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In my career, I was knocked out close to a dozen times. That’s not something to boast about. In fact, thinking back now, I often wonder if I made the right choices.
One particular moment stands out.
I was playing at halfback for the Roosters against Manly at Brookvale Oval. I received a head knock in a tackle as I got up for the scrum and I remember standing there with the ball and I had no idea what to do with it, even after Luke Ricketson came over and said “feed it.”
I kept playing that game, but I often think about those concussions and how it could affect me later in life.
We were always told as players to put the team first. The more you sacrificed yourself for the team, the better team person you were.
Regardless of what’s now known about head injuries and the upcoming James McManus case, you put players in a pressure situation in a big game and they’re always going to put the team first.
That’s why whatever the player says about their condition and state of mind after a head knock should be irrelevant.
The NRL has made big strides in dealing with concussion. But more needs to be done.
There’s so much pressure on club doctors to make a call on concussions that effectively change the course of matches.
The reality is that a doctor is a person just like anyone else. Also, they’re appointed by the club, which means they can be influenced by the club and they can be under pressure from the coach.
I saw it many times in my career.
The doctor says one thing in the clinic; the physio says another thing; then you get down to training and the coach starts to exert a little bit of pressure. So instead of a blanket agreement that “he can’t train,” it turns into: “well, maybe he can do a bit of light training.”
Before too long it’s: “If you can make a tackle, then why aren’t you training?”
When it comes to game day, I’d love to see the pressure taken out of the club doctor’s hands by giving the responsibility to impartial medical advisors.
We have three guys in the NRL bunker making the call on a try. Why not have three independent doctors coming to a consensus on a player’s condition after a head knock?
Even for independent doctors it’s a tough call.
A light concussion is something you can’t see. It’s not an injury that physically limits you and you can get through a game on autopilot if need be. A lot of the symptoms of brain damage don’t show for years after.
If you turn up to training on a Monday, there’s nothing physically wrong with you. That’s why the player is the worst person to make a decision on whether they’re up for training, let alone playing.
The outcome of the James McManus case could have serious repercussions right across the sporting landscape in Australia, not just for this sport but for other sports as well.
Once you’re retired and forgotten about, if you start experiencing ongoing problems attributed to your football career then I can see why players in that situation would want some sort of compensation.
When I forget things now I do wonder if it’s just about me getting older or the effects of a professional football career. Who knows?
There’s more and more evidence coming out each year.
While we wait for more studies, we have to make sure that we’re doing everything to ensure the sport is as safe as it possibly can be.