Latest news with #RileyMansfield
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Aspiring footy star Riley Mansfield is forced to retire due to the savage effects of head knocks - and he's only 15
A promising teenage rugby league player from Queensland has been forced into early retirement due to repeated concussions, prompting renewed calls to delay tackling in junior sport. Riley Mansfield, 15, was competing in Queensland's elite Dolphins Cup competition when he sustained a series of head injuries that left him unable to attend school for weeks. Riley, who had dreams of playing for the North Queensland Cowboys like his idol Johnathan Thurston, said watching football now is bittersweet. 'I wish I could play every time I watch the footy on TV. I want to be back out there,' he told ABC Sport. His mother, Kristy, described the severity of her son's symptoms following his final concussion in April. 'He was suffering significant symptoms - very light sensitive, noise sensitive, severe headaches - and he's got a pretty strong pain threshold,' she said. 'It took us about six weeks to gradually introduce him back into normal activities. That meant he wasn't able to do school for a period of time.' After consultations with neurologists in Brisbane, Riley was advised not to return to contact sport for at least five years. For the Mansfield family, it's a painful case of déjà vu. Riley's father, Andrew, suffered a broken neck on the same football field in Mackay when he was 15. 'That was my last game of footy,' Andrew Mansfield said. 'I was the width of a piece of hair from never walking again.' The Mansfield family's story has reignited debate around tackling in youth sport, particularly in light of growing research into the long-term impact of repeated head trauma. Griffith University lecturer Dr Joel Garrett has warned that children should not be involved in tackling until at least age 12. 'One of the big reasons is they have a larger head and weaker neck muscles, which puts them at greater risk of some of those rotational forces,' he said. Dr Garrett explained that children between the ages of eight and 12 are at a critical stage in cognitive and motor development. 'An eight-year-old may struggle with the rapid judgements required to execute a safe tackle. 'By 12, they may have developed the ability to make those last-second adjustments. 'We're not saying 'no tackling,' but there needs to be a structured plan leading into it.' In response to growing concerns, the NRL implemented its Player Development Framework in 2024 to improve safety in junior competitions. Under the changes, children aged six and under play League Tag, a non-contact version of rugby league. For under-sevens, the season is split into two halves - beginning with League Tag and transitioning into tackle later in the year. At senior levels, the NRL has strengthened its concussion protocols. Stand-down periods, independent medical assessments, and increased penalties for breaches are now standard. In 2023, the league launched a brain health initiative to fund research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. CTE has been diagnosed in several former players, including Paul Green, Quentin Pongia and Steve Folkes, who were found to have the condition after their deaths. Mario Fenech, another former NRL star, has publicly detailed his struggle with cognitive decline believed to be the result of repeated concussions during his playing career. The disease, which can only be diagnosed posthumously, causes symptoms including memory loss, aggression, and confusion.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Concussion forces teen rugby player to retire amid tackling age warning
Riley Mansfield grew up wanting to play for the North Queensland Cowboys like his idol Johnathan Thurston. He was on all the right pathways, playing in the elite Dolphins Cup competition in Queensland. But the promising teenage footballer has hung up his footy boots and retired, aged 15, following repeated concussions. "I want to be back out there." Riley's mum, Kristy, said his head knocks were so bad, her son spent weeks vomiting and feeling sick afterwards. "He was suffering significant kinds of symptoms, so very, very light sensitive, noise sensitive, severe headaches and he's got a pretty strong pain threshold," she said. "It took us about six weeks to gradually introduce him back into normal activities, so that meant he wasn't able to do school for a period of time. "As a mum it's been hard because just knowing how much your son loves football and playing and he's such an active kid." An expert is now warning children should not be involved in tackling in sport until they are at least 12, after releasing joint research last month. "One of the big reasons is they have obviously a larger head and weaker neck muscles, which puts them at a little bit more risk of some of those rotational linear forces," said Griffith University lecturer in exercise science and physiology Joel Garrett. "Plus, with that developing brain they potentially may be at greater risk of [harm to] long-term brain growth and development as well," Dr Garrett said. So why the age of 12? "Around the ages of eight to 12 is a sweet spot for children's cognitive and motor development," Dr Garrett said. "An eight-year-old, for instance, may struggle with the rapid judgements required to align their shoulder and brace their neck properly when tackling a moving player. "By the age of 12 they may have the ability to make those last-second changes if need be and execute a good tackle that's both safe for them but also the person they're tackling." But Dr Garrett said delaying full-body contact — such as tackling — in junior sport remained controversial. "We don't want it just to be like, 'No tackling,'" he said. "We firmly believe that we need a progression to that and having a really structured plan." For the Mansfield family from Rockhampton in rugby league heartland in central Queensland, Riley's latest concussion in April was a case of deja vu. Riley's dad, Andrew, suffered a broken neck on the same football field in Mackay at the same age of 15. "That was my last game of footy," Andrew said. "I was the width of a piece of hair to not walking ever again." After consultation with a team of neurologists in Brisbane, Riley has been told not to return to contact sport for five years. Kristy said she hoped that all sporting codes across the country continued to shift attitudes regarding concussion through education and awareness like rugby league. "Riley's grown up with footy and it's great to see that the sport is taking it seriously and ensuring that the players are taking the time out they need to be able to recover before they go back and play again," she said. With Riley's dreams of playing in the NRL are over at the tender age of 15, the talented teenager has turned his focus to another sport. Every weekend, Riley hits the softball diamonds, along with his parents, and he has already earned state and national team selection. "He's got a massive future [in softball] and can whack a golf ball too … but still can't out drive Dad yet," Andrew said.
