Source : ABC NEWS
The AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA) says they are disappointed in the immediate handling of a player’s serious on-field injury after play was not stopped despite a clear concussion.
Collingwood forward Lachie Schultz was badly concussed in the Magpies’ win over Fremantle at Perth Stadium last Thursday when he attempted to tackle Dockers defender Jordan Clark.
He went to ground and was clearly concussed, with his arm involuntarily held up in the air.
Audio obtained by Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters revealed on Tuesday night that field umpires were aware Schultz was injured when they allowed play to continue while he was sprawled out on the turf. This is despite later telling the AFL they had not seen him.
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“It is now clear that the umpires noticed Lachie Schultz’s injury and had the opportunity to stop the play to ensure he left the field safely,” AFLPA CEO Paul Marsh said.
“What this highlights to us is that the process of dealing with vital health and safety issues on the field is unclear, and there are many recent examples of the industry needing to better prepare everyone for when these situations occur.
“Equally, we are disappointed that the AFL failed to appropriately review a serious on-field incident but acknowledge that they have taken responsibility for this.”
The audio revealed one umpire heard saying: “We have got an injured player in the middle. I am watching … We are OK. We are OK.”
After Collingwood moved the ball inside 50, some of Schultz’s teammates appealed for medical help. In the audio, an umpire is heard telling a player on the ground: “We can only stop the play if the ball is coming near or if they instruct us to.”
This contradicts a statement released by the AFL last Friday, which said play should have been stopped but the four umpires had not seen Schultz on the ground: “The umpires did not see the injured player at the time, so play continued. Upon review, if the umpires were aware, play would have been stopped.”
AFL football boss Laura Kane said the AFL had initially been given the wrong information by the umpires but took full responsibility for the error.
“The statement we released was incorrect, but we were given the wrong information from the umpires,” she said in a statement provided to Channel 7.
“It’s inconsistent with the vision. They [the umpires] were going off memory and not the vision and we should always look at the vision.
“All the field umpires from the game have all been coached this afternoon that they should have stopped the game.”
Marsh added the union welcomed the opportunity to work with the industry to continually strengthen health and safety protocols for members, particularly given the seriousness of head injuries.
