AFL open to 30-day concussion stand-down if scientific advice changes
As leading experts call for mandatory 30-day breaks after concussions, AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has weighed in on the important issue.
Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan says the league would adopt a 30-day concussion stand-down rule if the science demanded it.
“If that was the advice, we would take it – but that is not the advice at the moment,” McLachlan said.
“But 30 days is (already) applying for those who need it. We have had many players stand down, who have not played for more than 30 days, when that was the advice of the doctors.”
A 12-day concussion lay off was introduced for all AFL and AFLW players in January following revelations St Kilda champ Danny Frawley and Richmond hardman Shane Tuck had been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy – the degenerative brain disease linked to head knocks – after their recent deaths.
But scans of injured footballers’ brains detailed by the Herald Sun on Friday revealed many are still damaged two weeks after suffering head knocks.
The findings by Monash University’s Department of Neuroscience suggests the AFL’s 12-day policy – which has also been adopted by its junior and local leagues – is inadequate.
It came as researchers from the Australian Sports Brain Bank in Sydney uncovered neurological damage in the brain of the late AFLW player Jacinda Barclay, who died aged 29 last October after battling mental health.
Barclay’s brain was found to have degradation to her cerebral white matter, changes that have been linked to the development of mental illness.
Leading experts are calling for a mandatory 30-day break after concussions.
But McLachlan said the AFL’s 12-day concussion rule was a “minimum” guideline.
“We rely on the doctors and others, so many players are much longer than 12 days,” McLachlan told 3AW radio.
“We take the best advice and we are interested in this report. We continue to work with the best people in this space and if there are iterations (to be made) to our policy, we will make them. But the advice we have is that this is the right policy and we are pleased it is now being rolled out in the community level.”
AFL’s 12-day concussion rule not long enough
Scans of injured footballers’ brains have revealed many are still damaged two weeks after suffering knocks to the head.
The finding by top Melbourne scientists suggests the AFL’s new 12-day concussion stand-down rule — which has also been adopted by all its local and junior leagues — is inadequate.
The 12-day rule, introduced this year, is double the previous break but well short of the 30 days some experts say is needed for heavily-concussed players.
Associate Professor David Wright of Monash University’s Department of Neuroscience said the AFL’s new concussion protocol may still be allowing footballers to take the field before their brain had fully recovered.
Using MRI scans, his team identified clear differences between the brains of 14 concussed Victorian amateur footballers and 16 uninjured players.
Results reveal microscopic “robust changes” to fibre bundles that make up the white matter in the brain persisted after 14 days.
Prof Wright said it was clear structural damage remained in vital areas of their brains that could be exacerbated by further head knocks.
“The challenge is that the player feels fine and a lot of the assessments that are done at the moment are all based on the player’s symptoms, how they are feeling and whether they can pass the concussion test,” he said.
“Our research is showing those tests aren’t necessarily sensitive enough or able to detect those underlying brain changes that are still persisting.
“The athlete can feel fine and run around the football field, but in actual fact if you look at their brain images there are still some changes that have not resolved.”
While the damage had eased between scans 48 hours and then 14 days after the head knocks, Prof Wright said bigger studies over at least four weeks were needed to really know how long it took the player’s brain to fully recover.
“It (the AFL’s 12-day exclusion) is a great step in the right direction, but it is arbitrary,” he said.
“I don’t want to see my favourite players sitting out any longer than necessary, but we have got to think of the health of the athletes and that is the main concern.”
The findings come as a Victorian coroner is set to investigate the league’s response to head injuries as part of an inquest into the death of Richmond footballer Shane Tuck, and a WorkSafe probe on footy concussion enters its 17th month.
The WorkSafe investigation was triggered in November 2019 after player agent Peter Jess lodged a complaint, claiming the return-to-play protocols were unsafe.
“The fact that the league agreed to introduce a 12-day concussion rule in January only confirms my long-held view that the AFL’s rules around concussions were unsafe and continue to be unsafe on all the medical and scientific evidence presented to them,” Mr Jess said.
The Herald Sun on Tuesday revealed 29 AFL players have been concussed so far this season. The AFL has said the new rule was based on advice from its medical officers, and 12 days was the earliest a player could return, with some needing a longer recovery.
The preliminary Monash research, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, also indicated female footballers may be less affected by concussion than men.
While concussed women also had detectable changes in their brains two weeks after a head knock, the injuries appeared less severe.
With between six and seven concussions occurring for every 1000 match hours played across amateur and professional Australian rules football leagues, it would be impossible for every affected player to receive exhaustive MRI scans.
More Coverage
Originally published as AFL open to 30-day concussion stand-down if scientific advice changes
Hope springs, but there’s a big if in Docklands’ Star wheel revival
Talks are being held between the liquidator of the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel and a potential buyer — who first wants to ensure it’s safe and can spin again, after sitting idle for years.
First look inside $96m+ Myer mansion
The Myer family are selling their jaw-dropping Toorak estate, which could sell for up to $105m. Take the first look inside their amazing mansion.