Young forward, Curtis Taylor, is unlikely to add to his 12 game tally anytime soon after being knocked out on Sunday against Port Adelaide.
The AFL’s new concussion protocols, which state any player suffering from a concussion must miss at least the next twelve days, and North Melbourne’s tight schedule, make it near impossible for him to return before Round 4.
“With the concussion protocol … we’ve got two six-day breaks so that’s probably going to make it pretty tough for him to be back within any of those two rounds I would have thought,” Kangaroos’ coach David Noble said after the game.
Taylor was KO’d in the fourth quarter, just minutes after North activated its medical substitute for Aiden Corr. The key backman injured his toe and was at risk of doing further damage and was struggling to defend according to Noble.
“We were at risk, under that medical protocol, of causing more issue on that toe, so we made that call,” Noble clarified.
Under the AFL’s rules, clubs can sub out a player who is legitimately injured, as is the case with Corr.
“You’re able to now activate that (medical substitution) knowing that it is a potential to do more risk, and our doctors have been really clear - it has to be clear on a medical basis: it’s either concussion or it’s a potential to cause longer injury is my understanding so he’s probably doubtful for next week,” Noble stated.
Corr was replaced by first gamer Charlie Lazzaro.
