Tom backs brother Paddy McCartin to return to footy in 2021

[Sanctorum]

Following article by Jon Ralph from Herald Sun published in today's Oz:

"Paddy McCartin is free of all concussion symptoms and adamant he will return to football next year, according to his younger brother Tom McCartin.

Sydney key forward Tom said his St Kilda forward brother had made dramatic progress since agreeing to be delisted by the Saints as part of a plan to reassess his health at the end of 2020.

Not only is Paddy back running after suffering headaches so bad he could barely leave his house, his work doing gruelling brain exercises has alleviated many of his concussion symptoms.

The former No 1 draft pick said recently that, despite eight concussions, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
While some might question whether 23-year-old McCartin is endangering himself by returning to football, his brother Tom, 20, said Paddy’s love for the game would see him back on the playing field.

“Paddy is going really well at the minute,” Tom said. “He has obviously had a tough 12 months and he’s been super resilient over the last 10-12 months.

“He is back running, feeling good, feeling happy and feeling fit so he’s flying around. He’s keen to get back in 2021.

“He is back to normal and living a normal life. Twelve months ago if you listened to his (Triple M) interview he was struggling to do much at all, not leaving the house, and he’s back to living a normal life, which is great.

“He was seeing a bloke three times a week retraining his brain and I remember him saying it was harder than any pre-season training session he had done, so much concentration and it goes for five or six hours at a time, it’s pretty full on, but he’s only seeing him every three weeks so it’s going well.”

Tom admitted it was tough to hear his brother talk in such forensic detail about how he could barely drive a car or go to the supermarket during the depths of his concussion symptoms.

In that interview, Paddy McCartin said he was a “shell” of the person he had once been and that he had lost his “identity” as a person and footballer.

Paddy is currently working one day a week at a Melbourne ¬diabetes foundation as a type-one diabetic, but is mostly able to work on his health and fitness. Tom said: “It was sad (listening to that interview), especially being up here. I don’t really get to see him that often. It’s great that he felt like he could open up and tell everyone how he was feeling.

“But for a bit there it was tough because I knew he was struggling, but he’s one of the strongest blokes I know.
“I knew he was going to be fine and he had good support around him with his girlfriend Lucy. It has been tough (watching on).
“I am not too fazed with how he’s going (with his form), it’s more how he’s feeling. If he’s feeling flat that’s the main thing I care about. As long as he’s back feeling happy and feeling confident I am happy. And I am just glad to see him back on track.”

Great to hear that Paddy is getting back to full health, however these views are coming from his brother Tom and it remains to be seen if the medical experts will give him the all-clear. If he does play again it will be interesting to see if he will be selected by St Kilda (he is currently de-listed) or goes to another club, possibly Geelong which is Paddy's stamping ground and who will be in the hunt for a leading forward to take over from Tom Hawkins.

[shanegrambeau]

If he needed or needs all this...five hour brain retraining etc., just to get home to feel normal again, it is just so hard to see anyone accepting even partial responsibility for being part of a repeat and return t hell by selecting him to crash and bash on a footy field. He look bad in the seconds before he went down last time. I thought, though my footy skills are u15cs level, I could tell his position was wrong. I can’t seeing him coming back but if they made a helmet like no one has ever made before, like a Michelin Man, perhaps he could. Otherwise, coaching?

[shanegrambeau]

If he needed or needs all this...five hour brain retraining etc., just to get home to feel normal again, it is just so hard to see anyone accepting even partial responsibility for being part of a repeat and return t hell by selecting him to crash and bash on a footy field. He look bad in the seconds before he went down last time. I thought, though my footy skills are u15cs level, I could tell his position was wrong. I can’t seeing him coming back but if they made a helmet like no one has ever made before, like a Michelin Man, perhaps he could. Otherwise, coaching?

[desertsaint]

if he's feeling healthy again why throw that away? one crash and he's back where he started. retire from contact sports completely paddy. use this time to study and succeed in another field.

[saintspremiers]

if he's feeling healthy again why throw that away? one crash and he's back where he started. retire from contact sports completely paddy. use this time to study and succeed in another field.

Look he probably has some form of brain damage due to the amount of concussions he’s had and simply can’t make informed decisions anymore.

I doubt any league would allow him to play

[Scollop]

If he can kick as straight as Plugger and mark the footy like Buckets we should investigate recruiting him...BUT only if he can run like Banger as well

[saintspremiers]

If he can kick as straight as Plugger and mark the footy like Buckets we should investigate recruiting him...BUT only if he can run like Banger as well

And as tough as all of them combined

[Joffa Burns]

What was his brother likely to say?
Paddy's f-cked, can't see him coming back, one more hot and he's brain damaged permanently.

