THIS uncomfortable picture should at the least get you thinking about football's still largely unknown toll in what we have demanded from our players.
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Retired Western Bulldogs hard man Liam Picken, a former North Ballarat Rebel from Hamilton, has launched legal action for alleged negligence and duty of care in his AFL career.
The Age has reported court documents reference two particular head knocks, one being a March pre-season match at Mars Stadium in 2018 in which Picken was knocked out in a marking contest.
As we ready for the game we love to return at its highest levels later this week, we should consider our vital responsibility to those who take to the field to entertain us at all levels of football.
Sure, the football era of tough knocks of half a century ago might be officially over for those who take a whack and keep going in what has been seen as a badge of pride.
But in the highly complex fields of neurology, there is still so much unknown about the long-lasting effects of repeated head knocks.
Perhaps even more so when players leave the sphere of our dedicated scrutiny and analysis - the playing field.
Brain injuries such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (better known as CTE), can only officially be diagnosed after death.
Former Newlyn coach Shaun Smith has long been adamant the image of football's warrior hero must change for the long-term health of all players.
Our game is not alone in the pressures for teams to push the boundaries in a bid to win games.
Our players are not alone in the pressures to try a prove their worth for selection, recruitment or a well-meaning but often naive sense of loyalty to not their team down.
As fans, at all levels of the game, we should reconsider the pressures we create to drive a shift in cultural expectations. It is vital we all help to break the social stigma in talking about mental health.
Smith voiced his concerns in The Courier three years ago about a fast-emerging need for female footballers in trying to prove their toughness, to prove their worth to be playing the game. The players he was coaching, were trying to play like he did - with a lack of regard for protection.
An AFL 100-gamer and league mark of the century-taker, Smith won a $1.4 million insurance claim in 2020 for total and permanent disablement.
Smith has long been vocal in the side-effects of his playing days on his mental health, including changes to his personality.
The rising toll in high-profile footballers speaking up with similar side-effects is growing.
Smith's playing days effectively ended with a heavy blow amid Central Highlands Football League action more than a decade ago.
Concussion awareness, testing and expectations has greatly changed.
In a highly competitive, high-contact sport, that risk remains very real at all levels in the game.
Picken is a timely reminder to really consider what we demand and value in players who put their bodies on the line for us every week.
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