AFL fines Port Adelaide $100,000 over concussion breach

THE AFL has fined Port Adelaide $100,000 for breaching the League's concussion management guidelines after a head clash between teammates Aliir Aliir and Lachie Jones that occurred in the R20 match between Port Adelaide and Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval on 29th July 29 2023.

Jones was subbed out with a migraine after the incident but Aliir was cleared to return to the field without undergoing a SCAT5 concussion test.

AFL general counsel Stephen Meade said the club had taken full responsibility for the error, and thanked the club for its co-operation with the League's investigation.

Meade shared “The AFL Concussion Protocols are some of the most stringent that exist in world sport, however they require strict and consistent adherence to protect the health and safety of our players.

“In this instance Port Adelaide admitted that Aliir should have undergone SCAT5 testing at the time immediately following the collision on Saturday night. By not undertaking the test, and Aliir returning to the game without being subject to that further detailed assessment, Allir’s wellbeing was potentially at increased risk.

“The health and safety of all players is paramount, and this will continue to be the focus for our clubs and for the AFL.

“AFL Club doctors are some of the most accomplished sports medicine professionals in the world, they have intimate knowledge of their players, and while in this instance there was an error in the club’s process, it shouldn’t undermine the work our club doctors undertake, and the care shown to everyone at their football clubs."

Port Adelaide stood by the management of both players immediately after the game but both Jones and Aliir were placed in concussion protocols on Monday, with the club accepting it had made an error of judgement on match day.

$50,000 of the fine will be included in Port Adelaide's football department soft cap, with the remainder to sit outside the cap unless the club commits a similar breach of concussion protocols before the end of the AFL and AFLW seasons in 2024.

AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan advised that the League hadn't considered docking premiership points or draft picks as part of the penalty.

"It's obviously a large sanction but Port Adelaide's ownership of the mistake from the start and their contrition and the way they worked proactively with our Integrity department meant that I don't think that was ever contemplated," McLachlan said.

McLachlan said the size of the fine would act as a deterrent and a reminder for all clubs to take seriously their obligations under the AFL's concussion protocols.

He said the incident would be looked at as part of the League's annual review of concussion management, but he didn't believe that the club doctor's ability to make an objective decision was an issue in this instance.

Port Adelaide football boss Chris Davies said the club accepted the AFL's fine and expressed remorse for its breach of the guidelines.

Under the AFL's concussion management guidelines, any player who is suspected to have suffered a head injury is immediately removed from play and undergoes a head injury assessment (HIA).

Depending on the findings from the HIA, the player will be further assessed by a SCAT5 concussion test. Any player who undergoes a SCAT5 test cannot return to the field for at least 15 minutes.

If a player is diagnosed with a concussion, they are entered into the AFL's concussion protocols that involves a mandatory 11-step, 12-day minimum process before they can return to play. 

According to the ABC,  lawyer Greg Griffin, whose firm has a class action that will be heard in a Victorian court against the AFL for concussion-related injuries, described the fine as "completely paltry".

"We're looking at a club that has a turnover of $57 million," he said.

"So $100,000 is 0.22 of its revenues."

Griffin said the fine does not "send a message to the rest of the league that this nonsense must stop".

"They should have lost points and they should have also lost draft picks, because that would have stopped every football club in the competition from ever allowing this to happen again," he said.

Images. Aliir Aliir and Lachie Jones during the R20 match between Port Adelaide and Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval on 29th July, 2023. Credit: AFL Photos