A premiership player as a teen, Dan Venables forced into early retirement

West Coast forward Daniel Venables looked to have a lengthy career ahead of him after breaking into the strong Eagles side but a serious injury in 2019 led to a prolonged battle with concussion.

West Coast football Daniel Venables, who announced his early retirement on Wednesday due to concussion, collides with teammate Nathan Vardy and Demon Tim Smith in May, 2019, in the incident ultimately ended his career. Picture: Getty Images.

Daniel Venables was still a teenager when he accomplished the primary goal of most footballers by playing in a premiership with West Coast in 2018.

Less than three years later, due to severe brain trauma, he has been advised to never play footy again as he recovers from an injury sustained while playing as an Eagle.

An assessment from the AFL’s medical panel as to the extent of Venables’ recovery and his prospects of playing again recommended that he avoid playing contact sport.

The 22-year-old, who was severely concussed in a marking contest against Melbourne at Optus Stadium in May, 2019, was aware of the probability.

We bring you into today's emotional team meeting, as Daniel Venables announces his retirement to the players and staff 💙 pic.twitter.com/2NRTAqNxOv

— West Coast Eagles (@WestCoastEagles) August 4, 2021

He continues to battle with symptoms related to the injury, including migraines and regular headaches, and detailed the extent of his battle in a lengthy interview with his club in June.

“It has been two-and-a-half years. I am a very realistic person and I understood it was going to be tough to get clearance to play,” he said.

But as Venables told his West Coast teammates in Perth on Wednesday, that did not necessarily soften the blow.

The finality will allow him to recover without the pressure of trying to do so with the view to attaining the fitness that is necessary to play football at the highest level.

It is certain that, given the injury that ended Venables career occurred during a match, he will be eligible for compensation and ongoing support.

“I’m sad, but I guess I’m relieved, because the pressure is off and now I can focus on my rehab. I’m not able to play again, so I can just concentrate on my health,” he said.

“It’s not until you sit back and reflect on the time that you understand how far you’ve come and the things you have had to go through.

“I feel like this has matured me as a person and it will help me in the future.”