Rhino, Jude and those head knocks

[Jesse Richards]

What concerns me with this is that your basically saying that our medical staff are being negligent with our players. If a guy of Nathan Gibbs experience and integrity clears these players then that's enough for me. For you to say that you have no doubt when you aren't their doctor and do not have access to all the facts is just plain stubborn.

I sincerely hope that I am wrong. Regardless of their form I hope that Jude and ROK will suffer no long lasting effects. And, stubbornly (thanks for the compliment Big Al - I am rarely called stubborn) there is still no doubt in my mind that they are still suffering from those concussions. And I must be wrong because Nathan Gibbs et al have cleared them to play.

[rojo]

Well I just hope that their drop in form is unrelated to their being concussed because if it is concussion related it is a bit of a worry that after 4 weeks they haven't bounced back. I am with you JR but the Swans' doctor was correctly following current AFL guidelines. At least when concern was raised in the media about Jordan Lewis and Jude playing on after being concussed, the AFL announced that they will review their guidelines re this.

[BSA5]

I repeat, there is no doubt IN MY MIND. This is my opinion. That's why I worded it that way. Of course there may be other contributing factors. But, I repeat, again, there is no doubt in my mind that Jude and ROK are still suffering from the effects of their concussion. The extent is debatable.

Just because it's your opinion doesn't make it a good one. It always annoys me how people defend their opinions by saying "it's my opinion". Some opinions are a matter of taste. Those can't be wrong or right (to an extent, I still think anybody who likes Ke$ha should be shot), but other opinions should be based on sense, and if they aren't based on sense, then they are misguided.

Now, ROK and Jude have both been in poor form recently, and the start of this coincided roughly with some heavy knocks to the head. However, both have received plenty of other physical punishment this year, and the structure of the team has changed significantly over this period. To me, ROK in particular looks more like he's struggling with a groin/leg complaint. He has lost a bit of speed and mobility, and his kicking action looks mechanical and forced. Both Jude and ROK have found their traditional role in the side replaced somewhat by the emergence of Hanners and arrival of Kennedy, as well as McVeigh developing his inside game (second for us in clearances this year, at 4.7 per game) and Jack rotating through the middle and half-forward. This could be why Jude and ROK have been pushed forward. It could be a combination of all of the above. The point is, it is far from clear that these head knocks have affected their game. It might have, it's certainly a possibility, but to have "no doubt" is absolutely ridiculous. To be perfectly honest, you have no idea. Neither do I. Neither do any of us. All we can do is make educated guesses.

My educated guess is that ROK and Jude have had a bit of a rough time, including, and perhaps started by, but far from limited to their head knocks, and this, combined with other players being able to step into their role and play it well, has meant that Roos has let them rest for long periods of time in the forwardline, where they are not quite comfortable, but can still contribute without demanding too much of them. This is to the detriment of their personal games (and my SuperCoach), but to the overall benefit of the team. I say this with quite a great deal of doubt, but it seems to be the most likely scenario.

THAT is an opinion (in my opinion).