Ok I know this isn't strictly about Melbourne, but it raises for me a very significant point about football clubs and their duty of care (if indeed it even exists)

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/com...5E20322,00.html

The article above refers to Luke Ball missing his second week in a row due to concussion from the head clash with Wheels. There are suspicions that he may even have Odema (swelling) on the brain. Should he have actually have returned onto the field - I'm certainly no expert, but even from a laymans point of view, you'd have to form the opinion at the very least that while it may not have contributed to the end result, you were in fact exposing the player who had been unconcious and was clearly concussed to even greater risk of injury if he had another head knock.

Clearly the saints have form for this with Kosi, last year playing when he shouldn't (suggestions were that he may even have been leaking fluid from the brain at the time)

Anyway the whole point in raising this is I am starting to lean towards Leigh Matthew's suggestion of only using the interchange to substitute for injured players the way the Rugby league do. (blood rule excepted) I am not sure whether it will lead to a decrease in injuries or not, but it may stop what I believe is clearly a farcical situation where clubs in effect are putting the longterm health of players at risk.

Should Robbo have returned to the field on Monday?

According to MMM, his knee swelled up straight away and they still brought him back on, only for him to hurt it further.

Now he's going in for surgery.

Maybe it had no impact, maybe it did. Bottom line is, it was a risk not worth taking... not at Round 2.

should there be a distinction between concussions and structural injuries?

i agree we need to do something about the interchange bench. the problem with the substitute system is that there needs to be some level of treatment of a player on the ground...what if he gets a knock to the chest and is winded do you take him off for good, or make him stay on and fight through it. i actually like the idea of making the player work through it. it will bring back the hardness of the game. you have to be able to last all day.

should there be a distinction between concussions and structural injuries?

i agree we need to do something about the interchange bench. the problem with the substitute system is that there needs to be some level of treatment of a player on the ground...what if he gets a knock to the chest and is winded do you take him off for good, or make him stay on and fight through it. i actually like the idea of making the player work through it. it will bring back the hardness of the game. you have to be able to last all day.

Ditto, the heavier stronger bodies would be needed to survive. players like dipper, kink, ayres, brereton, watson, G ablett, dunstall, lockett. williams(greg) bring back eighties

i'll add to what i said.

by making players play through any soreness or injuries (such as winding or a heavy knock) it will bring back physical hardness as an advantage. if people were using their body it takes more out of the opposition who need to get up and run to the next contest. if they don't you have an extra player floating around.

unfortunately i cant see the afl going back to this substitute system as it will slow the game down significantly, and they risk causing injuries to their stars players, who they need on the park. but i think it will be a good move for footy. it might slow it down but it will bring back the contest, and make the need for good skills more important than ever.