Knight toon spotlights Geelong’s secret waiver for player head hits

Sporting codes around the world are now more attuned* than ever to the risk of head injury. There’s football (soccer) and the risk of brain damage due to heading the ball over a long period of time, and there’s American football and the high risk of injury because of crushing hits and tackles despite the use of helmets. Even Australia’s National Rugby League recognises the increased incidence of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) as a result of repeated head impacts.

Now the AFL is coming to terms with the risk of brain injury but not as it would have liked. It is facing a class-action lawsuit* by former players sidelined* due to brain injury. And this week it was revealed in the Herald Sun that the Geelong Football Club signed a secret concussion waiver deal in 2024, with Cats defender Jake Kolodjashnij to waive the club of legal responsibility for future brain injuries sustained* by the player on the field.

Kolodjashnij had copped several concussions over the last few years and this agreement looked like an under-the-counter way for the player to keep playing at their own risk.

Geelong is one of the biggest clubs in the AFL and the player in question won a Premiership in 2022 with the club.

But wait, there’s more. The Geelong President, Craig Drummond, who presided over this secret deal, is now the AFL Commission Chairman. That’s awkward.

So a cartoon on the issue was in order.

I thought I would start with an on-field scene, as fans who watch AFL will be familiar with what happens when a player experiences a knock to the head and has to leave the field to be examined by medical staff. This is called a Head Injury Assessment (HIA). It involves a computer based cognitive* test and a physical examination.

I thought in a cartoon I could have the Geelong Club itself undergoing a cognitive assessment on the sidelines at its home ground during a game, to see if it passes the concussion test for how it deals with head injuries. I could symbolise* the club as a big cat in playing gear, looking a little groggy,* sitting on the interchange bench, its heading swathed* in a bandage, indicating head trauma caused by the secret concussion deal issue. I sketched in a medical official running through some questions with the injured cat to determine the level of impairment*.

These questions are the same ones the media has been asking the club about the secret deal. “Why wasn’t it lodged with the AFL?”

“Would it pass the pub test?*”

“Was it in the player’s interest?”

The cartoon shows the cat unable to answer in its present state. Just as the Geelong club and indeed the AFL itself were unable to paint a true picture of how this concussion waiver deal came about in the supposed modern football age of player care. Clearly, as the cartoon is captioned, the cat has failed the concussion test.

For a sporting code that boasts protecting the head is “paramount”,* the AFL and Geelong have a bit of explaining to do. The cartoon shows that at the moment, all we are getting from them is some slurred statements and incoherent* mumblings.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• attuned: familiar with or sensitive to someone or something
• lawsuit: a legal action brought by one person or organisation
• sidelined: to be removed from active participation
• sustained: to undergo or receive something, as in damage, injury or loss
• cognitive: relating to conscious mental activities or the mind
• symbolise: to show or identify something using a symbol
• groggy: weak, dazed and unable to think clearly or move normally
• swathed: to wrap, bind, or cover something closely
• impairment: the state of being damaged, weakened, or made less effective
• pub test: an Australian term to determine if an ordinary person in a local pub would consider something fair, honest and sensible
• paramount: when something is more important, significant, or powerful than anything else
• incoherent: not clear or hard to understand

EXTRA READING

Teen’s long road to recovery after concussion – why resting is crucial

Seismic head hit changes coming to junior, community sport

What is concussion and what does the latest research say about kids, concussion and sport?

QUICK QUIZ

1. In football, or soccer, what action poses the greatest risk to a player getting a head injury?
2. What secret deal did Geelong Cats defender Jake Kolodjashnij make with the club?
3. Why do you think this deal was done in secret?
4. Do you think this deal was in the player’s interest? Why or why not?
5. What happens when an AFL player receives a knock to the head during a game?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Questioning the Cat
If you had the opportunity to ask Jake Kolodjashnij 5 questions about the deal he signed, what would you ask? Make sure that your questions are open-ended (not yes or no answers) and that they will add to the public’s understanding of what has occurred and why.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
Write a detailed paragraph (or more) to explain your opinion on the following statement: Sports that present a risk of head injury should be banned.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Health and Physical Education

VCOP ACTIVITY
What happens next? 
Imagine this story is part of an animated series made up of three cartoons. The three cartoons tell the complete story and this article is only Part One. Think about what the rest of the story could be and draw the next two cartoons that tell the story.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts, Visual Communication Design, Critical and Creative Thinking