AFL and Concussion - Angus Brayshaw retirement

[tigerman]

There's been 3, now 4 players that I know of, who have retired in the last 12 months because of concussion issues. McCartin, Seedsman, Lynch and Brayshaw, that's a high number in less than 12 months.
Our own Tigger might be one bad head knock away from having to do the same.
It's time for the AFL to get serious about head knocks, if you you hit a player high, no matter what, you cop a hefty suspension. No more post incident Maynard rule changes.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Already started ToO.

I coach my sons U16 basketball team, and there are new teams and leagues sprouting up everywhere. Bayside council have just spend millions constructing an additional 4 indoor basketball courts to their existing 4 in Sandringham to cope with the demand.

My team manager helps run his local cricket and footy clubs, and he estimates that they'll both be fortunate to survive another couple of seasons purely due to lack of numbers.

I feared as much & once that trend starts it's going to be near impossible to stop.

 

[CarnTheTiges]

My rule changes for mitigating concussions in football. They’re drastic because they have to be. Footy wouldn’t be the same. I expect nothing but ridicule.
1. There is no bump - except for ruck and marking contests. A contest for a loose ball will inevitably involve contact. But deliberate bumps are out.
2. There is no marking spoil. The only way to contest a mark is by attempting to mark the ball.
3. A legitimate tackle is a grab with two hands. A free is awarded if the ball is not immediately disposed of. No wrapping a player up, no throwing them to the ground.
4. Smothering a kick is illegal.
5. You cannot retrieve a stationary ball. It must be moving. Paddle it if necessary. A moving target is harder to hit (accidentally) and this mitigates the limitations of rule 3.

This is the best I can come up with. I’ve thought about it for decades. So not perfect. Probably not even close. But I’m sick of seeing young and middle aged men turned into vegetables for the sake of entertainment.

If they really wanted to take it altogether they’d have to ban high marking, too. You land wrong and hit your head. That’s what happened to Griffiths and it was his final concussion.

 

[Redford]

Ah well. At least we saw the best (worst ?) of Australian Rules Football before it became Australian Rules Basketball.

It was good (bad ?) while it lasted.

 

[Spirit of Jack]

What's ironic is this thread is all about opposition players being too "physical" and you look at the Lefau thread. We want him to be a wrecking ball.

People do realise that bumps that do not involve the head can still have a whiplash effect? Which can result in concussion?

The one-eyed perspectives in this thread that ignore that things are rarely black & white (excuse the pun) feel emblematic of our discourse in society today - opinions are primarily based on the 'tribe' you belong to or don't belong to. Enough said - I'm starting to sound like a contrarian poster I didn't like too much!

 

[Tigers08]

The one-eyed perspectives in this thread that ignore that things are rarely black & white (excuse the pun) feel emblematic of our discourse in society today - opinions are primarily based on the 'tribe' you belong to or don't belong to. Enough said - I'm starting to sound like a contrarian poster I didn't like too much!

Disagree. That sounds like a paid political speech. Agree we MUST eliminate head high bumps. Cotchin was a bump to the shoulder. If it had have hit head he should have been suspended. What next? You accuse us of being woke?

 

[Redford]

What's ironic is this thread is all about opposition players being too "physical" and you look at the Lefau thread. We want him to be a wrecking ball.

People do realise that bumps that do not involve the head can still have a whiplash effect? Which can result in concussion?

Unfortunately Miles it’s this whiplash or sudden resistance to inertia that is going to jeopardise football as we’ve known it. And I’m not talking about big hits like the Maynard-Brayshaw one (or others) either.

The latest studies (per an interview I heard last year with a Neuro Specialist) suggest that it’s repeat, small resistances to movement over time that don’t involve any head contact what so ever that are causing the most damage to athletes. That means basic things like fair and legitimate tackles, fair and legitimate bumps…. anything that causes a sudden resistance and such, that you are receiving a lot of, over time. Even small resistances.

That’s why the clubs are being urged to reduce contact training. If you heard this interview last year, you’d have come away thinking football (at least as we know it), is doomed.

Note: this Neuro professor did say though that there is also evidence to suggest some people are more physiologically prone to damage ie their brain moves inside the skull more and that tests and studies into this might mitigate the issue a bit. Personally, not sure how you tell someone they can’t play footy though because their brain is a bit loose (to use a laymans way of explaining), but anyway.

 

[Baron Samedi]

That's not what has caused McCartin/Griffith/Seedsman etc etc etc to retire. It wasn't off the ball stuff. It was incidental contact from playing an aggressive physical sport. People have choice. CTE will not go away because Maynard is supsended for 5 weeks.

The Maynard carry on is way over the top. Brayshaw has had multiple concussions.

if maynard got rubbed out then collingwood are denied a flag

if the AFL actually applied consistent and coherent penalties I guarantee you the players wouldn't be leaping straight into people's heads

 

[Coburgtiger]

If blokes start suiciding from shoulder pain,

By all means,

Otherwise, play-on

I'm so one eyed that if I squinted I'd go blind.

