On the eve of the 2025 AFL season, Australia's most popular sport remains covered in a dark cloud.

Head trauma and concussion concerns continue to dominate the conversation, and with no end in sight, it's time we move on from the tried and failed means that the AFL continue to push.

Rule changes, stricter penalties (to the frustration of hundreds of thousands of fans), and tribunal decisions (which often leave many in the industry scratching their head) have all been introduced in search of a silver bullet.

But while protecting players is paramount, are we overlooking a crucial factor? Should the player with the ball take greater responsibility for their own safety? And should the media play a bigger role in changing the mindset of player welfare in our great game?

The problem embedded in training junior to AFL-level

From junior footy training sessions that embed the idea of doing anything possible to not be caught holding the ball, right up to the legends of the game - like Joel Selwood and Gary Ablett Jr. - who are being conditioned to fight for every possession, there can be a problem stemming from those ins possession of the ball.

Selwood went as far as saying that there was an 'art to it'. They push for that possession, even if it means driving their own heads into the ground, or dropping their shoulder during a tackle to ensure they are taken high, to potentially earn a free kick.

But in a league striving to reduce head injuries, should we be asking more of the ball carrier? If a player has the option to release the ball and use their free arm(s) to brace or protect their head, should they be encouraged - if not required - to do so?

What has changed in recent years?

Essendon coach Brad Scott addressed the above in 2023 arguing that ball carriers should take greater responsibility for their own safety. He stressed that while head protection is crucial, the onus shouldn't rest solely on the tackler.

He called for a balanced approach where both the tackler and the ball carrier adopt techniques to minimise head injuries, which is saying a lot coming from a coach who would evidently be trying to reduce tallies in the 'free kicks against' column.

Yet, nearly two years after his comments, little has changed.

Coaches need to support the change

In fear of being labelled a 'coach killer', a player simply dropping the ball to protect themselves during a tackle, is nearly unheard of in our modern game. It's seen as 'weak'. But it is a reality that coaches across the game need to consider discussing with their players.

A tackler is trained to do so with the goal of gaining a free kick, but if a player truly wants to protect themselves, surely some onus is placed on them to protect themselves. In boxing, everyone defends themselves at all costs, in NFL the quarterbacks often throw the ball away for an incomplete pass, or drop to the turf to protect themselves. So why not in our game as well?

It actually makes sense for the coaches to push for this as well. The players being tackled are now more vulnerable than ever to the revised concussion rule, and while giving away a free isn't the ideal scenario for a coach, it surely beats losing a player for the rest of the game, and potentially the next couple of weeks as well under the AFL's concussion protocols.

The second most common injury to players in the 2023 season was concussion. That's a lot of games missed over a possible free kick here or there.

Players taking responsibility for themselves

I want you to cast your minds back to Round 16, 2024, when Carlton took on Richmond.

Late in the MCG clash, Jordan Boyd corralled Rhyan Mansell on the boundary line in an effort to push him over for a throw-in. Mansell saw the incoming Boyd and immediately ducked his head into the tackle, causing high contact.

Mansell put himself at enormous risk of personal injury which resulted in an initial ban for Boyd. More needed to be said about a player putting their own head in harm's way in this scenario.

It was all for a free kick when he could have easily taken the ball over the line. His injuries could have been severe; a serious neck, spine, or brain injury, yet all the blame was put on the tackler.

The media have a role to play

Another unspoken aspect of this issue is how the media glorifies reckless acts as moments of 'bravery'. Many of you might remember Jonathan Brown's 2002 Mark of the Year - where he launched himself back with the flight of the ball into an oncoming pack and nearly destroyed two Hawthorn players' careers - and his own - in the process.

The commentator could only muster a trembling 'That is one of the best marks I've ever seen' and it of course won the best mark of the year. It's replayed endlessly as an example of courage in footy, yet the long-term risks of such actions are rarely discussed.

It was simply reckless from Brown.

Now that might be ancient history for some of the readers, so let's take a more recent example.

Round 14, 2018, Harris Andrews - who also happened to be playing for the Brisbane Lions – was also running back blind with the flight of the ball, but this time in defence. Labelled as 'brave' and 'courageous' at the time, with everything we now know about players' ongoing brain injuries, this type of play should really be seen as irresponsible and coached out of the game.

You lose a contest sure, but  Andrews sustained a severe concussion and brain bleeding from this moment.

It all starts with our language around the game

I've watched thousands of games of footy, and the number of times I've heard, "And [insert player name] has bravely put their head over the ball!" and it's disturbing.

Junior players watch these games religiously and it quickly becomes a case of mimicry. If the AFL is serious about protecting players, shouldn't the conversation in the commentary box evolve too? Right now, careless and irresponsible acts are all too often rewarded with praise rather than concern or a warning to all the impressionable youth watching on.

We must begin to challenge the status quo, asking the grim question: How much responsibility should the ball carrier take in protecting their own head? And is it time for AFL media to rethink how they frame so-called "courageous" acts? This is a shift in mindset across the game, from coaches to players, to the media and fans alike.