AFL legend Nicky Winmar fears he will be the next former star to be struck down by a killer brain disease caused by repeated concussions.
The former St Kilda star was shocked by football icon Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer’s diagnosis with chronic traumatic encephalopathy this week.
Farmer died last August aged 84 due to what was believed to be Alzheimer’s, but after tests on his brain he was confirmed to be the AFL’s first proven case of CTE.
Since the disease was discovered in American football players it has rocked contact sports around the world with thousands of potential cases.
AFL legend Nicky Winmar fears he will be the next former star to be struck down by a killer brain disease caused by repeated concussions
Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer (pictured right with Daniel Wells in 2005) died in August aged 84 of what was believed to be Alzheimer’s, but after tests on his brain he was confirmed to be the AFL’s first proven case of CTE
Winmar, 54, said he read Farmer’s report in horror as he saw many of the symptoms in himself.
He has now called on the league to take the issue seriously.
‘Don’t mess with our lives, tell us the truth and let us know what’s going on… the fear’s always going to be there,’ he told the West Australian.
‘You forget things and all that. One minute I’m OK, the next moment I’m not. You don’t know what’s going to happen next.’
Farmer’s diagnosis has prompted fresh calls to ‘change the fabric of the game’ to protect players from concussions and their long-lasting effects.
AFL Players Association boss Paul Marsh said many more CTE diagnoses were ‘inevitable’ and numerous stars have already retired early to protect themselves.
They include Liam Picken, Matt Maguire, Sam Blease, Jack Frost, Justin Clarke, Patrick McCartin, Leigh Adams and Kobe Stevens.
Jackson Nelson of the Eagles lays concussed as teammate Dom Sheed checks on him during the 2019 AFL First Elimination Final
James Frawley of the Melbourne Demons walks off the ground after he sustained a head injury from a pack collision during the round one of the AFL NAB Cup in 2013
Winmar (pictured next to his statue at Perth’s Optus Stadium in 2019) recalled that unlike today’s footballers who must pass a battery of tests to play again after showing symptoms of concussion, players of his era were sent straight back onto the field
Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark Williams said the first step was to ban the hip-and-shoulder, also known as the bump, even though it is a key part of the game.
‘I don’t understand why we bump. I remember when Byron Pickett got rubbed out for six weeks for a bump and I put it to everyone at that stage — why not eliminate bumps and just tackle,’ he told the Herald Sun.
Top sport doctor Peter Larkins went even further, claiming ‘the fabric of the game’ would have to radically change to make it safe for players.
‘We’re known for our physical sport, we are known for our tackling, we are known for bumping, overseas people love to watch the game,’ he said.
‘Perhaps we have been fooling ourselves, perhaps we need to be making the game less physical. I can’t believe I’m saying that, I love watching footy.’
Other players have voiced their concerns in the wake of Farmer’s diagnosis, recalling their own serious head knocks and similar symptoms in retirement.
Shaun Smith, 50, said he was ‘knocked out cold’ a dozen times in his 109-game career and there were likely ‘a thousand more Polly Farmers out there’.
‘I just went tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. It was like reading about me. I felt sad for the Farmer family,’ he said of reading the deceased legend’s symptoms.
Richmond vice-captain Jack Riewoldt said revelations about Farmer were ‘scary’ and made him look back on his own concussions in a more worrying light.
Former players recalled that unlike today where footballers with concussions must pass a battery of tests to play again, players of their era were sent straight back onto the field.
‘Sometimes I wasn’t fine but the coaches, it was their choice in the end. A lot of times I had a concussion and I went out and I thought I was going to throw up,’ Winmar said.
Matt Maguire, who retired early aged 31 after a series of concussions, said he feared for children playing the game aggressively.
‘I was brought up to never take your eyes off the ball and if you do you are a coward,’ he said.
Shaun Smith, 50, (right) said he was ‘knocked out cold’ a dozen times in his 109-game career and there were likely ‘a thousand more Polly Farmers out there’
Paddy McCartin of the Saints leaves the field with possible concussion during the 2019 pre-season
Farmer’s diagnosis has also given a boost to a brewing lawsuit on behalf of 250 ex-players who feel concussions were not properly handled by the AFL.
Health experts have recommended junior players not be allowed to tackle until they are at least 15 – far later than the current rules allow.
Some junior clubs have even begun making headgear use mandatory, though there is no evidence they prevent concussions, and may make players take more risks.
The league made a $50 million profit last year but spends just $250,000 a year on concussion research – all funded from fines to players.
‘The AFL thanks the Farmer family for their important contribution to research in this area, which further enhances Mr Farmer’s legacy in Australian football,’ the league said.
‘The health and safety of all players in our game is paramount and as knowledge and understanding of concussion has increased, the AFL has strengthened match day protocols, changed the Laws of the Game to further discourage high contact and has improved the identification of potential concussive incidents through the use of video.’