AS a society, it is time that we stopped valuing sport above all else – particularly when it comes to player safety.
Since Saturday night’s blockbuster Showdown 54 clash, much of the sporting landscape has been dominated by Port Adelaide’s decision to allow key defender Aliir Aliir to return to the park after a sickening head clash with teammate Lachie Jones.
Jones, too, returned to the field but was later subbed out with a migraine.
The key difference between the two in this instance is that Jones underwent a head injury assessment by Port’s medical staff.
Aliir, however, did not. How anyone could watch the absolutely grotesque way Aliir’s body dropped and hit the ground and decide that he didn’t need assessment is beyond belief.
Even more so when he lay motionless for several minutes before being helped off the field.
What possessed Port’s medical staff to decide there was no need for Aliir to be assessed is really anyone’s guess.
Given the circumstances of the game, though, it’s not a good look.
Port are pushing for a top-two finish and were looking to snap a two-game losing streak in the club’s biggest match on the calendar, against Adelaide.
At the time of the collision, Adelaide were up by 20 points midway through the second quarter.
If Aliir had undergone testing, he would have been off the field for 15 minutes.
Did this have some sort of impact?
Again, who is really to know?
Surely we have come to a point where it’s better to be safe than sorry, though.
Especially when both Aliir and Jones were placed in 12-day concussion protocols on Monday.
Earlier this year, the South Australian football community was rocked when 20-year-old Antonio Loiacono received a fatal head injury in a Hills Football League game.
It was later revealed that Antonio had been concussed three weeks prior, leading to calls for the implementation of a concussion passport.
If we want to improve player health at a junior and grassroots level, then the professional clubs need to lead by example.
