Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says Liam Picken faces an uphill battle to play in 2018, as he continues to recover from recurring concussion symptoms.
The 31-year-old suffered his second major concussion within 12 months after colliding with teammate Josh Dunkley during their JLT series victory against Hawthorn on March 3.
Beveridge revealed to SEN’s KB and The Doc the 2016 premiership star is still suffering from dizzy spells and cannot train.
“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,” he said.
“He’s still getting dizzy spells, he’s got headaches, he can’t train with the footy’s, he can’t even cope with music in the four walls of the football club, so that’s how extreme it is at the moment.
“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.”
He said it is a challenging situation for the forward, particularly as their appears to be no clear ending point, and also confirmed the club has consulted with external medical professionals to help provide support around the issue of concussion.
“We’ve sought some external consultants in the medical field who know a little bit more about brain injury and can give us some support around concussion, to provide our doctors and our medical staff with some advice.
“We’ve got as much clarity as you can, but we make some informed decisions when it comes to the point where maybe Liam’s keen to play again.”
After a stirring victory against Essendon, the Bulldogs play the Sydney Swans in the Saturday twilight slot at Etihad Stadium.