[ad_1]
Jeremy Cameron played of Geelong six points AFL loss of Port Adelaide despite a heavy blow to the head in the last quarter.
There were alarm bells ringing for Cameron’s concussion when he acrobatically leaped through a pack in an attempt to retrieve a miracle stamp and landed with a thud on the ground.
WATCH ABOVE: Jeremy Cameron continues to play despite major head injury.
Stream analysis, local games and highlights for free 7 plus 
His body hit the grass first, but that didn’t stop his head from slamming into the ground afterward in a whiplash-like motion.
Cameron remained motionless on the ground for a brief moment, but quickly raised his head and managed to stand up.
There were immediate concerns for Cameron’s head from the Channel 7 commentary team.
“As soon as you’re still on the ground for a few seconds, that’s a trigger (for doctors to investigate),” Matthew Richardson said.
A club doctor immediately rushed to the superstar, but he was adamant about staying on the pitch.
After the initial shock of the hit, Cameron showed no obvious signs of pain, disorientation or interference with his game.
“Definitely a whiplash effect from the ground with the marking attempt,” Brian Taylor said.
He was allowed to remain on the ground and appeared fully alert throughout the last nine minutes of the match.
But Melbourne great Gary Lyon was at a loss to accept that decision, saying the decision should have been taken out of Cameron’s hands and he should have been removed.
“The player will always say, ‘I’m right, I want to stay (on the ground),'” Lyon said after the game.
“I thought the point of it was, ‘No, no, we’ve got screens here, we can see what it is, I know you think you’re right, but you’re coming out.’
AFL reporter John Ralph agreed that “the optics were really bad” to have him play the game without even a grade.
“There are two levels of this concussion management: the HIA (head injury assessment), which is this five-minute test, and then if the doctor thinks they need to get them off the ground, it’s the SCAT6, and that would have ended his night with a 15-minute test,” Ralph said.
“I just think we would all feel a lot more comfortable if Cameron left the ground, at least to have that HIA. His head hit the ground.”
Last year, the AFL hit Port Adelaide with a $100,000 fine for breaching concussion protocols after a nasty collision between teammates Aliir Aliir and Lachie Jones.
The two players were involved in a brutal clash during the Round 20 showdown against Adelaide, forcing Jones to be taken off with a migraine while Aliir returned to the field without undergoing a SCAT6 concussion test.
Port Adelaide initially supported the way club doctor Mark Fisher handled the incident after the match, but the following Monday placed both players in concussion protocols and admitted they made a mistake on the day of the match.
Half of the fine ($50,000) was included in the Port Adelaide Football Department’s soft cap, with the rest remaining outside the cap unless the club commits a similar offense before the end of this year’s AFL and AFLW seasons.
[ad_2]
