AFL men’s and women’s players to take part in cutting-edge concussion trial

MEDICOS will be able to measure the impact of every collision during AFL men’s and women’s games using revolutionary sensors hidden behind players’ ears.

Paddy McCartin is stretchered off.

AFL players will embark upon a cutting-edge concussion trial that will see them wear movement sensors behind their ears to measure the effects of body contact.

The concussion censor study with Monash University will involve players in the JLT Community Series and AFLW competition.

The league had promised it would conduct benchmark neurological testing of all of its women so it could compare the effects of concussions.

The AFL has stopped short of that initiative, but replaced it with a study that will allow it to compare the effect of collisions on players with other worldwide codes.

A similar study with the Randwick Rugby Club in 2015 involved small sensors the size of a 10cm coin being taped behind the ears of players.

When downloaded, that information measures the impact of hits and can be used when judging the effects of concussions.

Eventually it is hoped real-time technology might allow club doctors in some sports to remove a player from action if warranted.

The league’s concussion prevention management has been lauded given new rules preventing concussed players returning to the field.

But the Australian Athletes’ Alliance continues to urge the AFL and other codes to invest more money into studies that will progress knowledge of concussion.

St Kilda forward Paddy McCartin has been the victim of repeated concussions.

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said the women’s competition would have identical concussion guidelines to the men.

‘The AFL is also implementing a concussion sensor project in partnership with Monash University where players competing in the JTL Community Series and the NAB AFL Women’s competition will wear sensors behind their ear which measure impacts and accelerations of the head and can be correlated to any concussions sustained,’’ Keane said.

‘This will allow the AFL to benchmark Australian football against other sports worldwide.”

Randwick’s director of rugby Nick Ryan said in 2015 it was repeated hits — often at a lesser force — that actually caused surprising levels of damage.

“What we’re finding is ... the accumulative hits, the small and medium range hits that happen multiple times during a game, are the things that are the most destructive,” he said.

“When normally those things don’t stand out during a game.

“And what we’re finding with the data is that those are the things that are standing out the most in terms of player welfare.”

The study of those repeated hits at a lower level — known as sub-concussions — is a growing field of research in the field of sports concussions.