Dean Kemp quit football early because of fears of the lasting effects of his many concussions. Picture: Joe Sabljak Source: HWT Image Library
NUMBING of the fingers and hands plus diminished eyesight led to West Coast star Dean Kemp retiring from the game prematurely in 2001.
Kemp was 32 and a veteran of 243 games for West Coast when he was forced to retire.
At the time he was concerned for what the future held if he continued being concussed.
"I was concussed seven or eight times. In the end I was getting concussed very easily, with even a body shot leaving me with the same symptoms as a hit to the head," Kemp said yesterday from Western Australia, where he runs the Dean Kemp Football Development and Leadership Program.
"In the end I wore a helmet but it didnt help me at all, not one bit. I started to worry about what I would be like down the track. Will there be side effects when I'm 50 or 60?
"Every now and then I have some little things that happen but I guess for someone who has been hit around the head a lot, Im as good as I could be."
Kemp has no problems with the way he was treated by the Eagles, although he admits "they seem to keep a closer eye on it than when I was playing".
"There is research to say we are going in the right direction. But I would be worried if a youngster got concussed a couple of times. It is something which can affect everyone differently."
MORRIS RECALLS SLOWED REACTIONS
FEW players have been concussed as severely as Hawthorn's Russell Morris was in Round 12 of 1987 at Carrara Oval.
Many well recall the sight of Morris convulsing on the ground after copping an elbow from Brisbane's Jim Edmond.
As Morris lay twitching, the scoreboard operator thought it opportune to run "COP THAT" at a time when the immediate future of Morris was still in doubt.
Morris spent the night in the Southport Hospital before flying home with the team, while Edmond received six weeks suspension for his errant elbow.
"At no stage did I suffer headaches or migrane, it was more vomiting. I missed the next week and then played against Hawthorn out at Waverley," recalled Morris yesterday.
"What I noticed was how much slower my reaction time was. I kept getting caught and by 31 my reactions had really slowed. Was that connected to the hit from Jim? Who knows?"
Morris believes the AFl deserves credit for being proactive in research into head injuries.
"The AFL has been a pioneer in this field and spend plenty to unearth the best technology to measure symptoms in the brain."
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