Bazza worried about Kirk ?

[Primmy]

Brent Staker is still playing for the Brisbane Lions AG. STILL PLAYING.

[Auntie.Gerald]

greg williams is retired........and suffering

[Xie Shan]

had Kirk have been asked you would have got a whole buch of new age crap that makes no sense. (just waiting for the Kirk lovers to jump up and down now)

Hehe very true Wardy, and I am a Kirk lover!

It's a tough one though, you are your own best doctor and we saw that with Goodesy in the grand final, he truly believed that he could still contribute and he not only did that but was the match winner! Concussion is a different kettle of fish though. One of Kirk's defining qualities as a player was his mental toughness. With concussion, your judgement is clouded and as Primmy said, you can behave out of character. So I agree that players do need to be protected from themselves to some extent. But then, if we let the medicos have the final say, then we wouldn't get these inspirational stories of courage and sacrifice and ability to push through your limitations, since these add to the mythology of the game. It's the modern day equivalent of gladiators going to war. Every Swans supporter would remember Kirk donning the headgear at three-quarter-time of the preliminary final against the Saints in 2005 and gathering the guys together for one last effort, and the incredible quarter of football that followed.

[goswannies]

It's a tough one though, you are your own best doctor

I'm sorry XS but I have to disagree. People are very rarely their own best doctors. People are rarely objective. They rarely consider the long term consequences and repercussions of the decisions they make (particularly "in the heat of battle" on the sporting field, with the adrenaline flowing & the "I mustn't let my team mates down" bravado mentality. Sure Goodsey was heroic, but WHAT IF he had twisted his knee ruptured his ACL, MCL, & meniscus. He didn't, I know, but if he did ... puts him out for a year, leads to premature knee replacements etc. Concussion is worse, as poor judgement is impaired further.

if we let the medicos have the final say, then we wouldn't get these inspirational stories of courage and sacrifice and ability to push through your limitations, since these add to the mythology of the game.

Medicos spend an awful long time learning their trade, to make informed decisions in the best interests of their patients. They weigh up what the repercussions are to the player AND the club. To suggest that doctors & physios are in any way attempting to detract from the mythology of the game is somewhat ludicrous. They are doing the job they are trained for.
In the end, it's a game. For the players it IS an important part of their lives. But it is a relatively short period of their lives in the grand scheme of their total lifespan. It would be tragic to have the latter half of your life ruined by a few incidents of concussion during your playing career ... to the point where you scarcely remember that career (or many other important events).

[0918330512]

Wonder where this discussion will leave a concussion prone Tippett? Get him a bubble wrap lined helmet, I say! ... I want him to remember his 3 Premierships & 5 Coleman medals with the Swans!!

[Nico]

Goswannies, I agree with all of your post no.19. The over riding factor for AFL players is the abilty to earn a very high income at a young age that they would most likely not have achieved otherwise, and are prepared to take the risk of injury/concussion and any long term affects. Previously they would have known about knees, ankles, hips atheritis etc but now concussion affects come into the equation. I was recently talking to a bit of a cult hero VFL footballer of the 70's and 80's who said parts of his body are shot to pieces, but he appeared to have no congnitive issues.

[Primmy]

Wonder where this discussion will leave a concussion prone Tippett? Get him a bubble wrap lined helmet, I say! ... I want him to remember his 3 Premierships & 5 Coleman medals with the Swans!!

His delay in coming
back may be the best thing that ever happened.
a) He has full recovery time and grows from it.
b) We get someone even better than crows thought they had lost
c) Jesse proves himself to be a brilliant player (sigh) and crows internally fracture at the thought of not taking him
d) The footy department win again!!! Yayyyy

[Xie Shan]

I'm sorry XS but I have to disagree. People are very rarely their own best doctors. People are rarely objective. They rarely consider the long term consequences and repercussions of the decisions they make (particularly "in the heat of battle" on the sporting field, with the adrenaline flowing & the "I mustn't let my team mates down" bravado mentality. Sure Goodsey was heroic, but WHAT IF he had twisted his knee ruptured his ACL, MCL, & meniscus. He didn't, I know, but if he did ... puts him out for a year, leads to premature knee replacements etc. Concussion is worse, as poor judgement is impaired further.

I know, and you're exactly right. When you look at it rationally, of course there is no way you would risk doing serious long-term damage to your body to win a game of football. And the medical staff do have the players' best interests at heart. Somehow, I am still in awe of those guys that have that ability to play through pain, the relationship between the mind and the body is a fascinating one. If your desire is strong enough, you won't let anything stand in your way to achieve your goal. In the case of concussion, I definitely believe in erring on the side of caution, as in a concussed state you are more likely to do further damage to yourself than pull off an inspirational act of courage. That is where the doctor comes in, to judge whether a player is mentally and physically able to continue, and when the risk of doing further harm becomes too great.