Walsh didn’t train on Thursday morning ahead of Carlton’s Good Friday Appeal clash with North Melbourne but had a full training session earlier in the week.

Voss added Matt Kennedy also won’t return this week after falling “a little bit short” but would be available next week.

“We just take a pretty low-risk approach to it,” said Voss. “And, you know, another person needs to be able to step up and get the job done.

“It’s been a real signature part of our, I guess, our team is that when one man goes down, the next one comes in and we’ve been a pretty settled side but obviously for Matty unfortunately he hasn’t come up.”

Carlton take on North Melbourne in their first Good Friday Appeal fixture, which Voss said added “a whole lot of perspective around football”.

“It’s pretty special. It’s a real point of difference across the year, and obviously, you play a lot of games across the year and there’s just some that you put on the calendar really early,” said Voss.

“We’re really grateful as a footy club that we can share in that. So, we’ve got a role to play in that - clearly. But, you know, we’re really grateful we get that opportunity.”

Alarm bells at rise in AFL players hiding concussion

Peter Ryan

An astonishing 9 per cent of AFL players surveyed by the Players’ Association failed to report a concussion they experienced in 2022.

But more alarming is the fact the percentage of players who admitted to not reporting a concussion increased in 2022 despite growing awareness of the danger concussion represents to long-term health.

The figure is contained in the AFLPA’s submission to the Senate inquiry into concussion and repeated head trauma in contact sports, with the PA saying 9 per cent is “above the five-year average of 7 per cent and returning to the levels seen in 2016-2018”.

The association is expected to further investigate what lies behind the increase.

The AFL introduced 12-day concussion protocols at the start of 2022, which meant players missed a minimum of one game if they suffered a concussion, which may lead to an increase in non-reporting.

The players’ association is keen to better understand how players assessed themselves as having suffered concussion when they did not report the event, and there may have been a change in attitude around concussion since players were surveyed in the middle of last year.

There have been calls for that 12-day lay-off period to be extended to a minimum of 28 days from concussion researchers such as neuroscientist Dr Alan Pearce, however there have been concern among AFL clubs about whether players will report concussions if forced to miss for that period.

By contrast, just 2 per cent of AFLW players did not report a concussion in 2022 which was down from 4 per cent in previous seasons.

The concussion question was asked as part of the AFLPA’s annual wellbeing and insights survey, held during club visits. It is not compulsory for the players to complete the survey, but the large majority do with 92 per cent of respondents indicating they thought their club prioritised their health and safety over performance in 2022 when managing a head knock, a 1 per cent decrease on the previous year.

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The unwillingness to report symptoms will concern the AFL and the AFLPA in a climate where class actions have been launched, as well as two separate individual claims, relating to concussion.

The PA also reported that there has been “a significant increase in the number of football-ending injury applications related to concussion in recent years.

“In 2021, these accounted for 63 per cent of the successful football-ending injury applications. By comparison, before 2021, there had only been a total of four applications for concussion injuries.”

The PA offers a range of support services for ex-players including a hardship fund.

It also said in the submission that it had not been given a timeline from the league regarding the implementation of recommendations from the McCrory report which the AFL released in October last year.

A public hearing on the inquiry into concussion and the impact of head trauma in contact sports will be held in Melbourne on April 26.

Goodwin bullish on Pickett contract talks

AAP

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has declared contract talks with Kysaiah Pickett in a “great spot” as the club welcomes back the livewire forward from suspension.

Pickett will return from his two-match rough conduct ban in Sunday’s clash with West Coast, ready to resume his adaptation from small forward into midfield X-factor.

The 21-year-old premiership speedster, who attracted strong interest from Port Adelaide last year, is off contract at the end of this season.

“We’ve been in constant communication with Koz and his management team,” Goodwin said on Thursday.

“He’s a pretty important player for us as a footy club and we love him, and he loves this footy club. We’re hopeful that it’s going to get done fairly soon. We think it’s in a great spot moving forward.

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“But the most important thing for Kozzy right now is to get him back playing footy in our side.”

Goodwin said Pickett has used his two weeks on the sidelines to do extra conditioning work, with an eye towards building his tank.

“He’s got electric speed and we’ll continue to focus on that but also his capacity to play some midfield time for us,” Goodwin said. “We think we’ve got an opportunity to grow our game internally as a footy club and Kozzy is a big part of that.

“He adds a different dynamic to our midfield when he’s in there ... so we feel using Kozzy at times through the midfield is going to be really important to us.”

Goodwin also hosed down suggestions Max Gawn could return from his knee injury earlier than first expected. Vision of Gawn running over the weekend - published by the Demons online -sparked belief the influential captain could be ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation.

But Goodwin said there was “no hope” Gawn would return from his MCL sprain any time soon, declaring the 31-year-old veteran still at least one month away.

“We’ll be making sure that Max is fully fit by the time he comes back,” Goodwin said.

“He’s back running, which is fantastic to see, but he’s got to put a bit of work in. We’re going to be really conservative with Max.

“He needs to be 100 per cent right to go and get a few weeks of training under his belt so we don’t get any recurrence with that injury. We want him to be fully fit for the whole year.”

Tiger stars back on deck for Bulldogs

AAP

Richmond will welcome back refreshed stars Dustin Martin and Jacob Hopper as their undermanned back line prepares for a tall task against the Western Bulldogs.

But the Tigers will be patient with key defender Robbie Tarrant, who played half a VFL match on return from a hip injury last week, while Josh Gibcus (hamstring) is still another month away.

It leaves Dylan Grimes, Noah Balta and two-game defender Tylar Young to take on the Bulldogs’ tall timber at the MCG on Saturday.

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Jamarra Ugle-Hagan kicked a career-best five goals as the Dogs broke through for their first win of the season, against Brisbane last week, while Aaron Naughton and Rory Lobb are imposing figures.

“They’re challenging, aren’t they, tall and athletic,” Hardwick said. “Ugle-Hagan was incredible last week, Rory Lobb’s capable of winning the game off his own boot and then they’ve got a superstar in Aaron Naughton.

“It’s going to be a good challenge for our boys, but they’ve already come up against some really quality forwards this season, so we think they’ll be up for the challenge.”

The return of both Hopper (knee) and Martin (hamstring) will bolster the Tigers’ midfield and forward line following their round-three defeat to Collingwood.

Hardwick conceded in hindsight the Tigers had brought back Jayden Short too quickly from a calf injury for round one, with the dashing defender now set to miss a second straight match.

Richmond co-captain Toby Nankervis has been on light duties, but Hardwick declared the ruckman fit for a battle with Bulldog Tim English.

“General anger, I think, would be the [issue],” Hardwick offered, with a laugh. “I try not to ask him too many questions, Nank, but no, he’s just a management issue.”

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