A concussion to Geelong star Tom Stewart that’s set to rule him out of next week’s grand final has reignited debate around the AFL‘s controversial pre-finals bye, as fans and experts call for change. Stewart was subbed out in the first quarter of Geelong’s 17.13 (115) to 13.7 (85) victory over Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night. And he’ll now miss next Saturday’s grand final against Collingwood or Brisbane after entering concussion protocols that carry a mandatory 12-day stand down.
Patrick Dangerfield inspired his side with a preliminary final display for the ages, with the 35-year-old booting three goals to go with 32 disposals and eight clearances in his 359th game. But the Cats superstar was left shattered for his teammate after the game, with Stewart rubbed out of next Saturday’s decider after having his arms pinned in a tackle from Hawks star Mabior Chol and landing face-first into the MCG turf.
Tom Stewart’s concussion (L) will see him miss Geelong’s grand final after Patrick Dangerfield (R) inspired the Cats in the preliminary final win over Hawthorn. Pic: Getty
“He’s one of my great friends. It’s not just the playing part for me, it’s the person he is,” Dangerfield said post-game. “He’s been such an enormous part of the success we’ve been able to have as a club over a long period.
“So it’s a really difficult one to digest for us – I’m enormously proud of our guys and the way they were able to cover such an enormous loss that is him. But the game was just half-an-hour ago – I’m not too sure what to think.”
The incident sparked fresh calls for the AFL to change the pre-finals bye brought in before the 2016 season and hold it the week before the grand final instead. There have been fears for years that a star player would miss a grand final after the introduction of the mandatory 12-day concussion protocol, and Seven AFL journalist Xander McGuire described the Stewart situation as a ‘nightmare scenario’ for the league.
Tom Stewart incident reignites debate over pre-finals bye
“It is probably the most consequential on-field moment of the season,” McGuire said on Seven’s broadcast. “This is the AFL’s nightmare scenario since they introduced the 12-day concussion protocol, arguably the best player in a team will not be able to play in the grand final after being concussed in the preliminary final.”
Former Richmond star Matthew Richardson added: “I don’t know anyone who thinks the pre-final bye is a good idea. “A lot of people have suggested this (could happen) for a number of years now, and now we’ve got this situation.”
Geelong’s Tom Stewart played no further part of the preliminary final win over Hawthorn after a first quarter concussion that’s ruled him out of the grand final. Pic: Getty
Geelong coach Chris Scott also described the pre-finals bye as a ‘flawed’ move brought in by the AFL to stop clubs resting players for inconsequential final round games of the regular season. And Geelong legend Jimmy Bartel said the Stewart incident should come as a fresh warning that the AFL has to make a change.
RELATED:
“It’s been a frustration of mine that we don’t have the bye before the grand final for situations like this,” Bartel said on 3AW Radio. “We’ve just been lucky to be honest, and now it’s a star player going down. I’m not just saying this because it’s Tom Stewart, I’ve been banging on about this.”
“It’s more to do with somebody getting concussed and not being able to play (in the grand final),” Swann said last month when he discussed moving the pre-finals bye. “That’s why we think that bye would be better before the grand final.”