After sustaining two head knocks in a fortnight, Matthew Pavlich will have the concussion he suffered against Carlton closely monitored before a ruling is made on whether he plays against Geelong next Saturday.
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Pavlich went down heavily in a clash last week that knocked out St Kilda’s Sean Dempster. While the Saint left the field in a neck brace and on a stretcher, the Fremantle skipper recovered quickly and played out the game. Fremantle’s doctors saw no need to test Pavlich for concussion.
On Thursday night, however, Pavlich came off second best in a contest when a Carlton opponent’s elbow struck him in the face during the second quarter.
The 32-year-old was forced from the field and diagnosed with concussion in the dressing rooms. Subbed out of the game from half-time, Pavlich watched the Dockers’ narrow victory from the sidelines.
Fremantle players were given the day off on Friday and the squad does not travel to Melbourne for next Saturday night’s high-stakes contest with Geelong at Simonds Stadium until Thursday.
Pavlich’s condition will be monitored and the club was not yet prepared to say whether the captain would play.
"We've got strict protocols in place," coach Ross Lyon said after the match at Petersons Stadium. "He'll either be healthy to play or he won't be, and I never get involved. So really, I'm like you guys - sitting in the theatre waiting for the outcome. But obviously we would like him to play if he could.”
The issue of concussion, including its diagnosis and treatment, remains an angst-ridden topic in the AFL and in sport internationally.
This year, the AFL Players Association, in conjunction with the AFL, is driving a new study of retired footballers designed to target mental function and health issues that may be linked to concussion.
Retirees who are deemed to be showing concerning signs such as memory loss, after experts analyse survey results, will be referred for free brain scans at Melbourne’s Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health.
The idea of having independent medical experts at AFL games – separate to club doctors and medical staff - to help make rulings on potentially concussed players is also being re-explored.
The AFLPA’s acting CEO, Ian Prendergast, said last month he remained concerned about the handling of what he termed “low-end concussion” on match days. Prendergast called for a further toughening of AFL protocols on the matter.
AFL football operations boss Mark Evans has agreed there is a need for more clarity around procedures on match day. He also flagged last month that the concussion substitute rule could be fine-tuned.
This season’s most alarming case of concussion saw Greater Western Sydney’s Heath Shaw diagnosed with bleeding on the brain after an in-play hit in round 15.
Shaw is set to return this weekend, five weeks after he last played.
