00:00For Jeremy Rohde, the impacts of concussion in community football are raw.
00:07I started experiencing like nausea, sensitivity to light.
00:12Like I was in a fog some days when, you know, I'd be at work and I don't remember the last hour of work.
00:19It's quite scary.
00:21The 24 year old has already suffered six concussions while playing football across the state,
00:26including one last year resulting in weeks of severe symptoms and appointments with doctors in Melbourne.
00:32The doctor told me I'm walking a fine line.
00:34If you get hit again then you might be considering retirement and being medically retired.
00:40So that's something I live with.
00:41But for the thousands of Victorians who play bush footy every weekend, help is harder to find.
00:47Dan Hamilton recently opened a new concussion clinic dedicated to rehab in Bendigo,
00:53but it's the only specialist clinic outside of Melbourne or Geelong.
00:58People are probably travelling between 100 and 200 kilometres.
01:01We're open two and a half days a week and we're booked out.
01:04Many physios and osteos and doctors don't really know what to do.
01:08The AFL is facing a class action from former players as more stories emerge
01:13of the often tragic consequences of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
01:17But while it's raised the alarm about concussion at the elite level,
01:21it remains a grey area in community football.
01:24The AFL advises clubs and leagues to use the HeadCheck app,
01:28which is a collaboration between the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and concussion experts.
01:34It assists with concussion identification, management and recovery.
01:39But Alan Pearce isn't convinced about the approach.
01:42What clubs really should be doing is more than just relying on an app
01:47in order to be able to make sure that their players are properly assessed.
01:50...
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