North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri cleared of concussion following the loss to the Bulldogs
The vision of North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri looking dazed sparked serious debate on Thursday night – should he have come straight off? AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has responded.
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The AFL will review North Melbourne’s conduct in allowing Tristan Xerri to remain on the ground while clearly shaken as part of its weekly review with the league’s medical boss Michael Makdissi.
Xerri was eventually cleared of concussion after a SCAT6 test and will be available to take on Melbourne next week unless he suffers delayed symptoms.
But it was a worrying look for the game to see the star Roos ruckman drop suddenly to the ground after a second collision during North Melbourne’s loss to the Western Bulldogs.
North Melbourne said on Friday morning the club was comfortable with its processes on the night as it prepared to discuss the incident with the AFL.
The Roos believe their doctors followed correct processes to monitor Xerri then eventually remove him from the field.
The Roos said they would continue to monitor Xerri across the weekend given he had been involved in a pair of incidents.
Under the AFL’s head removal rules, the club doctor or an independent AFL doctor in the ARC can ask for the game to be stopped at the next stoppage to get a player off.
Xerri instead continued on the ground for some time while he was assessed on the field by a Roos medico, despite the footage which alarmed fans at home.
INSIDE STORY: THE CONTROVERSIAL ROOS’ REUNION NO-SHOWS
He eventually left the field and had that SCAT6 test and was then cleared of concussion.
But with such obvious capacity to get a player off the ground when he seems impaired, it was a surprise he was not immediately asked to have a boundary-line assessment.
The AFL rules do allow for head injury assessments on the field in some cases, but the league can also demand a player leave the ground.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said on Friday the league would review the incident as a matter of course but was always refining its methods.
“We look into all of the head nocks after every game,” he said.
“We have got a number of staff at the AFL working in with the club doctors and we review all of those after every single game. Whether he’s been on for a short time or long time, all of those potential concussions are looked at.
Asked on SEN if the game should have been stopped, he replied: “Health and safety is number one but we provide the best doctors in the world in this area and we do have a lot of responsibility for them and that’s the way it works. The ARC does have the ability to direct as well so that’s a process we continue to refine.”
North Melbourne will not be able to select Luke Davies-Uniacke after he was concussed as Dogs star Ed Richards hit him with a high forearm fend as the Roos midfielder attempted to dispossess his rival.
It is at least the second concussion for Davies-Uniacke, who suffered a head knock in 2022 when tackled by Willie Rioli.
Richards will be spared MRO scrutiny given it was a reflex action to protect himself from an oncoming player, with his arm thrown out in a defensive manner rather than to strike a rival.
The Roos will assess George Wardlaw after his concussion last week but if he passes his protocols ahead of round 18 they are prepared to play him against the Demons.
He has suffered three concussions in the past 12 months but pulled up well from last week’s hit from Conor Nash..
Roos coach Alastair Clarkson says concussion and umpiring are two topics he tries to steer clear of but expects his gun ruckman to be available for Melbourne next week.
“’LD’ was ruled out of the game with protocols but I think ‘Big X’ is OK,” Clarkson said.
“I didn’t see it (Xerri knock), there’s probably two things I am not an expert on and that’s umpiring and concussion, so I probably won’t make mention of either one of them.
“(Xerri) just had to get assessed by the docs, I think he’s fine.”
The 26-year-old was taken down the race well after a big hit with Dogs small forward Rhylee West in the final term and did not return.
Richmond great Jack Riewoldt was left stunned by Xerri not coming off for a concussion test immediately after the incident.
“He has to come off, he looks stunned. He’s laid out on the ground, that’s enough footage to at least come off the ground to have a conversation with the doctor,” Riewoldt said.
Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall said the current process around HIA’s needed to be looked at.
“The process at the moment’s taking too long and he’s out there having more physical contact while this is going on,” he said.
“Having said that, we don’t want to go to the other end of the spectrum and panic whenever a player’s knocked to the ground.
“It’s hard to get it right.”
Despite Davies-Uniacke being subbed off, Richards should have no fears of MRO scrutiny, which could have possibly ruled him out of the Dogs’ blockbuster with the Crows next Friday night.
Dunstall was adamant the Bulldog would have no case to answer for the incident.
