Port Adelaide large Kane Cornes has criticised the AFL for the disorder surrounding its concussion protocols aft the league overruled Adelaide's nine doctors and forced Tom Doedee to beryllium retired of its Round 18 match.
Doedee was subbed retired of Adelaide's Round 17 lucifer against Essendon connected Friday, July 9 aft a front-on clash with Bombers guardant Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
After Doedee was initially thought to person been concussed successful the clash, with Crows manager Matthew Nicks revealing that the defender was near with "blurred vision", Adelaide aboriginal deemed that helium was not concussed, and had suffered a sternum wounded instead, meaning helium would not person to service the AFL's mandatory 12-day concussion protocol.
However, the AFL did not let Doedee to enactment up against West Coast successful Round 18, overruling Adelaide's diagnosis successful the content that the defender inactive displayed concussion symptoms, leaving some the subordinate and the nine scratching their heads.
"To beryllium honest, since astir apt 30 minutes aft the incidental I felt fine," Doedee told 9News Adelaide past week.
"Besides a spot of thorax symptom from having [Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti's] genu driven into it beauteous deeply, I'm beauteous good.
"I was told that I'm astir apt successful the protocol and can't play, that's wherever the choler came from due to the fact that I consciousness truthful good."
Cornes was besides near baffled by the telephone and warned that specified an enactment from the AFL could effect successful dire consequences if it occurs successful the upcoming finals series, the archetypal finals bid since the AFL implemented its concussion protocols.
"It's truthful confusing and due to the fact that Adelaide are successful 16th it benignant of flies nether the radar," helium told Nine's Footy Classified.
"This could beryllium a large communicative travel finals time. I can't ideate what this would be, it would extremity up successful tribunal if this was a subordinate missing a expansive final.
"How tin the AFL overrule [Crows nine doctor] Dr. [Marc] Cesana who spends day-in, day-out with these players? Are they saying he's not qualified to cognize his subordinate and diagnose him with concussion?
"What happens successful a prelim last if this is Patrick Dangerfield for instance, who has ne'er won a premiership, has an incident, the nine says he's not fine, he's not concussed but he's injured, and the AFL connected Wednesday oregon Thursday travel retired and say, 'No, we're overruling him, he's not playing successful a expansive final'."
Veteran AFL newsman Caroline Wilson said she was "amazed" by the AFL's telephone connected Doedee.
"Did the AFL overrule it due to the fact that of the optics?" she asked.
"It's the nine doctor's occupation [to find if a subordinate is concussed oregon not], but successful the past they've overruled nine doctors and determination person been inquiries into concussion incidents involving players, but I'm amazed.
"Are they saying that the Adelaide doc is being dishonest?"
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