Concussion epidemic: Two Geelong cricket associations vow to improve its concussion protocols
Geelong’s two cricket competitions have admitted they need to provide their own concussion protocols available to players and clubs.
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Geelong’s two cricket associations have admitted they need to implement their own concussion protocols and make them transparent and accessible for clubs and players.
Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association president Ian Caldwell said the league was lacking available information about concussion and its new policy was only “crystallised” after a Newcomb batter was concussed during an A2 match against Portarlington on November 4.
Meanwhile, Geelong Cricket Association president Rob Vines said the association essentially followed concussion guidelines provided by Cricket Victoria but its own protocols would have to be transparent, “explicit” and “not too buried”.
Vines, who will meet with Caldwell, the Colac District Cricket Association president and Cricket Victoria in early December, was likely to discuss the lack of publicly available concussion information at that meeting.
“The GCA doesn’t have its own concussion guidelines or protocols, however, supports the Premier Cricket approach,” Vines said.
“We need to do a bit of work to make our rules and protocols a bit more explicit.
“Just so it’s more transparent and clearer and not too buried.
“There’s a bit of work for us to do in that space.
“And I would expect the other two associations across the Barwon region would say the same.
“We don’t have an explicit policy or rules around what happens if players suffer concussion- related injuries during a match and therefore can’t continue in the match.”
Caldwell said at a monthly delegates meeting, league-specific concussion protocols were endorsed after a Newcomb batter was hit in the head and the club asked for him to be replaced.
“The delegates endorsed the protocols we have put into place which are similar to Cricket Victoria’s,” Caldwell said.
“That will be formally ratified ... at the AGM next year which will be incorporated in our handbook.
“Sometimes there are incidents which crystallises a policy and taking a common sense approach to the policy which we did.
“That policy was adopted for the remainder of the season then we will seek to document it in our handbook at the AGM.
“It’s not quite making policy on the run.
“We’ve got the right intent, we’ve got the right outcome, but we’ve got to have the proper wording and that’s what Cricket Victoria’s policy provides with it.”
Meanwhile, Vines said the league strongly encouraged its players to wear helmets when batting or fielding close to the wicket.
He believed the majority of players were adhering to this aim, but some older players were still reluctant: “Some older players from have struggled to adapt to wearing helmets.”
Vines said he was not aware of many incidents of GCA players being impacted by concussion.
“I can’t put my hand on my heart and say it’s never happened,” he said.
“It’s not something, fortunately, that happens frequently.
“But one incident is one incident too many.”
He said the league didn’t keep a tally of players injured by head knocks but was open to the idea of monitoring the issue more thoroughly.
Vines also said clubs had to play its part in educating players about the impact of concussion and head knocks.
“The knowledge and skills of clubs to treat players with head injuries probably varies,” he said.
“There’s always room for work and improvement in education about the best way to treat injuries.
“Everything changed with the Phil Hughes tragedy.”
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Originally published as Concussion epidemic: Two Geelong cricket associations vow to improve its concussion protocols
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