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I watched some pretty distressing footage of a former SANFL & VFL player who is pretty much a cripple and fast sinking further due to repeated severe head traumas
John Platten is his name - remember him ?
Expecting some landmark court cases against the VFL (trading as the AFL) in the very very near future and it may be that helmets or head protection of some sort will be mandatory in the future as a result
I understand that there are some very sick former players who will not survive into old age

Johnny Platten was an absolute champion player, part of that incredible Hawks team of the 80's. His trade mark long curly hair made him easy to see but it was his fearless play as a rover that really made him stand out. Sad to see what those concussions have done to him , but it was a very different era and it is/was sadly the same for all contact sports.

I'm actually surprised and I think it's a matter of time that protective head gear will be made mandatory. I think junior rugby league mandate approved head gear, should be the same for our game. It wont stop concussions, as we saw with Brayshaw, but it surely must reduce it's severity. If the AFL and the state leagues dont mandate it, then the games insurers certainly will.

The idea of footy players wearing head protection was a huge article several months ago, then the story has gone quiet.
It will be only a matter of time before players are required to. Head protection will not stop injuries, it will significantly reduce risks of being hurt. Especially with bad head knocks, the effects can linger for a long time. When people are young (eg footy players), they think they are young and fit. Not realising that the effects of concussions, head knocks etc can resurface years down the track.
For example anyone unfortunate enough to have suffered a lower back injury will know they are notoriously difficult to recover from and could easily get worse with age.