Western Bulldogs premiership hero Liam Picken is set to take the AFL, his former club and the team doctors to court over a spate of concussions he suffered during his playing career.
Picken was forced to retire in early 2019 due to ongoing concussion symptoms sustained from a series of heavy knocks over the preceding two years, with many of the symptoms still persisting nearly four years later.
The 36-year old reportedly suffers from photophobia – discomfort in bright lights – and claims the Bulldogs and the club’s medical staff failed in their duty of care towards him by not revealing the full extent of his head injuries.
According to reports, Picken is claiming compensation for loss of earnings and ongoing medical tests from now until retirement.
Picken also claims he was given the all clear to return to playing and training despite suffering concussion throughout his career.
“From Liam’s perspective, he was never made aware of his failings of any cognitive assessment he ever underwent. Further to that, he did not necessarily understand the full extent of his injuries or his symptoms,” Picken’s legal counsel and principal lawyer at National Compensation Lawyers, Michael Tanner, told The Age.
“What he did was voice his concerns about his symptoms. The medical advice given to him at the time was [he was] still fit to play.”
Picken suffered a concussion in Round 3, 2017 against Fremantle, in a collision with Dockers defender Tom Sheridan.
However, while he was taken from the field, Picken claims he never underwent a SCAT 3 test to check for concussion, and returned to full training just five days later after completing a Digital Cognitive Assessment. The league has since extended its mandatory stand-down policy for any player who suffers a concussion to 12 days in early 2021.
Picken joins former Collingwood AFLW vice-captain Emma Grant in launching a civil case against the league over concussions; Grant is involved in a class action lawsuit run by Margalit Injury Lawyers after a concussion sustained in the 2020 pre-season forced her into premature retirement.
Liam Picken of the Bulldogs lies on the field concussed in a pre-season match in March, 2018. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
AFL unveils new $1m ‘Champion Club’ award
The AFL have announced a new $1 million prize will be awarded in 2023 to the most successful club across both AFL and AFLW competitions.
Previously, the team on top of the ladder at the end of the AFL home-and-away season was awarded the McClelland Trophy.
Now, in a similar vein to a previous iteration of the trophy, which was awarded to the club with best results across senior, reserves and Under 19 competitions, it will be won based on premiership points accrued in both the AFL and AFLW, with prizemoney to be distributed across the winning club and its players.
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Given the different lengths of the two seasons, AFL wins will be worth four points and draws two, while AFLW wins will be worth eight points and draws four.
Had the award been on offer for the 2022 season, Melbourne would have been champions, having claimed the AFLW premiership while also finishing second on the ladder after the AFL home-and-away season, before crashing out of the finals in straight sets.
Don’t you just love it? Commentary icon to be inducted into Hall of Fame
Iconic Australian commentator Bruce McAvaney will be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame later this year, becoming the 11th member of its media category.
Over more than four decades on Seven, the 69-year old was one of the country’s most respected and acclaimed callers, becoming the voice of the network’s Olympic Games and athletics coverage.
But he was most famous for his calling of AFL matches for Seven, in particular his commentary partnership with fellow broadcasting doyen Dennis Cometti.
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
McAvaney’s induction was announced by AFL chairman Richard Goyder at the league’s season launch on Thursday, while awarding the veteran caller life membership to the league.
“When we acknowledge a great career tonight by the magnificent Bruce McAvaney, who is receiving life membership, we should applaud him doubly as Bruce will also be going into the Hall of Fame later this year for his wonderful media career calling our greatest moments in our biggest games,” Goyder said.
“The other inductees we will keep a secret until June.”
McAvaney has also been inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame in 2022.
He retired from AFL commentary in late 2020, but remains heavily involved in Olympics and horse racing coverage on Seven.
