Footy star Trent Melville in support of new AIS concussion guidelines

A Darwin football star who has suffered eight concussions in his career has welcomed radical new concussion guidelines brought in to protect athletic Australian kids from brain injuries.

A Top End footy star has welcomed new recommendations from the Australian Institute of Sport to enforce a minimum three week stand down period on any players showing signs of concussion.

The radical new policy to protect Australian kids from long term brain damage includes not allowing athletes back to training for two weeks.

And it’s something Nightcliff Tigers footy player Trent Melville wished he had around at the start of his career, particularly after spending more than a year on the side line because of concussion.

Melville received a head bump in Round 3 of the 2022-23 NTFL season and hasn’t taken to the field since.

It led to the eighth concussion of his playing career, but unlike the previous this one stayed around, with constant headaches and memory loss among the long term issues he’s faced.

The recommendations follow a 2022 senate inquiry which looked into head trauma across Australian sport, with cases being under-reported and sometimes leading to dementia, depression and suicide.

Athletes who have more than two concussion across the year may be forced to sit out for the entire season, and it’s the kind of treatment Melville believes will help the sport.

Other parts of the protocol overhaul include having concussion officers on the sidelines to protect juniors and grassroots players.

“It’s definitely the way forward, it’s pretty obvious returning to play too early is the issue and athletes need to be saved from themselves,” he said.

“We know people will be frustrated missing big games, but at the end of the day you don’t want to go through what I went through and what some past players are going through.

Trent Melville playing for the Nightcliff Tigers in the NTFL. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“I wish I had this at the beginning of my footy career, because back then you could pass a test and be back out on the field, and that’s where I think these issues are from.

“They manage it better now with the 12 day sit out, but back then I just wanted to play footy and didn’t think about the long term effects and to have this could have made my career very different.

“It’s critical the parents understand it, that they’re fully around it and it’s up to our league to deliver to give parents the security and to assure young people it’s alright to miss a few weeks of sport.”

The recommendations have been agreed to by all the state sport institutes, as well as many individual sports such as athletics, badminton, baseball, combat and hockey.

However, some of the country’s biggest sports including cricket, AFL, football, netball, rugby and tennis have said no, which Melville said required them to speak to their players.

“Come and speak to people like me, players who are suffering and have been doing it rough,” he said.

“I’ve spoken to some of the toughest NRL players and they’re struggling, speak to us and listen to our stories because we need to move forward.

“I’m the last person on the planet that will tell anyone not to play football, but we can be safer about it and if it means sitting out a few extra days to make sure we’re doing the right thing it’s the right price to play for long term benefits.”

As well as being away from playing Melville had to go part time at work as well becoming sensitive to loud noises and bright lights.

However, after several trips to Melbourne to meet Doctor Brett Jarosz from Optimise Sports Chiropractic he is currently basically symptom free and back working full time.

“I’ve been travelling down to Melbourne since early November and been doing functional neurology rehabilitation,” he said.

“I’m virtually symptom free and able to return to work full time, so I’ve had a pretty good turnaround and just taking it as it comes.

“I need to work full time for a lengthy period of time without any setback before I think about sport, but I’m keeping an open mind, I’m not a quitter and I will keep pushing through.”