AFL and Concussion - Angus Brayshaw retirement

[Ghost of 29]

The AFL is still taking the p**s on concussion and continue to make band aid changes. Until they drastically reduce interchange and you don’t have 150 fresh players coming on and 150 tired players coming off, therefore you won’t have fresh, powerful explosive players causing mayhem. Fatigue is essential in all sports and in football is the best way of controlling high speed collisions.

 

[MD Jazz]

There also needs to be a rule against players deliberately exposing their heads to damage (listen to j Selwood interviews - it’s pretty outrageous IMO).

We literally have blokes headbutting others and receiving frees. Other than their long term health and potential social media outrage there is little downside to playing for head high contact.

Players do put themselves in vulnerable positions unnecessarily. Keith exposed himself to danger in the Lynch knockout. Should he get into trouble for that?

There has definitely been an increase in players looking for head or high contact. How do you stop them getting rewarded?

 

[Stackey]

Dunno?
I would accept that Maynard contributed to the premature ending of Brayshaw’s career
But all those previous knocks and concussions surely contributed as well

Likewise the camel‘s back fracture wasn’t entirely caused by that single last straw

Hypothetical!

 

[tigersnake]

Dunno?
I would accept that Maynard contributed to the premature ending of Brayshaw’s career
But all those previous knocks and concussions surely contributed as well

Likewise the camel‘s back fracture wasn’t entirely caused by that single last straw

It wasn't the only reason, agreed, that isnt up for debate either, but the fact is the Maynard incident ended it.

 

[MD Jazz]

It wasn't the only reason, agreed, that isnt up for debate either, but the fact is the Maynard incident ended it.

You cannot definitively know that. Those scans may have been the same regardless of the hit. Everyone is different.

Maynard is getting crucified unfairly IMO.

 

[tigersnake]

You cannot definitively know that. Those scans may have been the same regardless of the hit. Everyone is different.

Maynard is getting crucified unfairly IMO.

Come on, Seriously? Your missing my point, you're trying to deflect everything back to Maynard being unfairly blamed, thats not my point. Again, my point is the Maynard incident ended Brayshaw's career, regardless of the rights or wrongs of the incident. If someone else had knocked him out, dirty or fair, accident or intentional, De Goey, Moore, a drinks carrier, a team mate, they would have been the one who ended his career. And if there had been no hit, he wouldn't have retired.

 

[artball]

You cannot definitively know that. Those scans may have been the same regardless of the hit. Everyone is different.

Maynard is getting crucified unfairly IMO.

Don't know that it's about crucifying Maynard, but Brayshaws last professional football moment was the 'collision'.
It was the last thing, his finale. That's the end for him.
Because of the 'collision' with Maynard.

 

[eZyT]

Maynard didnt end Brayshaws career.

the last time he will ever hold a Sherrin, he was getting knocked out by Maynard.


this is like saying Ivan milat didn't end any backpackers lives, they were already dying.

 

[Tigers of Old]

The problem for the game as I see is it the goal posts of what's acceptable contact to the head keep shifting & I expect will continue to do so.

Head contact in marking contests will be next on the agenda. Protecting the opposition players head will be paramount.

We're basically heading towards basketball with kicking IMHO.

 

[eZyT]

The problem for the game as I see is it the goal posts of what's acceptable contact to the head keep shifting & I expect will continue to do so.

Head contact in marking contests will be next on the agenda. Protecting the opposition players head will be paramount.

We're basically heading towards basketball with kicking IMHO.

I could see a silver lining if they outlaw footy tomorrow; Gold Coast never succeeded and Dusty never retired.

 

[Stackey]

The problem for the game as I see is it the goal posts of what's acceptable contact to the head keep shifting & I expect will continue to do so.

Head contact in marking contests will be next on the agenda. Protecting the opposition players head will be paramount.

We're basically heading towards basketball with kicking IMHO.

The Irish Game imo!

 

[YeOldeTiger]

Players do put themselves in vulnerable positions unnecessarily. Keith exposed himself to danger in the Lynch knockout. Should he get into trouble for that?

There has definitely been an increase in players looking for head or high contact. How do you stop them getting rewarded?

Keith did initiate that contact and no he shouldn't get into trouble for it and neither should Lynch, which is why it was thrown out. Lynch had no case to answer.

There IS a rule that if you duck your head seeking head high contact, it's play on. It would help a lot if that rule was consistently applied, every time. The umpire needs to yell "keep your head up!". It wouldn't take long to stop it.

Joel Selwood is the only player in AFL history to have received over 1000 free kicks in his career. I'd estimate half of them were from drawing those free kicks by leading with his head or shrugging his shoulders or dropping his knees to make the tackle slip high. (Many of those times you see the tackler complain to the umpire, before that was banned, that Selwood was playing for a free by using his head). We all saw it for 15 years.

If the umpires didn't pay those free kicks others wouldn't do it, it wouldn't be an incentive to kids coming into the game, the media might have stopped blowing hot air up his ass for being some kind of hero (I admit he was a terrific player) and he wouldn't carry the nickname Duckwood to his grave.

If Selwood has problems later in life like Danny Frawley or Shane Tuck (and I certainly hope he doesn't) who will be to blame for that ?

