Thank you Corey Gault

Dual Swan Medallist, Corey Gault, has announced his retirement from the game, due to concussion issues.

Joining Swan Districts as a Colt in 2009, Gault quickly made an impact at the club, pushing up to play games in the Reserves, along with one League match.

In 2011, Corey was drafted by Collingwood with pick No.65 in the AFL Draft. He spent five years at the Magpies before calling time on his AFL career to return home to WA.

He won the Swan Medal in his first season back at the Swans and quickly stamped his position as one of the most dominant ruckmen in the WAFL competition.

Unfortunately, an innocuous head knock in Round 15 against the Bulldogs last season, saw Gault unexpectedly play his last game in the black and white.

“It was in a marking contest where I was going back with flight of the ball” Gault said. “An opposition player went to spoilt it and my head hit his shoulder blade”.

“I fell to ground and was a bit dazed but felt ok and played out the rest of the game.

“The next day I started getting symptoms, like blurred vision and headaches, which then lasted for the next 3-4 months.

“I’ve had around 10 concussions over my footballing career, and the last few have taken a lot longer to recover from.”

Finishing his career at Swans on 79 games, Gault achieved a host of accolades in his time at the club. Some of which include:

• Dual Swan Medallist,
• Vice-captain,
• Jack Hinkling Award Winner,
• WAFL Team of the Year ruckman, and
• Countless Best on Ground honours

Continuing to train at the gym at Swan Districts, Gault said it’s nice to still be around his former teammates but will miss other elements of playing also.

“The support staff at the club are great people, and although they don’t play, they do such much for the club and players” he said.

“I really enjoyed the preparation in the lead up to the games, with the training, eating well and weights sessions.

“I’ll also miss the competitiveness of game day. Those three things put together are what I’ll miss most.”

It may not be the last time we see Corey wearing the black and white, as he looks towards how he could still contribute to football later down the track.

“I’ll have a year off and take a break from the game, but I’d definitely like to get into coaching in some capacity in the future.”

A new trial is coming to the 2022 WAFL Premiership Season with a focus on putting player’s safety first.

The first three rounds will introduce the ‘Blue Card’ which will see players who have suffered a significant head knock or suspected concussion to be removed from the ground for a minimum of 15 minutes to undergo testing by medical staff.

The responsible opposition player will also be removed from the field for 15 minutes to ensure that clubs aren’t given an advantage under the new rule.

The severity of concussions can be a very serious matter, potentially impacting the players football career and future life, as seen recently with the retirement of champion Swans ruckman, Corey Gault.

Gault was all but forced to retire from the game after 79 matches for the Black Ducks, after suffering a concussion late in 2021, due to the impact he was noticing it was having on his daily life.

“I think it’s a really good idea” he said. “My situation is a good example in that I was hit, felt a bit dazed but got up and played out the rest of the game as I was feeling ok.”

“The next day I started getting symptoms, like blurred vision and headaches, which then lasted for the next 3-4 months.”

With the implementation of the Blue Card, Gault would’ve been able to leave the ground and be checked over, without leaving his team at a disadvantage.

“The Blue Card will allow trainers and doctors to get the vision, have a conversation with the player and assess if they are ok” he said.

“It takes away the time pressure, and gives 15 minutes for a proper assessment, instead of the player saying they feel ok and the coaches wanting them to get back out on the ground.

“This will limit players saying, ‘I'll be ok, just a small knock’,”

The Western Australian Football Commission has also created an online concussion reporting tool which will be used to monitor all concussions occurring at training and during games.

The Blue Card is also likely to be implemented into the WAFLW competition after the mid-season bye.