Weekly Times | YARRAM Football Club’s new concussion protocols were put to immediate use on Saturday.
Demons president Shane Richards said an incident a week earlier in the North Gippsland league prompted them to put a program in place.
On Saturday the Demons’ Trek Davis was assisted from the ground after emerging at the bottom of a stoppage in the second quarter against Rosedale. He was assessed by the club’s trainer, including physical tests at half-time, and returned in the third quarter.
Richards said he watched the testing process, based on AFL guidelines, being applied. Davis’ parents were given a checklist to monitor his condition over the weekend.
AFL community club guidelines advises players who have suffered a concussion, or are suspected to be concussed, not to return to the field and be medically assessed before they do.
Richards said clubs did not have the medical knowledge on hand to diagnose concussions, and the Demons could only work off its checklist. “He did (the tests) and ... again 20 minutes later and then they took him back on the ground, and I thought we’ve done everything we can do,” Richards said.
Yarram’s trainers now have the final say on whether players can return to the ground.
