UPDATE
Tom Liberatore will be unavailable to play in Round 6 after being placed in the concussion protocols.
As reported by SEN's Sam Edmund, Liberatore still does not have any symptoms from last night, but the Bulldogs have opted to act with caution.
“The Dogs have placed Tom Liberatore in the concussion protocols. Libba still doesn’t have any symptoms, but based on the disturbing vision from last night, the club has elected to act with caution. Libba will miss the Round 6 game against St Kilda,” Edmund posted to X.
Liberatore will miss his side's clash with St Kilda next week.
EARLIER
The Western Bulldogs will follow up midfielder Tom Liberatore’s bizarre fall in the dying seconds of Friday night’s clash with a range of tests over the weekend, reports SEN’s Sam Edmund.
The Dogs are understandably on “high alert” for a delayed concussion in Liberatore after the 31-year-old stumbled and collapsed shortly before full-time against Essendon.
It was an incident that sparked immediate concern, both on the field from teammates and opposition, and off-field figures.
AFL chief medical officer Michael Makdissi is in contact with the Dogs over Liberatore's collapse. But the league is satisfied the vision doesn't show head trauma in the build-up. Still, the Dogs are ordering further tests on Libba over the next 24-48 hrs. More on Crunch Time.
— Sam Edmund (@Sammy__Edmund) April 13, 2024
Edmund reports the AFL is, as it stands, satisfied that the Western Bulldogs underwent due process prior to the incident and in light of it.
“The AFL chief medical officer Michael Makdissi is in contact with the Dogs this morning, the league, upon their first review of the incident, are satisfied there had been no head trauma that led to this,” Edmund told SEN’s Crunch Time on Saturday morning.
“Liberatore has woken up fine this morning we’re told as well which is good, no issue there.
“But going back to last night, the club was alerted to the vision, the distressing vision… they turned around immediately and ordered a SCAT test post-game… he categorically passed that test.
“There is, the club says, definitively no concussion issue and he assured the club as well that he remembered everything.
“Publicly and privately he’s used a combination of a sore ankle, exhaustion and losing balance as an explanation.
“It’s a very bizarre incident but given the vision, the club is going to investigate how this has happened, they’re on high alert for delayed concussion and other things today.
“They’re organizing and booking a range of tests over the next 24 to 48 hours just to make sure there is nothing else at play here.”
The incident near the end of the game when Tom Liberatore collapsed in the centre of the ground... pic.twitter.com/XlG7EhtoE5
— 7AFL (@7AFL) April 12, 2024
In the immediate aftermath, two incidents in the previous minutes were pointed to as possible causes of concussion.
Liberatore was on the bruising end of a bruising tackle from Essendon forward Jake Stringer and also had a fierce one-on-one contest against Bombers substitute Nick Hind.
But replays show no head trauma on either occasion and it’s still unclear where and when Liberatore could have suffered a head knock earlier in the game.
Channel Seven commentator Luke Hodge said the excuse of an ankle excuse for Liberatore in his tumble was “a bit of a stretch”.
In Seven’s Marvel Stadium studio during the game, Hodge offered his perspective on the incident.
“We saw it out the corner of our eye and when Parish was so concerned about him… We were keeping an eye on the bench, they had one of the staff go speak to the doctor, the doctor ran straight out to him and by that time, the siren had gone,” he added.
Liberatore went on to be one of his side’s best in the disappointing 29-point loss for the Bulldogs, collecting 25 possessions (17 contested) and 10 clearances.
Beveridge told reporters post-game that there were no concussion concerns.
“He's fine. For some reason he lost his footing and stumbled, but he's fine. He's being looked after and there's no concussion or anything like that,” Beveridge said in his press conference.