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Sport Nation
The change the AFL should make surrounding concussion protocols
Jaiden Sciberras • May 18th, 2025 1:39 pm
With continuous discussions surrounding the AFL’s concussion protocols, former Demon David Schwarz believes more needs to be done to protect players clearly impacted by head-high collisions.
Following incidents surrounding Lachie Schultz and more recently Aaron Francis, Schwarz is adamant that the AFL needs to show more care in removing the impacted players from the ground.
As part of the league's concussion protocol, players involved in head knocks must be immediately removed from the ground to undergo a medical assessment.
Common practice sees the players walk or jog from the ground following such collisions, often featuring a number of stumbles and falls given the player is severely rocked by the incident.
With that in mind, Schwarz has called for the AFL to introduce more caution surrounding active concussion cases, with the concept of an impartial doctor active at each AFL game.
“The one thing I would really like to see is the AFL have an independent doctor at every game,” Schwarz told SEN’s Point of View.
“When something like this happens, the independent doctor goes out and assesses so there’s no bias.
“The decision is made, we protect the player, we lay him down, put a neck brace on.
“What’s the first thing that happens when you turn up to a car crash? You don’t get the person out of the car, unless the car is on fire, leave the person there because whether he is concussed or he might have some neck issue or some back issue, you can do more damage.
“How Lachie Schultz was allowed to get onto his feet, stumble down, then get up and try to jog off (is ridiculous). I hate it, it is horrible. It is a horrible look.”
Both Schultz and Francis left the ground on their own terms, with Schultz jogging from the ground despite evidently appearing in poor shape.