“It’s not even a free kick for mine,” Dunstall said on Fox Footy.
“I know the arm catches him a little bit, but he’s (Richards) got his eyes on the football and he’s just received it, he turns around and there’s a player there, that’s the initial reaction.
“He hasn’t jumped up, he hasn’t gone high, I think it’s poor tackling technique, you tackle with your shoulder not the head and he’s just got himself in an uncomfortable position.”
“In slow-motion it looks bad… but he’s down low Ed Richards, I don’t know what we expect the guy with the ball to do.”
Richards himself had his own injury scare, coming off in the third term holding his shoulder after a big collision with Cam Zurhaar.
In a relief for the Dogs, the midfield gun reappeared shortly after to take his place on the field.
Richards said post-game that it was not as bad as it seemed when he first came off the field.
“Feels good now… maybe it was a bit of carry-on, I don’t know.
“It started settling really quickly, it’s still numb now so see how I pull up tomorrow.”
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said he held fears for Richards when the midfielder first came off.
“Seems like a minor AC joint injury, which you can always play with so that’s some good fortune for us,” Beveridge said.
Emphatic Dogs spoil North’s celebrations on Libba’s big night
The brilliant Bulldog was in no mood to share the limelight.
Milestone Western Bulldog Tom Liberatore spoiled North Melbourne’s centenary celebration with a sensational performance at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
Liberatore – in his 250th match – led the Bulldogs from start to finish with 27 disposals (16 contested), 10 tackles, 11 score involvements, six clearances and two goals.
Aaron Naughton, Matthew Kennedy, Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli supported the generational Dog with strong nights of their own.
Perhaps symbolic of Liberatore’s match – and the 249 before it – was his collision with North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri late in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs had kicked away from the Roos when Xerri tried to put his fork in the ground with a bone-crunching tackle on Liberatore.
But it was the midfielder who bounced up and the ruckman who was left gasping for air.
The phlegmatic Bulldog is yet to win an All-Australian blazer – but his performance against the Roos did his chances of breaking that drought no harm.
The win propels the Bulldogs inside the top four for at least 36 hours ahead of important encounters with Adelaide and Brisbane in coming weeks.
For North Melbourne, it was another one of the fade outs coach Alastair Clarkson has spoken about at length.
The Roos trailed by less than a straight kick halfway through the third quarter but fell away to suffer yet another heavy defeat.
BAILEY GOES BANG
Good teams let their kickers kick.
Western Bulldog Bailey Dale slammed home a brilliant goal on the fly during his side’s run on in the second quarter.
Matthew Kennedy had the footy at half forward but stopped and delayed before dishing out a handball to Dale on the run.
Dale – one of the competition’s most damaging and penetrating kicks – steered his shot through with ease.
I SEE YOU, AND I MATCH
There was no stopping them.
Key forwards Nick Larkey and Aaron Naughton traded blows at the Coventry End on Thursday night.
Larkey lit up the start of the match with a four-goal opening stanza – three of which came in 12 minutes.
His 4.1 (25) is the highest first quarter score from any team, let alone player, against the Bulldogs this season.
That haul was soon levelled by Naughton, who kicked the same score in a rampant second term.
Like Larkey, Naughton missed a chance to kick an even handful but he was even closer as he slammed his set shot into the post.
SCOREBOARD
NORTH MELBOURNE 5.2 8.3 12.6 13.7 (85)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.2 10.4 15.10 20.14 (134)
GOALS:
Kangaroos: Larkey 5, Zurhaar 2, Curtis, Sheezel, Harvey, Maley, Hansen, McKercher
Bulldogs: Naughton 5, Darcy 4, English 2, Liberatore 2, Bontempelli 2, Dale 2, Vandermeer, Freijah, West
BEST:
Kangaroos: McKercher, Larkey, Powell
Bulldogs: Liberatore, Richards, Naughton, Bontempelli, Kennedy
INJURIES:
Kangaroos: Davies-Uniacke (concussion)
Bulldogs: nil.
25, 009 at Marvel Stadium
TYLER LEWIS’ VOTES
3 Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs)
2 Aaron Naughton (Western Bulldogs)
1 Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
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Originally published as North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri cleared of concussion following the loss to the Bulldogs
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