- Tom Liberatore collapsed in the central plaza of Marvel Stadium
- The collapse occurred minutes after Jake Stringer’s big hit
- The Bulldogs have opted to rest the star midfielder in the next game
Tom Liberatore will be rested for the Western Bulldogs’ next AFL game after his dramatic collapse late in Friday night’s loss to Essendon.
The star midfielder fell to the ground with no one near him at Marvel Stadium, prompting his opponent Darcy Parish to ask the benches for help.
The Bulldogs say their clearance beast has passed concussion protocols but will sit out next Thursday night’s game against St Kilda after the “concerning” incident.
Aware of the sensitivity around concussions in the sport, the Dogs struggled to explain what was happening with Liberatore.
Tom Liberatore (pictured) fell to the ground with no one near him at Marvel Stadium
“Immediately following (the match), Liberatore reported to the Bulldogs medical team with no concussion symptoms and passed a head injury assessment, conducted in accordance with AFL protocols,” the club said in a statement Saturday. the afternoon.
‘Tom remains without concussion symptoms this morning. However, given the worrying nature of the game footage during the final minutes showing Tom falling to the ground, the club’s medical team made the decision to place him in concussion protocols.
‘This decision has been made out of an abundance of caution, with Tom’s health and wellbeing being the absolute priority.
“As a result, Tom will miss Thursday’s game against St Kilda and will continue to be monitored.”
Immediately after the match, Liberatore and coach Luke Beveridge were more optimistic about the midfielder.
Liberatore told ABC Radio that he had lost his balance after spraining his ankle early in the fourth quarter, stating that he had no symptoms and fully remembered the incident.
Beveridge said the experienced midfielder had been examined and cleared of any problems.
“For some reason he lost his balance and tripped, but he’s okay,” Beveridge said.
Liberatore to rest for Western Bulldogs’ next game after dramatic collapse
Liberatore reported to the Bulldogs’ medical team after the game with no concussion symptoms and passed a head injury evaluation.
“He’s been treated and there’s no concussion or anything like that.
“We were going in (to the locker room) just to make sure he was okay and apparently he was okay.”
Liberatore was among the Bulldogs’ best against Essendon, racking up 10 clearances among his 25 possessions, and will be sorely missed as they attempt to bounce back from successive defeats.