How Western Bulldog’s Brad and Donna Johnson are tackling brutal breast knocks in women’s sport

Dangerous breast knocks are rarely spoken about in women’s sport but now an AFL great may have a practical solution to the taboo topic.

Western Bulldogs royalty Brad and Donna Johnson have developed a vest that will prevent breast knock injuries. Picture:Rob Leeson.

Female athletes have opened up about the most taboo topic in women’s sport – breast injuries – as Bulldogs royalty Brad and Donna Johnson sound the alarm about brutal breast knocks.

Almost 60 per cent of female athletes have experienced a breast injury, according to the latest research by University of Wollongong.

But 90 per cent of them never report these injuries to anyone.

The once silent issue is now front and centre for former Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson and his wife Donna, who – through the roll out of their protective ‘Zena’ vests – have raised awareness about the potential long term effects of serious knocks to the breasts.

“There’s a big area of concussion that’s being discussed at the moment, but we don’t know yet what the long term effects of a really serious knock to the breast can be,” Ms Johnson told the Herald Sun.

“And we probably won’t know that for a few more years, once we’ve had women in these physical sports for a fair period of time.”

Ms Johnson said about 80 AFLW players were now wearing the lightweight vests to protect their chest and ribs, including Geelong’s comeback cat Renee Garing, who has stepped back onto the field after having a baby last year.

Brad and Donna Johnson’s youth vest

Some athletes wear the vest at every training session

Garing told the Herald Sun she’s worn the vest at every training session and game since she began breastfeeding.

“I’ve become more conscious and learnt more about the impact of breast tissue injuries in contact sports, so I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to prevent any issues with breastfeeding now or into the future,” she said.

Swans star Lucy McEvoy, who noted the topic of breast injuries and soreness was “absolutely” taboo during her teen years, said she now feared breast knocks could cause long-term damage.

“It was never really spoken about,” McEvoy said.

“Now, it’s more the long term effects that I’m worried about that are still unknown.

“It makes sense that if you wear a mouth guard to protect your teeth, you wear a vest to protect your chest and rib area.”

Breast knocks are never spoken about in women’s sport. Picture: Dylan Burns.

St Kilda AFLW captain Hannah Priest agreed, saying she’d worn the vest since its inception in 2018.

“It is a no-brainer for me,” she said.

The idea was first sparked by Ms Johnson over a coffee with a friend whose three teenage daughters were playing footy.

“It was at a time when AFL had been opened up to girls of all ages. It just concerned me that these adolescent girls were playing at a crucial stage of their development,” she said.

“So, we set out to reduce the risk of injury to women and adolescent girls playing sport, but then it went down other avenues.”

Ms Johnson said a number of women who had battled breast cancer, including those who had undergone masectomy’s, were returning to sport now that protective wear was available.

Minister for Industry and Innovation Ben Carroll will announce a $148,000 boost to the Geelong-based sports tech company on Saturday through the government’s Breakthrough Victoria fund.

The investment will create more than 12 new jobs in the Geelong region and help the Johnson’s expand to key sporting markets in the UK and US.