And even I have to question if I really believe he wasn't concussed in that action.

It's also more to the point that he could have been. And also was, in another Astbury related footy action, at least.

I've long been a proponent of the harden up it's footy school of thought.

But when it's your brain going to mush, I don't know how we can ask that of these young people.

 

[Baron Samedi]

Cotchin on Shiel?

both going for the pill, hunched over

maynard decided to skydive a guy standing with the ball

 

[MD Jazz]

Boy the bias and ignorance is dripping in here.

Maynard didnt end Brayshaws career. Playing football exposed him to concussion.
We want/can"t wait for Lefau to iron out a succession of opposition players. You dont reckon this might have some long term consequences for his "victims"?

Cotchin was not attacking the ball when he bumped Shiel. He looked at Shiel before driving his shoulder into him. He went lower and harder snd initiated his sction earlier than Shirl. Could that action have long term consequences for Shiel?
BTW I don't think he should have been suspended for it.

Football is dangerous. Not sure you can play a 360 degree contact sport at the speed they do and make it safe.

 

[TigerForce]

Maynard copping a lot of abuse on social media.

 

[Coburgtiger]

both going for the pill, hunched over

maynard decided to skydive a guy standing with the ball

The point being that, within the rules, a bloke was concussed. And it wasn't exactly a freak accident. Natural consequence of the game.

So the banhammer doesn't solve everything.

How many concussions do we accept?

How can the rules of the game allay the fears of young people and parents getting into it?

How far can we stretch the fabric of our game until it tears?

Not easy questions for the future.

 

[eZyT]

Boy the bias and ignorance is dripping in here.

Maynard didnt end Brayshaws career. Playing football exposed him to concussion.
We want/can"t wait for Lefau to iron out a succession of opposition players. You dont reckon this might have some long term consequences for his "victims"?

I reckon retaliatory concussions are ok

 

[MD Jazz]

I reckon retaliatory concussions are ok

So do I if it involves *smile* stewart

 

[Coburgtiger]

Maynard copping a lot of abuse on social media.

Which when you think of it, is ridiculous.

He can't control that the AFL buggered up the decision.

Tom Stewart's action was so many orders of magnitude worse, he should have seen jail time.

Will danger cop the hate when Vlossy has issues?

 

[Ghost of 29]

Didn't know if there was a concussion thread, please merge if so.

It will be an interesting watch to see how the AFL spin their way out of this one. Its already started. A tale of 2 headlines:

"Angus Brayshaw retires after collision with Braydon Maynard" ABC, Age was similar

"Beloved Melbourne Demons star retires after long concussion history". AFL.com

Speaks for itself.

I said it at the time and I'll say it again, the Maynard / Brayshaw incident was a huge line in sand moment for the AFL. If they were even half serious about concussion Maynard had to go. I was amazed at the time and still am that they were so intent on sending the message that they don't take the issue seriously.

28 years old and at his peak. On big money. Retired.

My rule changes for mitigating concussions in football. They’re drastic because they have to be. Footy wouldn’t be the same. I expect nothing but ridicule.
1. There is no bump - except for ruck and marking contests. A contest for a loose ball will inevitably involve contact. But deliberate bumps are out.
2. There is no marking spoil. The only way to contest a mark is by attempting to mark the ball.
3. A legitimate tackle is a grab with two hands. A free is awarded if the ball is not immediately disposed of. No wrapping a player up, no throwing them to the ground.
4. Smothering a kick is illegal.
5. You cannot retrieve a stationary ball. It must be moving. Paddle it if necessary. A moving target is harder to hit (accidentally) and this mitigates the limitations of rule 3.

This is the best I can come up with. I’ve thought about it for decades. So not perfect. Probably not even close. But I’m sick of seeing young and middle aged men turned into vegetables for the sake of entertainment.

Those are almost the AFL9’s rules!
I think the simple thing is to make the penalty for contact to the head plus any subsequent concussions needs to be so strong that after the next few guys get popped and get 4 weeks minimum or some guy get 6 it will automatically eradicate unnecessary head contact. Slap on an additional fine for good measure.
Or go the extra yard and introduce red cards where teams have to go a player short in game.

 

[Tigermad2005]

Again sign a waiver and let the players play. They know the risk.

 

[bairdy380]

I still like the description in jacks book… really gave me pause for thought (the driving over a pothole analogy) and as both a sports watcher and father of young kids, I don’t know where the answer lies

 

[jimbob]

He had the option to extend the arms and absorb contact while coming down from the attempted smother. duty of care to ensure you don't hurt your opponent. If anything it took more effort and time to turn the body and apply a bump. I'm gobsmacked none of the "experts" couldn't see this.

Bingo