Concussion expert warns against contact sports for under 14s
Dr Pearce said 'it's the small bumps and the collisions and the tackles that accumulate over time' that was a main cause of concern.
"I looked at when they started playing junior sport full contact through to, you know, obviously getting drafted to the AFL or NRL and then also looking at their post-professional career because many of them go back and play at their local clubs," Dr Pearce said.
"What we found was that there was a correlation with changes in brain function associated with their exposure rather than their concussion history."
Dr Pearce hopes that sporting clubs will consider alternate options such as "touch" over tackle and advised parents to 'be aware but not alarmed.'
"Make sure that the clubs that your kids are at have got a concussion policy, [and] they're not over-stressing the tackles and the bumps in training," Dr Peace said.
"Try to reduce that and focus in on learning skills like kicking and passing and marking and working in a team environment.
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