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.
Graham Farmer diagnosed with CTE
Tissue from Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer’s brain was analysed at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital late last year.
A medical report revealed the Aboriginal great had Stage III CTE, though doctors said it was ‘more like a 3.5’ and the worst case they had seen.
Farmer’s daughter Kim said the Western Australian great was concussed several times in his career and decided to play on.
‘He had a huge threshold for pain. Contact was expected and he saw it as an occupational hazard… he would just treat it with Dencorub,’ she said.
AFL legend Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer (pictured) had a serious brain disease caused by head injuries on the field, it was revealed this week
‘Dad’s threshold for pain and ability to never focus on it, highlight it or draw attention to it, continued until his death. He never wanted us to know he was suffering.’
Farmer’s son Brett added: ‘I have got memories of Dad lying on the couch with a bucket and vomiting after games. And it didn’t happen just a few times.’
The neurodegenerative disease is caused by repeated head injuries and often results in dementia.
Farmer is enshrined as one of 28 legends in the AFL Hall of Fame, and played 356 games with Geelong and WAFL clubs East Perth and Perth.
The 6km Graham Farmer Freeway in Perth was named in his honour.
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.’
What is chronic traumatic encephalopathy?
* CTE is a type of dementia, a degenerative brain disease
* It is caused by repeated blows to the head but not necessarily concussion
* Symptoms include changes to mood and personality, difficulty thinking, impulsive behaviour and short-term memory loss
* It is commonly found among athletes in contact sports and military personnel
* Symptoms can appear years or decades after the last head injury
* CTE is only diagnosable after death
* There is no cure
AFL legend Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer died at the age of 84. The West Australian ruckman is officially enshrined as one of 28 legends in the AFL Hall of Fame
SPORT
* Originally named ‘punch drunk syndrome’ it has been known to affect boxers since the 1920s
* The first official case in another sport was an American NFL player in 2005
* Other sports followed including ice hockey, soccer and rugby union
* Australia’s first cases – two former rugby league players – were reported in 2019
* The late Polly Farmer is the first ex-AFL player diagnosed
* Doctors say ex-England soccer captain Dave Watson, who has a neurodegenerative disease, likely has CTE
CONSEQUENCES
* In 2018, the Australian Sports Brain Bank was set up to investigate the link between concussion and brain disease
* A class action against the NFL settled in 2017 included the creation of a compensation fund for affected players, which has so far paid out $US671 million ($A1 billion)
* Australian legal firms say they’ve spent five years preparing for class actions from former NRL and AFL players against the nation’s two major football codes
* All British soccer clubs are moving to ban under 12-18 teams heading the ball to protect developing brains.
Source: AAP