Collingwood coach offers latest on hurt forward, AFL comments on incident
After a confrontational incident that led to the Magpies shooter entering concussion protocols, Collingwood coach Craig McRae has thrown his support behind forward Lachie Schultz.
After colliding with Jordan Clark of Fremantle in the fourth quarter, Schultz was left lying on the Optus Stadium floor. He tried to stand but fell back to the ground.
Due to the head knock, Schultz was finally assisted off the field and would miss the rest of the game, which greatly worried his coach and teammates.
“I hope Lachie is doing well. “It is my top priority to love and care for Lachie,” McRae stated after the game.
“His well-being is paramount. Our goal is to keep our players safe. Seeing your players sprawled on the ground bothers you. That is something you wish you could remove.
“I only hope he’s doing okay. Since I haven’t had a chance to talk to him, I’m eager to go so I can check on him.”
As Schultz sought to stand, Collingwood had called for the stretcher and halted play, keeping the game in suspension while he received medical attention.
According to McRae, the “ideal” scenario would have been to stop play so that Schultz could get the time he requires before being removed from the field.
Lachie just jumped to his feet because that’s just the way he goes—he gets knocked down and gets up at every contest—but we did what we could because we were all kind of worried about his welfare and we called for the stretcher.
The doctors were doing everything they could to get Lachie okay. “It would be ideal if you could halt the game,” McRae stated.
“I got a few concussions while playing the game a long time ago. You’re unconscious. Perhaps Lachie’s desire to stand up was a psychological reaction that demonstrated his bravery, but in a perfect world, he would wait for a stretcher.
“We give our players the best care possible. We would really like to eliminate this aspect of our game. Many players have experienced this in the past. To make our athletes and their surroundings safer, we are implementing improvements.
In a subsequent statement, the AFL said that the match officials were unaware that Schultz was on the ground and that play continued while he needed medical attention.
The league acknowledged that if the umpires had been informed of Collingwood’s possession recovery in the middle of the field, play would have been stopped.
“The umpires have the authority to halt play; they are directed to do so as soon as they become aware that a player is hurt close to the action.
Play went on since the umpires did not spot the wounded player during last night’s match, according to the statement.
“Upon review, if umpires were aware, play would have been stopped when (Nick) Daicos had possession in the middle of the ground.”
According to the AFL’s concussion guidelines, Schultz will be out for 12 days due to the injury, therefore he will miss his team’s Round 10 match against Adelaide.
Schultz will next be eligible for the team’s Round 11 matchup against North Melbourne, if he is able to clear concussion procedures in time.
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