After Sydney Swans star Paddy McCartin suffered his tenth concussion in the AFL this weekend, former teammate Leigh Montagna says “big decisions” need to be made regarding his future.
After a seemingly innocuous moment during Sydney’s thrilling one-point loss to Port Adelaide at the SCG, McCartin fell face down into the turf and had to be assisted by trainers outside the park.
For what appeared to be a very light blow to the head, the footage was disturbing and led to many calls for the 26-year-old star to call it quits.
St Kilda’s Leigh Montagna was deeply concerned for his former team-mate and admitted it was ‘alarming’ to see him leave the pitch on Saturday.
“I think about what we saw on Saturday night in the Sydney v Port Adelaide game and the vision of Paddy McCartin and the concussion. Like most people who watched that game, I think it was confrontational, worrying and quite alarming,” said he. said on Fox Footy’s First Crack.
After Swans star Paddy McCartin suffered his tenth AFL concussion this weekend, former teammate Leigh Montagna says ‘big decisions’ need to be made regarding his future
St Kilda’s Leigh Montagna (pictured with Nick Riewoldt) was very concerned for his former team-mate and has admitted it was ‘alarming’ to see him leave the pitch on Saturday
“To see, I think, with what ease he got a concussion from such an innocent incident. Undoubtedly some big decisions will have to be made in the coming weeks.’
Montagna highlighted the deeply troubling effects head trauma has had on other former players.
“What I would say is I’ve seen friends and teammates who are really struggling after football, partly because of a concussion. It has impacted their lives and in some ways quite severely,” he said.
“It’s going to be a challenge for him in terms of what it looks like in the future.
“I was one of those who was surprised that he came back and played, obviously playing with him in St Kilda as a teammate and friend. Seeing some of the incidents that left him with a concussion, hearing him speak publicly about the effects a concussion had on his life, to come back and play.
“The one thing he can’t do with his decision making is project onto what his health and his life will look like in 25 years, that’s the hardest part. I suppose the question is, what would a 50-year-old Paddy McCartin say to himself tomorrow? Is it really worth it?’
Former Geelong and Adelaide power forward Josh Jenkins admitted that both McCartin and the AFL face an ‘impossible’ decision.
It’s an impossible situation for them. They won’t be able to tell him that you’ll be fine if you take a month off. Or if you take 12 days off, you’ll be fine. And that’s why I wonder if the AFL will step in and try to have its say,” he told SEN radio.
Montagna highlighted the deeply troubling effects head trauma has had on other former players
Former Geelong and Adelaide power forward Josh Jenkins admitted both McCartin and the AFL face an ‘impossible’ decision
“Not just because of what’s happening on the periphery, but what’s best for the young man, what’s best for the game, what it looks like for the image of the game.
Paddy McCartin’s desire to play the game is also important. He has a right to recover and wants to get back on the ground, but when you’ve had 10 concussions I can’t help but think that sometimes you have to protect someone from themselves.
“I’m very good friends with Paul Seedsman, I know how hard it has been for him not to be allowed to play the game. I’m really devastated, but my overwhelming feeling is that you probably need to protect some of these players from themselves.”
Lyon, pictured at the state memorial service for former Australian cricketer Shane Warne, is a close family friend of McCartin’s and said people shouldn’t race to get the Swans star to retire
According to Garry Lyon, a family friend of McCartin’s, the Sydney player faces important choices but will have the support of a team made up of family members and top medical experts from the AFL in making his decision.
“I’m not Paddy’s spokesperson, but I’ve spoken to him and the family today and he’s feeling good today,” he told Fox Footy.
“He’s got a lot of decisions to make, but let’s not race to be the first to try and get Paddy out of retirement. Speaking of intervening and trying to protect him from himself paints the picture of him being a villain who does things on his own. He has a fantastic supportive family, he has a football club right behind him. They will always put his health at the forefront, and let’s give him some slack.
Concussion expert Dr. Alan Pearce believes that, given his long history of concussions, McCartin “should be protected from himself” and should consider retiring.
‘While I am not aware of Paddy’s latest concussion, [given] his history of this injury, he needs his doctors to discuss with him the risks to his long-term brain health and seriously consider retirement,” said Dr Pearce Fairfax.
“It is a very difficult decision psychologically for Paddy and he would need support to cope with this, but medical retirement should be considered. Athletes need to protect themselves.’
Concussion expert Dr Alan Pearce believes that given his long history of concussions, McCartin should be ‘protected from himself’ and should consider retiring
When he was cleared to return with the Swans, who picked him up as a preseason roster, the AFL believed he was no more at risk than other players; but Dr. Pearce said that contradicted the evidence.
“The evidence clearly shows that a history of concussion carries an increased risk of further concussion. The lower the impact force required for subsequent concussion, the greater the risk of worse symptoms and the risk of longer recovery periods,” he said.
“If these sports embrace [that] ‘the health and well-being of our athletes is our top priority’, why are they allowing players to suffer brain injuries? It wouldn’t happen in other workplaces.’