Star Geelong defender Tom Stewart has detailed the emotional toll of missing this year’s AFL grand final after he was sidelined by concussion protocols, while also explaining that he may not have been able to play even the week after due to the severity of the head knock that ended his season.
Stewart was concussed in the first quarter of Geelong’s 30-point preliminary final win last month, following a heavy tackle from Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol, which drove his head into the ground.
Stewart was subbed out of the game and entered the AFL’s concussion protocol, while Chol was later suspended for three games over the incident.
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Tom Stewart watches from the sidelines ahead of the AFL grand final clash against the Brisbane Lions, unable to take his place on the field. Robert Cianflone/ AFL Photos via Getty Images
Speaking to Triple M’s The Rush Hour with JB & Billy on Monday, Stewart revealed he fully blacked out and lost consciousness for nearly an hour during the preliminary final.
Because of the minimum 12-day standdown period, the injury was an automatic exclusion from the premiership decider.
Stewart holds the unwanted title of being the first men’s player in the game’s history to have his grand final dream ended by concussion protocols.
“Watching the boys in that grand final was really, really challenging individually,” Stewart said on Monday.
“I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t heartbroken and had to take myself away.”
The one-time premiership player admitted that grand final week was “exhausting,” as he was forced to put on a brave face and appear upbeat for his teammates despite his own disappointment.
“It was exhausting, if I’m honest,” he said.
“We’ve been there twice before, having lost in 2020 and won in 2022, you sort of know what the week is going to look like.
Mabior Chol’s tackle on Tom Stewart Fox Footy
“The club told me after the incident occurred to ‘stay away for as long as you want and take your time’, but I felt for myself that I’d rather the boys see me and know that I was OK.
“So, I got into the club really early, and I got pragmatic. I went to the open training day and watched the boys train, and to see the fans; to see the outpouring of support and emotion was really, really special.
“I had to take some time after that session because I was just knackered trying to pretend like everything was OK on the outside and make sure that the boys thought that I was OK. By the end of it, I just wanted to sleep for as many days as I could.”
The situation reignited the debate over the pre-finals bye with renewed calls for the AFL to introduce a week off between the preliminary finals and the grand final.
The bye round is currently scheduled for the week after the home and away season, not the week before the grand final.
Because of his experience, Stewart fully supports a pre-grand final bye, advocating for a measure that would give concussed players a chance to recover, although he also conceded that his concussion was severe enough that there was no guarantee he would have fronted up the week after.
Tom Stewart is attended to by medical staff during the preliminary final against Hawthorn. AFL Photos via Getty Images
“I’m one of one in that respect; I’m the first person to miss a [men’s] grand final due to concussion with the protocols that are in place. I mean, of course [there should be a bye],” he said.
“Selfishly, of course, I want it to happen.”
The AFL’s concussion guidelines previously prevented Adelaide Crows star Chelsea Randall from featuring in the 2021 AFLW grand final after she was concussed in the preliminary final.
In this case, Stewart was so badly knocked out that he would have seriously considered whether or not to play even if he was medically cleared.
“When the incident happened, I fully blacked out, and I lost about an hour of my life where I can’t remember a thing,” he said.
“I was conscious and awake, and I ran off on my own accord, but I don’t remember a thing. I came to about an hour downstairs with my immediate family, but that’s the first thing I remember.
“I’ve had, unfortunately, a number of concussions in my career, I’ve got a young family, and I take it quite seriously.
“Based on those symptoms and the way I presented, I would have given myself every chance.
“But, I had one not too many years ago, and I came back, and I probably wasn’t right, so I think I would have taken a firmer stance in coming back into a grand final, so I might not have been as willing to go in maybe being underdone.”