Fremantle forward Sam Switkowski has suffered his third concussion in three years, with the club revealing the head injury prevented him from playing in Saturday’s practice match against West Coast.
Switkowski was a surprising omission from the team that took on the Eagles, given he trained last week and spoke during a press conference in the build-up to the match.
He watched from the balcony on Saturday and trained by himself on Tuesday.
Switkowski suffered multiple concussions as a junior and has struggled to recover from head knocks in recent seasons.
He reported a delayed concussion after playing against Port Adelaide in 2024. That incident cost him three matches.
Then last year he suffered a huge knock during the pre-season game against the Indigenous All-Stars and was again diagnosed with a concussion.
Dockers footy boss Joe Brierty said Switkowski reported concerns several days after playing in the intraclub game in Bunbury on February 13 but he remains on track to play against Geelong in round one.
Following training last Thursday, Sam entered concussion protocols,” Brierty said.
“Unfortunately, he experienced some delayed symptoms from the Bunbury intraclub match.
“Sam is progressing well through the protocols and is continuing his preparations for round one against Geelong.”
Clubs and players have been extremely cautious with concussions as they have become more educated about the dangers. Multiple players have been forced to retire due to head injuries in recent seasons, with West Coast star Jeremy McGovern’s career ended last season.
The positive for Switkowski is his concussions have not been cases where he has been knocked out instantly on the field. He has passed concussion tests on game day and then reported his symptoms later in the week.
Fremantle will play their final pre-season game against Adelaide in Mandurah on Saturday afternoon and then play against Geelong on March 14.
