I don't know what the outcome of this will be or how heavy a hit it was, but having seen the footage on the news the guy who hit him should never play the game again.  No pretence of playing the ball, he saw that Gus was looking the other direction, ran in and blindsided him with an elbow to the head.  If he'd done it outside a pub he'd be looking at spending the next few years in prison.  I see no reason for him to get off lightly just because he did it on a sporting field. 

52 minutes ago, RalphiusMaximus said:

... but having seen the footage on the news the guy who hit him should never play the game again.  

If anyone has a link I'd be interested in seeing it.

8 hours ago, monoccular said:

Does former Board member, Peter Dohrman, still post here?  I know he used to  

Emminent neurosurgeon - I am sure he could offer a far more expert opinion not necessarily on Gus but on modern management and disgnosis of concussion than anyone else here. 

He probably could however concussion/brain injuries are usually the domain of neurologists while neurosurgeons specialise in spinal injuries.

8 hours ago, monoccular said:

Usually taken seriously, but I suspect the Pedo and Col Sylvia may beg to differ. 

The Geelong player who was knocked senseless by an MRP verdict last week might disagree.

10 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

A heavy helmet can actually make concussion worse...

A 300kg man slamming you into the turf in a manner that would get you 6 weeks in the AFL, with your head hitting the ground with 50g of force, can also make concussion worse.

44 minutes ago, Ted Fidge said:

A 300kg man slamming you into the turf in a manner that would get you 6 weeks in the AFL, with your head hitting the ground with 50g of force, can also make concussion worse.

Yes it can and with a helmet could be even worse!!

His father Mark Brayshaw is on SEN and said (not verbatim):

• Angus is fine after the latest knock. 
• Mark and his wife had a long chat with the doctor yesterday and expect Gus to be available to play this week.  Mum more worried than Dad.
• Club doctors are very good and conservative and are keen to keep parents in the loop.
• Angus's doctor said his issue is at the lower end.
• Angus has been a bit unlucky with head knocks rather than how he plays
• Doctor's explained wearing a helmet only increases the circumference of the 'target' so helmets don't really help
• Gus has no structural damage
• His mum doesn't want him to stop playing but does worry (more than dad)
• Grateful for the chance to talk as it clears things up for lots of family and friends.

Its great that Gus's dad has come out and cleared the air.  If nothing else it stops journos creating dramatic headlines.  A father is a lot more convincing than a club. 

Delighted that Gus is ok and can get on with his football.

 

 

Edited April 23, 20178 yr by Lucifer's Hero

It seems to me in order to reduce concussion a helmet must be very thick to allow the head to decellerate slowly.    If you know all the relevant numbers (max acceleration the brain can withstand inside the skull, the initial momentum, behaviour of possible helmet materials, etc.) then it must be possible to say how thick the helmet needs to be (as that pretty much determines the stopping distance and time over which the brain must be brought to rest). 

Sounds like the answer is ridiculously thick for collisions leading to serious concussion. 

But for much less serious impacts, perhaps some padding will suffice to prevent minor concussions since it increases the stopping distance from almost zero to a couple of centimeters. On the other hand, perhaps such low impacts don't lead to even minor concussion so there is little point in the padding.

Edited April 23, 20178 yr by sue

A helmet would do little to prevent a dog act behind play.  The perpetrator should pay a hefty price.

Mark Brayshaw 

"Lower end of the spectrum".

"Not predisposed to this type of injury".  "Had some bad luck, like a football kicked into the back of his head."

 

I hope people can just accept that clubs are far more cautious with head knocks these days and that there's no issue with Brayshaw playing footy now or in the foreseeable future.

Don't like my chances...

 

People sweat the small things here.  Hogan's dart, Pederson's non selection, Spencer rucking, Melksham playing, Vince, Hogan and Lewis suspensions, the list goes on

Angus' form and health and his ability to deliver on his potential is the only thing that's really concerned me this year.  Get well Gus and hit top form!

1 hour ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

His father Mark Brayshaw is on SEN and said (not verbatim):

• Angus is fine after the latest knock. 
• Mark and his wife had a long chat with the doctor yesterday and expect Gus to be available to play this week.  Mum more worried than Dad.
• Club doctors are very good and conservative and are keen to keep parents in the loop.
• Angus's doctor said his issue is at the lower end.
• Angus has been a bit unlucky with head knocks rather than how he plays
• Doctor's explained wearing a helmet only increases the circumference of the 'target' so helmets don't really help
• Gus has no structural damage
• His mum doesn't want him to stop playing but does worry (more than dad)
• Grateful for the chance to talk as it clears things up for lots of family and friends.

Its great that Gus's dad has come out and cleared the air.  If nothing else it stops journos creating dramatic headlines.  A father is a lot more convincing than a club. 

Delighted that Gus is ok and can get on with his football.

 

 

This is very good news!!

Thanks for the detailed run down of the news Lucifer. 

Thanks for the run info. Good to hear it's not serious and hopefully he has a long successful career with the Dees. He's a talent and it'd be great for him to have a good run at making the most of his career and being healthy.

1 hour ago, picket fence said:

This is very good news!!

Now just got to get the MRP heroes to protect the ball-carrier, it's a no-brainer.

The AFL brought over one of the guys who advises the NFL on minimizing concussion. Heard him interviewed on the radio.

FWIW I recall him saying that the structure of the AFL game as played was not a high concussion risk sport. Hope he is right.

NFL on the other hand maximises high risk repetitive body contact not only with the ball carrier but also the defensive and offensive lines. The one who is often at most risk perhaps is the quarterback who can take a big hit when hit by a blindsided sacking. The upside if there is one is that such sackings while not rare are not common.

 

8 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

• Angus has been a bit unlucky with head knocks rather than how he plays

 

Unlucky, but not necessarily random. Sniped after the kick. ANB plotting to take his spot. There may be elements that can still be addressed to reduce the potential for knocks - such as learning to be more alert to the whereabouts of opponent and ball.

Brayshaw lacks awareness. No easy fix.

What ... he's got no awareness that someone's going to whack him off the ball when he isn't looking?

2 minutes ago, KingDingAling said:

Brayshaw lacks awareness. No easy fix.

I think being dropped off the ball and having your own team mate kick the ball into your head should fall into the 'bad luck' category.

6 minutes ago, KingDingAling said:

Brayshaw lacks awareness. No easy fix.

So every bloke Matthews king hit 'lacked awareness'?

Just now, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

I think being dropped off the ball and having your own team mate kick the ball into your head should fall into the 'bad luck' category.

Continuously getting concussed kind of takes the luck out of it.

Just now, Uncle Fester said:

So every bloke Matthews king hit 'lacked awareness'?

You could say they weren't aware, yes.

4 minutes ago, KingDingAling said:

Continuously getting concussed kind of takes the luck out of it.

He's had the grand total of 3 concussions.

One was when a teammate kicked a ball into the back of his head as he was running forward of the play, i.e. freak accident.

That leaves two concussions.  Did you see either of those ?

1 minute ago, KingDingAling said:

You could say they weren't aware, yes.

Bet you'd be the first bloke to yell 'footsteps!' if they did stop to look around.