Abolish sub to relieve concussion call pressure: AFLPA

The AFL Players Association have backed Essendon coach Brad Scott’s call to abolish the substitute in favour of a 23rd player, adamant it would alleviate pressure on doctors making concussion assessments.

Scott, a former AFL football operations boss, said on Wednesday the league should ditch the sub rule and move to five players sitting on the bench instead.

The AFLPA came out swinging to back him up on Thursday, noting players had “never been in favour of the sub rule”, which added “another layer of unnecessary stress” to their jobs.

“Players are strongly of the view that the sub rule should be removed, and that the 23rd player be added to the bench,” AFLPA general manager of player and stakeholder relations Brett Murphy said.

“When the AFL implemented what was then the medical substitute just prior to the 2021 season, we raised concerns around how this would negatively impact players and clubs.

“Clubs have also raised concerns around having to make decisions on subbing out players who are undergoing medical checks or Head Injury Assessments.

“As we saw on the weekend, we have seen multiple examples of players subbed out of games while such checks are made, impacting both the player and club.

“It also has the effect of putting doctors in the difficult position of making a quick assessment to enable a decision to be made, something we certainly don’t want to see given the importance of appropriate medical care.

“None of this would be an issue if the substitute was simply added to the bench.

“We have asked the AFL to review its position on the sub rule, and seek further feedback from clubs, before making a decision for next season.”

Elsewhere, Carlton expect the AFL to tick off the club’s handling of star forward Harry McKay’s head knock.

The Blues were issued a please explain by the league after McKay remained on the field against North Melbourne on Sunday despite him appearing dazed.

The powerful left-footer kicked a goal before he left the field to have a head injury assessment and was eventually cleared of concussion.

McKay will be named for Carlton’s clash with Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.

Blues coach Michael Voss said the club had put forward their case but were still waiting to be officially cleared by the AFL.

Adelaide (Jordan Dawson) and Brisbane (Harris Andrews) were also issued a please explain from the league for their handling of players with head knocks last weekend.

“We’ve certainly been asked to put a series of events together in the way that we saw it,” Voss said on Thursday.

“We’ve been able to do that and (the AFL is) comfortable with where that lies, so we move on.

“We’re comfortable we followed the protocols that we needed to.”

It comes as club doctors push for on-field HIAs to be banned and want league medical staff to instead rule on concussions during a game.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge and Sydney counterpart John Longmire have also urged the AFL to ban on-field concussion tests with a similar view held by the AFLPA.