Western Bulldogs call on Tom Liberatore after terrifying collapse during match
- Tom Liberatore collapsed in center field at Marvel Stadium
- The collapse happened minutes after a big hit by Jake Stringer
- The Bulldogs have chosen to rest the star midfielder in the next game
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Tom Liberatore will be rested for the Western Bulldogs’ next AFL game after his dramatic collapse late in Friday’s loss to Essendon.
The star midfielder fell to the ground with no one near him at the Marvel Stadium, prompting opponent Darcy Parish to signal to the benches for help.
The Bulldogs say their ruckman has passed concussion protocols but he will sit out next Thursday night’s game against St Kilda after the ‘concerning’ incident.
Aware of the sensitivity surrounding concussions in sports, the Dogs took pains to explain what happened to Liberatore.
Tom Liberatore (pictured) fell to the ground with no one near him at Marvel Stadium
“Immediately after (the match), Liberatore reported to the Bulldogs’ medical team with no symptoms of concussion and passed a head injury assessment, carried out in accordance with AFL protocols,” the club said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
‘Tom remains concussion-free this morning. However, given the worrying nature of in-game footage in the final minutes showing Tom falling to the ground, the club’s medical team have subsequently taken the decision to place him in concussion protocols.
‘This decision has been taken out of an abundance of caution, with Tom’s health and well-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 he had lost his balance after tweaking his ankle earlier last quarter and declared he had no symptoms and full recollection of the incident.
Beveridge said the experienced midfielder had been checked and cleared of any problems.
“For some reason he lost his footing and tripped but he’s fine,” Beveridge said.
Liberatore will be rested for the Western Bulldogs’ next game after his 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 looked at and there’s no concussion or anything like that.
‘We came in (to the dressing room) just to make sure he’s OK and he seems to be fine.’
Liberatore was among the Bulldogs’ best against Essendon, making 10 clearances among his 25 possessions, and he will be sorely missed as they try to bounce back from back-to-back losses.