AFL 2024: All the MRO news from round 8
The Bulldogs are set to safeguard star Tom Liberatore, who has been asked to consider his football future after his latest concussion.
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Tom Liberatore has been urged to consider his football future, after being sidelined indefinitely by the Western Bulldogs following a fourth concussion in 22 AFL games.
Liberatore absorbed a heavy blow from Hawthorn’s Karl Amon and then stumbled badly after his forehead was cut open by opponent Conor Nash’s boot on Sunday.
The Dogs on Monday said their medical team had ruled a “concussive episode had occurred”.
Last year, Liberatore was twice left badly shaken and ruled out with concussion – the first in a round 6 collision with Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw, the second in round 22 against Hawthorn.
The indefinite absence will give him time to assess his chances of a safe return to football, given his recent concussions and the combative, physical role he plays.
He is not believed to be considering retirement at this stage, but instead will take time to work on his recovery.
After a second concussion in as many games across 21 days, Latrobe University concussion researcher Alan Pearce has urged Liberatore to think carefully about his future.
“I would be highly concerned about four concussions in 12 months,” Professor Pearce said.
“We have seen from the research that anyone who has a lifetime concussion history of three is at risk of cognitive impairments later in life.
“Two in 21 days is really concerning. We need to do better at recovery protocols.
“Why can’t we have 21 days for AFL players like we do for community players, irrespective of medical expertise?
“Doctors have to become more conservative, irrespective of class actions.
“This is brain health, not a hamstring or ACL. If players take an extra couple of weeks off, it can extend their careers by years. If the AFL is truly sincere about athlete health, they have to show it.”
On a day of setbacks for Liberatore, he also copped a one-game ban from the AFL for a slinging tackle on Hawthorn’s Will Day.
He spun and dumped Day into the ground in an incident where his Hawthorn opponent hit his head on the Marvel Stadium turf.
But that suspension is now immaterial given a likely extended absence.
The medicos at Whitten Oval have shown extreme caution with players in the past year, with ruckman Tim English sidelined for some time as the club assessed headache-type symptoms that were eventually shown not to be concussion.
Draftee Aiden O’Driscoll is also yet to return to the game after being involved in a sickening collision with Aaron Naughton that saw a summer intraclub game called off.
The Dogs are bracing for a lawsuit from premiership player Liam Picken as he seeks to separate himself from a 100-person class action, alleging a breach of duty of care from the club.
It means the club is in a heightened state of alert about the fallout of concussions.
Will Day received a free kick following this tackle from Tom Liberatore.#AFLDogsHawkspic.twitter.com/U4nMhdPSJd
— AFL (@AFL) May 5, 2024
Liberatore is a club favourite and premiership player who only recently signed a one-year contract extension.
But his past month has been challenging.
Liberatore collapsed late in the round 5 game against Essendon. He passed a head injury assessment, but was ruled to have been concussed in “an abundance of caution” despite no obvious incident.
He missed round 6 through the concussion protocols and then sat out round 7 with illness.
He returned against Hawthorn last weekend, only to be concussed again.
The Dogs said in a statement: “Having suffered two concussions within a short space of time, Tom will be unavailable for an indefinite period.”
Giant handed three-game ban for McCartin hit
– Jay Clark
GWS Giants may elect not to fight a three-game suspension to Callum Brown for the bump which concussed Swan Tom McCartin on Saturday.
Brown was hit with a three-match suspension for the bump which ended McCartin’s game and was graded intentional conduct, high contact and severe impact.
But there was good news for gun onballer Tom Green who was cleared of a serious ankle injury and will be a test for the clash against the Bombers on Saturday at Marvel Stadium.
Green was substituted out of the loss to Sydney Swans on Saturday and underwent scans on Sunday which confirmed the midfielder had not suffered syndesmosis.
The Giants will consider Brown’s case on Monday but may find it hard to challenge the verdict considering the clear impact to McCartin’s head, continuing his string of brain injuries.
McCartin’s brother, Paddy, had to retire last year due to his lengthy concussion history across his career at St Kilda and Sydney Swans.
Brown, who was chasing the bouncing ball when he collided with McCartin, would miss clashes against Essendon, Western Bulldogs and Geelong.
Match review officer Michael Christian handed Brown a three-match rough conduct suspension rather than refer him straight to the tribunal under the league’s new severe impact grading rules.
Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury could challenge a $1875 fine for making contact with an umpire from Collingwood’s nail biting win over Carlton on Friday night.
Carlton’s Adam Cerra pushed Pendlebury into a field umpire at a centre bounce at the MCG, meaning both players were fined.
Pendlebury could argue he would not have collided with the umpire if not for the shove from Cerra around the centre circle.
Pendlebury could use the precedent set in the Charlie Cameron case last month where the Brisbane Lion’s suspension was downgraded to a fine because of his clean record.
The tribunal ruling which saved Cameron needs to be applied consistently throughout the rest of the season before it is likely abolished at season’s end by the league.
Pendlebury, who has never been suspended over his decorated 391-game career, is regarded as one of the most fair players in the game’s history.
Senior club figures have urged the league to ditch the good character clause due to the difficulty of applying it consistently.
North Melbourne’s Liam Shiels, West Coast’s Brady Hough and GWS Giant Toby Greene were fined for striking, while Giant Harrison Himmelberg was also fined for tripping.
NEW PIE HIT WITH BAN
– Chris Cavanagh
Collingwood forward Lachie Schultz has been offered a one-match suspension after a brain fade during the final quarter of the Magpies’ win on Friday night.
Schultz swung his left hand into the back of Blake Acres’ neck in a moment of frustration as the Blues wingman was running away from him.
The incident happened right in front of a field umpire, who paid a free kick against Schultz.
However, the recruit will now have a bigger price to pay as he looks set to miss next Sunday’s clash with West Coast at Marvel Stadium.
AFL match review officer Michael Christian judged Schultz’s hit as intentional, low impact and high contact, resulting in the one-match ban.
Schultz gave away three free kicks on Friday night and managed just one goal from 10 disposals.
The former Fremantle small forward has booted nine goals from his first eight games in Magpies colours.
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Originally published as AFL 2024: All the MRO news from round 8
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