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April 22, 2026 \u2014 8:27pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Breakthrough technology is poised to revolutionise the protection of grassroots athletes against concussion, as Brisbane Lions skipper Harris Andrews delivered an insight into teammate Noah Answerth\u2019s head knocks.<\/p>\n Answerth suffered his second concussion of the season in his side\u2019s two-point defeat to the Melbourne Demons in his comeback from his last incident, and will miss Sunday\u2019s clash with the Adelaide Crows at the Gabba.<\/p>\n Andrews expressed concern for Answerth\u2019s long-term health, having already watched former teammates Justin Clarke and Marcus Adams retire due to ongoing head trauma symptoms.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s obviously concern there, he\u2019s a good friend of mine, and you never like seeing guys get concussions. Obviously, a couple in a short period of time is concerning,\u201d Andrews said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s feeling all right. He\u2019s one of the all-time great teammates, he\u2019s willing to do absolutely anything, and it\u2019s sad to see him go down with a concussion, but we\u2019ll wrap our arms around him.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cHe plays the game in a way that\u2019s probably not great for his body, but that\u2019s part of the reason we love him so much, and why he is such a great teammate.\u201d<\/p>\n While Andrews believed the Lions and AFL had worked diligently to better protect their athletes against concussion, of greater concern are the grassroots incidents that may get missed.<\/p>\n Concussions are behind more than half of all hospital admissions related to sport in children aged 10 to 15, with one in three parents barring their kids from contact sport for fear of head injuries.<\/p>\n Those findings have led to concussion management innovators HIT IQ devising the Proteqt mouthguard \u2013 used to detect symptoms of concussion as they occur \u2013 with the goal of rolling it out across Australia\u2019s junior sports landscape.<\/p>\n Technology embedded in the mouthguard assesses brain signal changes upon impact and connects users to telehealth services to receive a diagnosis and determine a return-to-play timeline.<\/p>\n HIT IQ chief commercial officer Damien Hawes told this masthead 70 per cent of the 100,000 annual concussion cases in Australia go undiagnosed.<\/p>\n He said the likelihood of long-term health impacts from head trauma increase if successive concussions occur, while athletes have a greater risk of suffering other injuries, such as soft tissue concerns, if they return to play without sufficient recovery.<\/p>\n Hawes said returning to play before a concussion is properly cured also increased the risk of other injuries, due to poorer balance and cognitive speed.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cWe know at the elite levels of the game, they have insulated mouthguard technology, video surveillance, spotters in the crowd, education programs, and doctors on site providing world-class concussion care and management. When you go to the grassroots, none of that exists,\u201d Hawes said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the grassroots, when the brain is developing, it\u2019s when the brain is most vulnerable \u2026 that\u2019s where you hear the horror stories.<\/p>\n \u201cI deal with a lot of schools, and they have students who have missed years worth of education because by the time they go into the classroom and get a cognitive load, they become symptomatic and get headaches from learning.<\/p>\n \u201cThat tells me they\u2019ve played through concussions, exacerbating those symptoms. Parents get scared, and we don\u2019t want parents scared, we want parents to be empowered.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rugby League Players Association has expressed fears that NRL rule changes, which have significantly increased the speed at which the game is played, are also putting players at greater risk of injury.<\/p>\n Efforts have increased for elite sporting bodies to better protect their athletes, with the NRL imposing a maximum of 100 minutes of contact training each week on a seven-day game turnaround.<\/p>\n \u201cThe players are the main product of the game, and you want to protect those assets as much as possible,\u201d Broncos captain Adam Reynolds said. \u201cI think it\u2019s an initiative that every club will abide by.<\/p>\n \u201cI know the risks that come with playing rugby league, I know what I signed up for, and I know there are accidents that are part of any sport. As players, we\u2019ve got a duty of care to look after one another, and I feel it\u2019s been good out there.<\/p>\n \u201cNo player goes out there to hurt anyone deliberately, unfortunately there are accidents.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/cbd9e180a0e452523f1451733de3841661f2f442.jpeg\")
The Lions\u2019 Noah Answerth has suffered back-to-back concussions.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Lachie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/7a164282c245e93c47b0ab32e78b2c201ed36339.jpeg\")
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Adam Reynolds has backed the NRL\u2019s changes to contact protocols at training. Getty Images<\/p>\n