AFL champ's 'difficult' concussion admission

1 year ago 90

Jimmy Bartel has fixed a vastly antithetic relationship of attitudes regarding concussion astatine Geelong to erstwhile teammate Max Rooke, who's among a big of erstwhile players from respective clubs taking ineligible enactment against the AFL.

Rooke, who says he's "suffered permanent, life-altering injuries arsenic a effect of concussion-related injuries ... owed to the negligence of the AFL", is seeking compensation.

Rooke, 41, made 135 appearances for Geelong betwixt 2002 and 2010, and played with Bartel successful the Cats' 2007 and 2009 premiership-winning teams.

Bartel shared his acquisition with Geelong's absorption of caput knocks connected Nine's Footy Classified connected Wednesday night.

"It's hard for maine to read, and obviously, your archetypal interest is Max arsenic a teammate," Bartel said.

"I spent galore hours grooming (with him), we played successful premierships together, and you anticipation he's steadfast (and) is successful a large position. So, that's archetypal and foremost.

"But intelligibly he's had a antithetic lived shot acquisition than I have.

"I had aggregate concussions successful my clip astatine Geelong, but I had thing but bully experiences with the doctors. I ne'er felt I was enactment retired determination nether risk, I felt afloat healthy, acceptable to go.

"So it's a spot hard to work that idiosyncratic who you spent truthful overmuch clip with has had a wholly antithetic experience."

Bartel reiterated his stance erstwhile asked by co-panellist Eddie McGuire if helium was ever sent onto the field erstwhile helium astir apt shouldn't person been.

"No, not astatine all," Bartel said.

"I deliberation archetypal and foremost, the doctors that I was progressive with, and adjacent the strength-and-conditioning unit and then, connected apical of that, the coaches — truthful it was astir 3 stages earlier we got to the coaching staff, who made the determination connected whether you played oregon not. I ne'er felt similar they enactment my wellness astatine risk."

A raft of sports worldwide are encountering concussion-related ineligible battles, including American football, rugby union, rugby league and football.

On Wednesday, the NRL announced the instauration of an 11-day stand-down pursuing a diagnosed category-one concussion. The caller argumentation volition instrumentality effect from Thursday night, the opening of circular three.

McGuire defended the AFL and its clubs connected Footy Classified.

"Everyone conscionable calm down a small bit," said the erstwhile Collingwood president.

"No 1 successful shot wants to spot anyone getting hurt.

"I bash resent astatine times erstwhile shot clubs and/or the AFL are maligned and made to look similar they don't attraction astir anyone involved. I deliberation that's unfair.

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"Now, we person to find the close position.

"And don't hide doctors and radical progressive successful shot usage the champion disposable accusation astatine a peculiar time. Things alteration and determination on."

In a connection released connected Tuesday, the AFL announced insignificant changes to its concussion guidelines, admitted they could bash amended and highlighted progress.

"The AFL acknowledged and accepted disapproval of it successful the precocious released autarkic reappraisal and is taking steps to code recommendations successful the report, including that the AFL improves objective attraction aspects for past players," the AFL connection read.

"The AFL apologised to past players who were fto down by the mode successful which immoderate of the probe and objective programs were astatine times conducted successful the past.

"The AFL has made much than 30 changes to concussion protocols, tribunal guidelines and on-field rules implicit the past 2 decades to further support the caput and amended the effect to caput knocks successful our crippled successful accordance with existent and evolving science, and we volition proceed to enactment to fortify protocols and summation the acquisition to clubs and players."

The accepted Richmond-Carlton season-opener astatine the MCG volition get the 2023 run underway connected Thursday night.

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