Paddy at this point in time has probably put his whole existence into making at at AFL level, he wants another shot.

Will the AFL allow it and will a club take a punt on him as a rookie?

Say he can play next year? Very unlikely but on the off chance.
We paid him for 2020, he has trained and used the medical facilities and someone else grabs him as a rookie.
Surely there is some way to secure him on the unlikely chance he gets another go at AFL.

[Nick_BlueNRG]

I'm afraid I might cop some flak for saying this but here goes. Paddy, please stay as far away from the St Kilda footy club as possible. Not only for the Saints sake but for yours as well.

[saynta]

I'm afraid I might cop some flak for saying this but here goes. Paddy, please stay as far away from the St Kilda footy club as possible. Not only for the Saints sake but for yours as well.

Not your decision thankfully. Didn't know you were a qualified medico.

[WellardSaint]

I'm afraid I might cop some flak for saying this but here goes. Paddy, please stay as far away from the St Kilda footy club as possible. Not only for the Saints sake but for yours as well.

Yep, agree.
Each incident resulted in longer lay-offs.
He was getting worse.
Can't play at any level, for his own sake

[shanegrambeau]

Paddy had eight concussions, right? How many were from knocks from other players and how many were from crashing into the turf? Paddy's story makes me think footy itself is under threat the way it is played. I wonder if players wore kness pads, elbow pads and if certain different surface soil and grass combinations on grounds could be used?

[Secret Kiel]

Is it possible the COVID-19 crisis is perfect timing for Paddy. A lot of cash strapped clubs could be happy to sign Paddy up for 10% of nothing

[Wayne42]

I think it would be great if Paddy was able to resume his AFL career, at another club.

[shanegrambeau]

I think the AFL does not want Paddy to play. They do not want the media poking around and making footy look bad. They do not want class action civil suits levied against them (I do not know the correct law terms etc.) of the kind NIcky Winmar was going to launch - or his managers - in 2018.

These concussions are the biggest threat to our game. It is conceivable that certain states may enforce wearing a helmet in years to comes. I think the AFL will sponsor research and their priority is to reduce risk firstly, and secondly, to maintain a responsible image in the public. Paddy playing spells trouble with a capital 'T'.

[Enrico_Misso]

Tom's also tipped Christopher Reeve to star in the next Superman film.

[Sanctorum]

I think the AFL does not want Paddy to play. They do not want the media poking around and making footy look bad. They do not want class action civil suits levied against them (I do not know the correct law terms etc.) of the kind NIcky Winmar was going to launch - or his managers - in 2018.

These concussions are the biggest threat to our game. It is conceivable that certain states may enforce wearing a helmet in years to comes. I think the AFL will sponsor research and their priority is to reduce risk firstly, and secondly, to maintain a responsible image in the public. Paddy playing spells trouble with a capital 'T'.

I agree and whilst I would not wish to squash Paddy's ambitions to get back into senior football, the risks that he faces to permanent and life changing brain damage if he is knocked out again are severe - I would get him to sit down with John Barnes to get a reality check:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-19/ ... n/10915086

As for forcing players to wear helmets, even the hard-hat types used by NFL players in the US are incapable of avoiding serious head injuries, following from Wikipedia:

"Concussions and other types of repetitive play-related head blows in American football have been shown to be the cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has led to player deaths and other debilitating symptoms after retirement, including memory loss, depression, anxiety, headaches, and sleep disturbances."

The AFL has a clear responsibility to take much stronger action. One way would be to automatically suspend a concussed player for at least one game pending a full and independent medical review to determine the severity of the injury.

If such a rule had been in place while Paddy was playing it is more than likely, given the symptoms that he openly revealed, he may well have been ruled out permanently well before his 8th concussion.

[saynta]

From the age.com.au

Improved health lifts Saints' spirits

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten remains hopeful Paddy McCartin will be cleared to return to the AFL fold at some point, with the former No.1 draft pick showing improved health in recent weeks.

McCartin, who has suffered eight concussions since 2014, was delisted late last year as part of a plan to put his career on hold until at least 2021.

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The 23-year-old is now believed to be free of symptoms from the impact of his brain injuries, sparking hope he could add to his tally of 35 AFL games.

"That's brilliant news for him, just to be able to have a normal life where he's not getting headaches and things like that," Ratten said.
Advertisement
Paddy McCartin stayed involved with St Kilda's pre-season before the game was shut down.

Paddy McCartin stayed involved with St Kilda's pre-season before the game was shut down.Credit:Getty Images

McCartin continued part-time training with the Saints during the pre-season before the AFL was forced into shutdown mode because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He was at the club's Moorabbin base at least once a week, involved in team meetings and completed gym sessions.

