‘Of course’: Toby Greene admits to hiding past concussions in sign of major AFL change

Toby Greene makes worrying concussion admission. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

A GWS superstar has revealed he used to hide his concussion symptoms from the club in order to remain available for games.

GWS Giants captain Toby Greene has revealed he used to play through concussions, hiding his symptoms from club medical staff in order to stay available for matches.

The skipper’s candid comments come after star teammate Sam Taylor suffered a brutal concussion against St Kilda last Saturday in Canberra, and following Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Murphy’s forced retirement on Tuesday.

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While Taylor has been cleared of any serious injury after undergoing assessments at Canberra Hospital, he currently has no timeline for return.

In a surprising revelation on Tuesday evening, Greene revealed to Fox Footy’s AFL 360 that, in the past, he would choose not to disclose his concussion symptoms to GWS’ doctors.

The 30-year-old was asked point-blank by Herald Sun journalist Mark Robinson if he chose not to report concussion to the Giants.

“Yeah, yeah of course,” Greene declared.

The skipper has played through concussions. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

When Robinson asked whether it happened more or less than five times, Greene said: “Less than five (times), less than five.”

The star forward was also quizzed on whether he thought disregarding concussion was commonplace among AFL players.

“No, I wouldn’t say ‘common’,” Greene responded. “Certainly, in my early years (I had) a lot more disregard for (concussion) than I do now, but I wouldn’t say it’s common practice, no.”

Greene also said he hasn’t altered his approach to the contest since concussion concern became more prevalent across the AFL landscape.

Greene admitted to hiding symptoms from club doctors. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/Getty Images)

“I don’t think I’ve changed anything from the day I walked in to today,” he said.

“I’m certainly more aware of the effects (and) not reporting or misreporting, we’re certainly more aware of that (as players).

“I don’t think I’ve changed anything in my game, to be honest. I got kicked out of the midfield and played in the forward line, that was probably the best thing for it.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve changed my attack on the ball in any way. We understand (concussion is) part of the game and the effects are long-lasting.

“We’re a lot more aware and I’m a lot more aware now as an older player.”

Originally published as ‘Of course’: Toby Greene admits to hiding past concussions in sign of major AFL change