Western Bulldogs premiership player Liam Picken could miss the rest of the season to recover from a concussion, says coach Luke Beveridge.
Picken sustained a concussion in an incident during the Bulldogs' JLT Community Series pre-season match against Hawthorn last month and was initially ruled out indefinitely.
Beveridge was open and honest about the 31-year-old's set back during an appearance on SEN on Thursday, suggesting "there's no clear end point for him."
"He's still getting dizzy spells, he's got headaches, he can't train with the footys, he can't even cope with the music within the four walls of the football club. That's how extreme it is at the moment," Beveridge told SEN.
"Liam at the moment is quite openly saying that he knows he's nowhere near ready to play again. There's every chance that 'Picko' doesn't play again this year," Beveridge told SEN on Thursday.
"In a sense, that's easy because it's pretty clear but whether or not he's going to be able to play maybe next year, well that's going to be a big challenge for everyone."
Picken collided with teammate Josh Dunkley during the incident, falling awkwardly as his head took most of the impact when he landed.
Since the incident he has refrained from any training and individual ball work, staying close to the club's medical staff during his rehabilitation.
"We've sought some external consultants in the medical field who know a bit more about brain injury and can give us some support around concussion to provide our doctors and medical staff with some advice," Beveridge added.
"It is so we can make some informed decisions when it comes to the point where maybe Liam's keen to play again."
