Footy Chick wrote:I call BS - especially at senior level - it's very well documented that helmets do zero to stop concussion.
That said, Many junior comps in Victoria have a compulsory helmet rule.
If you normalise it from juniors, it doesn't become an issue
Mouthguards do more than helmets to prevent the severity of concussion. True story.
21 day new rule for SANFL downwards
still 12 days for AFL, as they have the qualified staff available to monitor 24/7 if needed
Bang on. It has been known since the 1980s that helmets won't solve the issue.
Concussion occurs when the brain hits the skull. Wearing a helmet in a collision will not stop that. For example, the many NFL players in America with CTE issues even though they have been wearing what is akin to motorcycle helmets for many decades. Cricketers such as Will Pucovski are subbed out of cricket matches due to concussion after being hit on the helmet, so even cricket helmets can't prevent concussion.
There is a quote from a video in the 1980s from the SANFL video Crashes & Clashes where a doctor said that helmets are only good for protecting against lacerations and little more.
Helmets are not the key to all this - they are just a revenue earner for companies that make them.
When a player wearing a helmet is involved in a collision, their head will still jerk back or be knocked in a certain direction ... and it will still cause a concussion.
The only way to avoid concussion is for all the players to roll around inside Zorb balls so they can't get involved in physical clashes, but the game would look bloody stupid too.