A former premiership-winning footballer is suing the Australian Football League after a sickening on-field head knock allegedly left him with permanent brain damage, hearing loss and suicidal thoughts.
Trent Melville, a dual-premiership forward with the Nightcliff Tigers, has launched legal action against the AFL, AFL Northern Territory and his former club following a collision during a 2022 match.
Court documents filed in the Northern Territory Supreme Court claim the head clash resulted in ‘catastrophic injuries’ that have devastated his health and ended his football career.
The now 33-year-old alleges he suffered a head clash with another player while contesting the ball during a match on October 15, 2022, leaving him concussed.
‘I went to pick up a loose footy and as I stood up I got cleaned up by someone, we smashed heads and I sort of blacked out for a second,’ he said at the time.
‘About a week after my headaches were getting worse, and I drove to work and when I arrived I couldn’t remember driving which is when I thought ‘something’s not right here’.
Trent Melville played for the Nightcliff Tigers in the NT AFL competition before a head clash ended his footy playing days
Melville is now taking legal action against the AFL because of the effects of concussion he is allegedly suffering now
‘I didn’t think too much of it and got up about 10 seconds later and took myself off the ground and off to hospital, not thinking much of it.
According to the statement of claim, the injury triggered a cascade of symptoms including ‘post-concussion syndrome’, chronic headaches, hearing loss, insomnia, pain, memory loss and suicidal ideation.
‘At the beginning it was pretty much like chronic migraines, they were unbearable, fatigue, couldn’t get out of bed, lots of memory loss and dizziness,’ he said.
‘I was really struggling and I had to take time off work which settled things a bit; from there it’s kind of been a rollercoaster, some days I feel okay and the next I’m feeling terrible.’
Melville claims the incident was the breaking point after years of repeated head trauma.
‘It’s impacted my whole life, for pretty much the past year I’ve struggled to work, had to go part time and that’s had a pretty big impact on me financially, I’ve probably lost half my yearly wages,’ Melville said.
‘I’ve had to go to a lot of appointments which is stressful, had to change my diet, I can’t socialise, I can’t do much at all, I pretty much work half a day and then go home.
‘I can’t go out and have dinner or a drink, and I can’t go to the footy at the moment because the lights are too bright and I can’t handle it.
Former AFL star Gary Ablett Sr is another player that is taking action after suffering head knocks during his career
Bulldogs premiership hero Liam Picken was forced into premature retirement because of concussion
‘Everyone thinks you’ll get a bit better every day and then suddenly be fine, but that’s not how head injuries work, some days can be good and others I’ll be down in the dumps.’
The documents state he suffered up to seven concussions and ‘numerous sub-concussive blows to the head’ across his career, with ongoing memory problems dating back to at least 2017.
He alleges the AFL, AFLNT and the Nightcliff Football Club failed to properly manage his concussion history and allowed him to keep playing despite ongoing symptoms.
The claim alleges Melville ‘was susceptible to serious injury from a further significant blow to the head’ and should have been warned of the risks.
He argues he would not have suffered the injuries if officials had ‘warned him that he risked catastrophic injury from a further head knock and prevented him from playing whilst experiencing memory loss’.
The lawsuit claims the AFL owed him a duty of care to ensure his safety, including by warning players ‘of the dangers associated with repetitive head injuries’ and ensuring concussion information was properly shared with leagues and clubs.
It further alleges AFLNT and Nightcliff failed to keep adequate injury records and did not prevent players with ongoing symptoms from taking the field.
‘By reason of the breach of duty and/or negligence by the first, second and third defendants, the plaintiff has suffered injury, loss and damage,’ the court documents state.
Melville is seeking damages, interest and legal costs. None of the defendants have yet filed defences. The case is due to return to court for a directions hearing in Darwin on March 18.
The lawsuit adds to mounting legal pressure on the AFL over head injuries, following separate actions brought by former stars including Gary Ablett Sr and Liam Picken, as well as a major class action involving dozens of ex-players.
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