to Melbourne for further expert advice.
“I don’t know whether this is because of this one hit or an accumulation of hits,” he said.
“You don’t know whether I have had this hanging over my head for 10 years since my first one or whether it was this one which really did the damage.
“They say they’re not sure whether my brain blood spots were there previous to this or they had come about as a result of the latest hit either.
“Concussion is really the great unknown at the moment.”
Maguire played 71 games with the Lions after joining them at the end of 2009 from St Kilda where he’d played 99.
He has overcome a number of serious injuries in his career, including a badly broken leg in 2006.
This time around Maguire knew he was in trouble last month when he still couldn’t train.
“I would get light-headed and dizzy and I wouldn’t kind of be able to see the ball,” he said.
“When I was training I just knew something was wrong with me.
“If I did anything at any intensity, over 160 beats per minute heart rate, I’d start to get dizziness, my neck seized up and I would get these recurring symptoms.”
Maguire isn’t sure what life after football looks like yet but is focusing on the arrival of his first child to partner Sophie, the sister of former teammate Luke Ball, next month.
Originally published as Brisbane’s Matt Maguire forced to retire after another concussion