 

[TrialByVideo]

According to Mitch Cleary, Max Gawn said him and Angus shared a bottle of Grange over the weekend....
Nothing more stereotypically Melbourne than a couple of chaps lounging around partaking in a fine drop!
No reports yet as to whether Steven May cleared out the room later!

 

[RoarEmotion]

Keith did initiate that contact and no he shouldn't get into trouble for it and neither should Lynch, which is why it was thrown out. Lynch had no case to answer.

There IS a rule that if you duck your head seeking head high contact, it's play on. It would help a lot if that rule was consistently applied, every time. The umpire needs to yell "keep your head up!". It wouldn't take long to stop it.

Joel Selwood is the only player in AFL history to have received over 1000 free kicks in his career. I'd estimate half of them were from drawing those free kicks by leading with his head or shrugging his shoulders or dropping his knees to make the tackle slip high. (Many of those times you see the tackler complain to the umpire, before that was banned, that Selwood was playing for a free by using his head). We all saw it for 15 years.

If the umpires didn't pay those free kicks others wouldn't do it, it wouldn't be an incentive to kids coming into the game, the media might have stopped blowing hot air up his ass for being some kind of hero (I admit he was a terrific player) and he wouldn't carry the nickname Duckwood to his grave.

If Selwood has problems later in life like Danny Frawley or Shane Tuck (and I certainly hope he doesn't) who will be to blame for that ?

He (Selwood) literally said that was what he did in an interview I heard. And that if he made his choices over he would do it again. Terrible leadership IMO from an AFL leader tone deaf to the concussion issue but shows you what behaviours win at all costs can drive.

I’ll try and find it.

 

[Tigers of Old]

I'm not a fan but SPP pretty unlucky I reckon that Brayshaw retired this week.
As he approached the contest the tackle was swung in his direction. I get you're not allowed to bump but it's not as if he lined the guy up.
He literally changes his mind to brace 3 steps away from contact. Arguably to protect himself from getting hurt.
The collateral damage to Keane is quite a bit of bad luck.
It's going to cost him a month but geezus the expectations on players now is getting ridiculous.
Tough game to play.

 

[TigerPort]

............Joel Selwood is the only player in AFL history to have received over 1000 free kicks in his career......

Had to check that. 890 free kicks for and 460 against over his AFL career. So with preseason games added he would get close to the 1,000 mark

Bartlett had 931
Michael Tuck ahd 957

 

[YeOldeTiger]

I'm not a fan but SPP pretty unlucky I reckon that Brayshaw retired this week.
As he approached the contest the tackle was swung in his direction. I get you're not allowed to bump but it's not as if he lined the guy up.
He literally changes his mind to brace 3 steps away from contact. Arguably to protect himself from getting hurt.
The collateral damage to Keane is quite a bit of bad luck.
It's going to cost him a month but geezus the expectations on players now is getting ridiculous.
Tough game to play.

Agreed, it's a tough game to play now. There's a duty of care responsibility that didn't seem to be there (as much anyway) when we played. It was always in the back of your mind that someone would try to clock you so you had to have your wits about you and you were encouraged to be the hardest one going at the ball, that meant you were the one less likely to get hurt. I was always taught that you go hard at the ball and you tackle to hurt. That didn't mean elbowing blokes in the head or running through them in my book but geez there was a lot of it.

 

[YeOldeTiger]

Had to check that. 890 free kicks for and 460 against over his AFL career. So with preseason games added he would get close to the 1,000 mark

Bartlett had 931
Michael Tuck ahd 957

Ok interesting. There was an article just before he retired that he'd clocked up 1000 free kicks and was the first to do it. That's where I got it from. I have no idea what publication it was though so I'll take your word for it. KB and Tucky did play 400+ games however.

I stand by my comment.

 

[TigerPort]

Ok interesting. There was an article just before he retired that he'd clocked up 1000 free kicks and was the first to do it. That's where I got it from. I have no idea what publication it was though so I'll take your word for it. KB and Tucky did play 400+ games however.

I stand by my comment.

It is all good. Got the stats from AFL Tables

The gist of your post is still relevant. KB's average was around 2.3 and Thompsons was 3.3. Selwood averaged 2.5 so you would imagine he would have many more had he played for Collingwood

 

[eZyT]

nothing like a hip and shoulder to produce multiple perspectives these days

mine:

powell peppers hit on the irishman in a practice match was extraordinarily dumb at absolute best.

he appeared to be hunting someone to knock out leading up to it,

then just shouldered him in the head while he was being spun in a tackle.

Been sent to the tribunal.

but who'd *smile* know what the AFL will do?

could be anything from deregistration to making him Australian of the Year.

just depends which precedent the media settle on; Maynard or Mansell?

and if Powell pepper knocks on the Irishman's door with a Riverdance DVD and a bouquet of four leaf clovers

unfortunately, they just have to ban the hip and shoulder.

As artful as a well timed H&S is, its a bit of a no brainer to just ban it and make one a month off.

youde reckon no sling tackle and no H&S, policed consistently, and concussions halve at least?

life went on in league without the spear tackle.

if, and its the biggest of ifs, the AFL communicated it and adjudicated it strategically and consistently,

everyone would adjust in 2 months,