Rattan said the key forward was still treated as a player on the club's list.

"It's great for him to be able to interact with the players," Ratten said. "He's a great person and we want the best for him. If that news has come through in the last few weeks then that's brilliant for him. We've always said if there's an opportunity to get him back we'll look at that, but he'll need to be ticked off before we make those [decisions]."


Ratten stressed any move for McCartin to return to football would require the appropriate medical clearances.

"You've got to have all the evidence in front of you with the specialists and the doctors to make that assessment and that's not for me to make that call," Ratten said.

"Our doctor's a ripper and he'll make those calls, but whatever is best for Paddy.

"He'll have to make that decision, if he's been given the all-clear, to keep pursuing an AFL career and does he want to keep playing football.

"That's the next question after getting the all-clear, so there's a fair bit of water to go under the bridge there, but it is positive for Paddy if that's the case.

"If he was right and the doctors ticked it off then we really consider him coming back to the club but there's still a lot of work to be done in that space."

[shanegrambeau]

Saynta, good post/paste
What stands out for me..

1) improved health in recent weeks...(Weeks?? FFS!)
2) First hit 2014!! - nearly six years ago.
3) Ratten says 'brilliant' if he can live a 'normal life'...so
4) 'great for him to interact..and...if that news has come through..'

My Conclusion
1) Poor news week...
2) Anything positive gets maximum spin in these grim times
3) A few weeks of no symptoms and a six year story

Of course, the fairytale ending to this horridness Virus Year would be Paddy back in our colours in 2021, but nothing in that article suggests so. And I would stand by my comment earlier in the thread, that the AFL wouldn't like it.

[BackFromUSA]

Not denying that he has had 8 concussions, but the concussions alone were not the problem. How he was told to rehab from concussion was the actual problem. The brain training that Tom talks about has turned this all around. A new method for him and it offers hope.

He is now in very good medical hands.

Please also note that not all concussions are in fact equal.

[mr six o'clock]

Tom's also tipped Christopher Reeve to star in the next Superman film.

Yep
Tom's been studying at the ponds institute under the tutelage of helen keller
I'd back his judgement

[bigcarl]

Can't knock Paddy's spirit, but the question is: Would he get a game for us on merit?

[saynta]

Can't knock Paddy's spirit, but the question is: Would he get a game for us on merit?

WTFKs

[Sanctorum]

Not denying that he has had 8 concussions, but the concussions alone were not the problem. How he was told to rehab from concussion was the actual problem. The brain training that Tom talks about has turned this all around. A new method for him and it offers hope.

He is now in very good medical hands.

Please also note that not all concussions are in fact equal.

All good and well BFU and sure, not all concussions are the same but the fact remains that Paddy suffered 8 over a relatively short period of time, sidelining him for months and now years - in 5 seasons he has only managed 35 games.

The brain training he is undergoing will undoubtedly help him to regain his mental well being for now, but that does not mean that the damage to his brains will preserve him from serious illness later in life - the science is extremely complex and there is still so much more research to be carried out in this field.

At age 24 why would anyone risk further brain damage and imperil a life that has so many more years to run....isn't Paddy better off planning for life AFTER football now???

God help him if he suffers another serious head knock!

[BackFromUSA]

Not denying that he has had 8 concussions, but the concussions alone were not the problem. How he was told to rehab from concussion was the actual problem. The brain training that Tom talks about has turned this all around. A new method for him and it offers hope.

He is now in very good medical hands.

Please also note that not all concussions are in fact equal.

All good and well BFU and sure, not all concussions are the same but the fact remains that Paddy suffered 8 over a relatively short period of time, sidelining him for months and now years - in 5 seasons he has only managed 35 games.

The brain training he is undergoing will undoubtedly help him to regain his mental well being for now, but that does not mean that the damage to his brains will preserve him from serious illness later in life - the science is extremely complex and there is still so much more research to be carried out in this field.

At age 24 why would anyone risk further brain damage and imperil a life that has so many more years to run....isn't Paddy better off planning for life AFTER football now???

God help him if he suffers another serious head knock!

If I was him, I wouldn't play again.

We all make different choices.

He has the desire to play again.

He certainly shouldn't play as a crash and bash forward for his own sake,

Whether there is a role for him in AFL as anything other than that is a real question.

Whether a club will take the risk on him is another question.

As for his likelihood for a single concussion that will have life long impacts - ALL footballers risk that at every level.

Is he more likely? That is for the medical experts to debate and resolve with Paddy and any interested club.