Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has backed in the club doctor’s decision not to conduct a Head Impact Assessment on Aliir Aliir after a nasty collision with teammate Lachie Jones.
Aliir and Jones collided heavily in a marking contest in the second quarter of Saturday night’s Showdown, with play stopped and both remaining on the ground and attended to by club medicos and coming from the ground.
Jones underwent a HIA but was subbed out with a migraine, while Aliir did not undergo one and returned to the field just under seven minutes later.
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Foxfooty.com.au spoke with the Power and confirmed veteran club doctor Mark Fisher assessed the vision and was satisfied there was no need for a HIA.
Aliir played out the remainder of the game, with Hinkley defending Fisher’s decision post-match.
“The only thing I can work you through is that it was played out through the right hands and that was the doctor,” he said.
“The doctor made those decisions based around both players and he was really, really clear and really certain to me.
“And with Aliir too, Aliir in particular I can tell you because I actually sat and spoke with Aliir and Aliir spoke with me clear as he could be.
“The doctor was very, very comfortable that the situation was well and truly ok and that he was able to go back on.
“He went back out there and played the whole game, I don’t there were too many problems with Aliir other than he got beaten badly, but he was getting beaten by Taylor Walker for a fair bit of the night.”
Aliir’s return to the field drew alarm on social media, with some questioning the lack of a HIA.
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Sam Skinner, who played two games for Port Adelaide last year before being delisted, took to Twitter to voice his dismay.
“Allowed back on after this? Duty of care?” Skinner tweeted.
“And they’ll call it ‘delayed concussion’ during the week to cover their a***s.”
Former West Coast premiership star Will Schofield also took to social media to voice his concerns over the Power’s handling of the incident.
“Be good when we start taking this seriously,” Schofield tweeted.
“Independent concussion doctor at every game would be a nice start.”
Hinkley said he understood external views but was steadfast in backing in his colleague.
“I can understand from your point of view that you might look at it, because again as soon as he’d come off I was absolutely surprised myself at how clear he looked and how bright he looked,” Hinkley said.
“I don’t think Aliir had any issue himself … he was the same Aliir that I was talking before the game as the one I was talking to on the bench.”
Despite Jones being subbed out of the game following the head knock, the club’s reason for subbing him could technically allow him to play against Geelong next week.
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“Lachie didn’t fail the concussion test … he was subbed out with a migraine,” Hinkley said.
“He’d done the concussion test and passed it.
“I don’t know whether he’ll play against the Cats because he came off the ground with an issue.
“One thing you can be really certain around is this footy club won’t take any risks with people’s health.
“That’s just not something we’re going to do.
“I don’t care who we play and when we play, we will do the right thing by the player first and foremost and our doctor is incredibly experienced, and he’ll make sure that’s the case.”
Later, Hinkley declared once more: “We won’t be forcing anyone out there for anything other than the right reason and that is that they’re medically cleared to play. I can’t be any stronger than that.”
Hinkley bristled at questions over the club’s procedures following a collision between Zak Butters and Tom Jonas in 2022.
The AFL ticked off on the Power’s processes the following day, with the league’s Chief Medical Officer reviewing HawkEye vision of the incident as well as the management of the players.
— NCA NewsWire
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