The AFL has been forced to admit the ARC doctor made a crucial error during Gold Coast’s thrilling win over Essendon on Saturday afternoon.
Channel 7’s Tom Morris revealed the ARC doctor overruled the Essendon doctor after a “heated disagreement” when Tom Edwards was cleared to return to the field following a head knock.
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With 15 minutes remaining in the final quarter, Edwards was collected high by John Noble, who copped a one-match ban for rough conduct that he is appealing at the tribunal.
Edwards came from the field to get checked by medical staff, but was given the all clear to return.
However, with just over five minutes remaining, the ARC doctor forced Edwards off the field to undergo an HIA, which ruled him out for the remainder of the match.
A visibly angry Edwards left the field, while Essendon coach Brad Scott appeared dumbfounded in the box.
ARC doctors have the power to intervene if they believe it’s warranted and Morris said they stepped in after a disagreement with the Essendon doctor.
“Essendon took Tom Edwards off the field and they tested him to the best knowledge of the doctor,” Morris said on The Agenda Setters.
“They tested his jaw, made sure he was OK. They sent him back out there.
“But it’s in that moment that the doctor from Essendon and the doctor in the ARC had a disagreement.
“So the doctor from Essendon thought it was OK to send Tom Edwards back out. The ARC doctor disagreed. And that’s when the ARC doctor intervened again, bringing Tom Edwards off the field with seven points of difference and five minutes remaining at a crucial time of the game.
“Then he was subjected to an HIA. He then passed that HIA. But, of course, that’s 15 minutes. So he missed the rest of the game.
“You can just imagine what would have happened had that been Nick Daicos in a prelim final being taken off by an ARC doctor.”
Morris said he spoke to the AFL about the issue and they have conceded the ARC doctor made an error in what they are describing as a “miscommunication”.
“They’ve conceded that this was a miscommunication and they’ve supported the position of the Essendon club doctor over the ARC club doctor,” he said.
“They’re saying that Essendon was right and the AFL ARC doctor on this occasion was wrong and they will continue to review their processes.”
Caroline Wilson described the disagreement between the doctors as a “blow-up”, while Morris added that other people around heard it.
“I would classify it as a heated disagreement,” Morris said.
“The two doctors, which is not unusual for two doctors to disagree on something clinical like this, but this was noticed by people around them. And there’s no doubt that they were on very different sides of the coin.”
Wilson said it was an “unacceptable”, while Kane Cornes added that it sets a “dangerous” precedent.
“Very dangerous when a doctor in Melbourne overrules a club doctor who knows his player better than anyone,” Cornes said.
“That is very, very dangerous ground that we’re going into.”
