Olivia TaylorCollingwood midfielder Jordan De Goey failed a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) during Gather Round, sidelining him as the Magpies faced Fremantle Dockers in one of Round 5's most anticipated Friday night clashes. The concussion protocol that removed De Goey from the game is the same science-backed framework that should prompt every Australian who plays contact sport to understand the real risks — and know when to seek medical help.
What Happened at Gather Round 2026
The match itself was highly anticipated: Collingwood entered at 2-2 after a heavy loss to Brisbane, while Fremantle came in with 3-1 form and genuine confidence. De Goey's exit via HIA added to Collingwood's injury woes, coming at a moment when the Magpies were already struggling for consistency — the side hasn't scored 100 or more points in 13 consecutive matches across two seasons.
The AFL's Head Injury Assessment protocol requires that any player suspected of concussion be immediately assessed by medical staff. If they fail the HIA — which tests balance, cognitive function, and reaction time — they cannot return to the game. The AFL and its medical advisers have invested significant resources in concussion management since the long-term effects of repeated head trauma in contact sports became impossible to ignore.
But here's the uncomfortable reality for the estimated 1.7 million Australians who play organised sport each year: most of them don't have an AFL medical team watching over them.
The Hidden Concussion Problem in Amateur Sport
Concussion is one of the most underreported and undertreated injuries in Australian sport. Research consistently shows that a significant proportion of concussions at community level go undiagnosed — partly because symptoms can be delayed by hours or even days, partly because athletes are reluctant to leave the field, and partly because coaches and teammates may not recognise the signs.
A concussion doesn't require a knockout. The most common mechanism is a sudden movement of the brain within the skull — this can happen from a fall, a collision, or even a whiplash-type impact with no direct head contact. Symptoms include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light, difficulty concentrating, feeling "foggy" or slowed down, and memory gaps around the incident.
What makes concussion particularly serious is that a second impact before the brain has fully recovered — known as second impact syndrome — can cause rapid, life-threatening brain swelling. The risk window can be two to four weeks, sometimes longer. Many amateur athletes return to play far too soon, often feeling fine but with an underlying neural recovery still incomplete.
According to Sports Medicine Australia, the gold standard management principle is "if in doubt, sit them out." No game, no training session, no weekend social match is worth a permanent neurological consequence.
When to See a Sports Medicine Specialist
A GP can provide initial assessment and management for a suspected concussion, but there are situations where specialist review by a sports medicine physician or neurologist is strongly indicated:
Symptoms persisting beyond 7–10 days in adults (sooner in children and adolescents) should trigger a specialist referral. Post-concussion syndrome — where symptoms like headaches, dizziness, cognitive difficulties, and mood changes persist for weeks or months — affects roughly 10–15% of concussion patients.
Any loss of consciousness, even brief, warrants specialist review rather than a wait-and-see approach.
Multiple concussions: Each subsequent concussion increases cumulative risk. If you've had two or more concussions, a sports medicine specialist should conduct a thorough assessment before you return to contact sport.
Young athletes: Children and teenagers are more vulnerable to concussion and recover more slowly than adults. Schools and junior sporting clubs in Australia are increasingly implementing return-to-learn protocols alongside return-to-sport protocols — but parental awareness is the first line of defence.
Symptoms that include significant memory loss, seizure, or loss of coordination: These indicate a more serious injury and require emergency medical attention, not a wait-and-see approach.
A qualified sports medicine specialist can conduct neurological and vestibular testing, review your history, and provide a graduated return-to-sport program that is evidence-based rather than guided by how you feel on any given day.
The Bigger Picture for Weekend Warriors
De Goey's concussion at an elite level is visible because 90,000 people were watching. But Australia has a thriving culture of weekend sport — AFL, rugby, soccer, netball, hockey, cycling — and the same injuries happen every Saturday morning on local ovals and pitches around the country with far less medical oversight.
If you or someone in your family plays contact sport, having a relationship with a sports medicine professional before injury occurs is worth more than scrambling for advice afterwards. A doctor on ExpertZoom with sports medicine expertise can advise on return-to-sport timelines, help with pre-participation screening, and ensure that the enthusiasm Australians have for sport doesn't come at an unacceptable cost to long-term health.
Internal links for further reading: Patrick Cripps Benched: What AFL Workload Management Teaches Weekend Athletes | Harley Reid's Breakout Season: What Weekend AFL Players Should Know About Injury Prevention
