00:02Angus Pittman once had dreams of AFL Draft Day, but after eight concussions on the field
00:08by the age of 16, he was forced to leave behind the game he loved.
00:12It was everything for me, because all the boys you go to school with, everyone you grow
00:18up plays footy.
00:19Two years later, now 18 and back in his Riverland home, he's turned to rowing.
00:24And after just a few months of training, he's hot on the heels of meeting the national qualifying
00:29time for his age group.
00:31We've just been training probably the last four or five months, four or five times a week
00:34and now I'm loving it.
00:36Angus' new lease on sporting life is being celebrated by experts, who warned repeated
00:41head bumps can also increase the risk of other diseases like motor neuron, Alzheimer's and
00:47Parkinson's.
00:48It's such a grey area because we know that it's not just the diagnosed concussions, it
00:53can just be cumulative bumps that people may not have even paid any attention to that can
00:58have effects.
00:59While most grass roots players and clubs are following the guidelines, one country football
01:04league president says concussions may still be slipping through the cracks.
01:08A league representative or a sample representative isn't present at every single game of football
01:13to police it, so it's down to the clubs.
01:17The SNFL says it continuously reviews the guidelines for managing concussion.
01:22It says the game has never been safer.
01:24With current rules mandating that players spend at least 21 days on the sidelines after suffering
01:29a knock.
01:30Angus is hopeful his story will inspire others to step out of their comfort zone.
01:35Whether 40 is really worth risking your life or you've got to look at the bigger picture.
01:41If you want to walk a night or you can never get to the other side of your country, it
01:44will make a difference.
01:44Once you want to walk a night or you can go to the other side of your career, you can
01:46go to the other side of your car.
01:46You
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