Two-time North Melbourne top tier David King has once again called on the game to do more to combat head trauma, saying Tom Stewart’s brutal blow to Dion Prestia serves as a key moment for the league.
Stewart was referred directly to AFL Court on Sunday for his blow to Prestia, which left the Richmond star in shock and in a troubled state as he was assisted from the ground by coaches.
Speaking to Fox Footy’s First Crack, King said he has focused too much on Stewart’s well-being rather than on the long-term health implications of Prestia.
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“Surely now is the time to talk about protecting your head in a meaningful way. Everyone wants to focus on the outcome of Tom Stewart’s likely suspension … I want to return the conversation to Dion Prestia, ”he said.
“This is a time when we have to protect our own players. They are the assets of the game, we need to provide a safe workplace. He has been hit next week.
“I don’t know what the damage is for him in the long run, I have no idea, but this is an unpleasant sight to see this young man helped from the ground; it took two or three minutes to get it down and it went wrong. It’s so disgusting to see that. “
King believed that match review officer Michael Christian did not take cranial trauma seriously during his time on paper.
A recent example King pointed out was the decision not to sanction St Kilda midfielder Zak Jones for making contact with Sydney Swans star boss Luke Parker on Saturday night.
In the written reasons, Christian said, “Jones’ actions were not unreasonable in the circumstances.”
With images of a stunned Prestia playing, King implored the AFL: “Take a look at what he’s doing.”
“No one knows the long-term effects of that. We say, ‘We don’t give him three or four weeks, let’s leave it at that.’
“You’ve brought us to this situation. That’s enough. Either take a position or get rid of the whole position against trauma once and for all, because so far it’s been absolute shit.”
In Stewart’s case, King said, the Court could give a four- or five-week ban, but the broader discussion was the one that needed to be intensified.
“Whatever that is, four or five, whatever it is, but along the way we haven’t had any markers,” he said.
“No one has been there for two or three weeks, or they’ve been down or they’ve been fine or a week, once with a wet lettuce leaf and then we’re here and let’s see how that happened or this is an accident, and we apologize to the player … I understand all this, but what about Dion Prestia, who relies on the game to protect his safety? “