Kane Cornes has urged Port Adelaide to stick by under-fire club doctor Mark Fisher despite his erroneous concussion call involving Aliir Aliir at the weekend.
Port is expected to receive a hefty fine from the AFL after the club failed to conduct a SCAT5 test on Aliir after his collision with teammate Lachie Jones in Saturday night’s showdown against Adelaide.
Fisher has since admitted that he and Port’s medical staff made a mistake by allowing Aliir to return to the field without undergoing the crucial test. Both Aliir and Jones have since been put into the concussion protocol by the AFL.
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Speaking on Nine’s Footy Classified, Cornes, who played 300 games for the Power, called on the club to stay loyal to Fisher.
”They’ve admitted that (mistake). Clearly for everyone watching the vision it was obvious he was concussed, so in hindsight they should’ve reviewed the vision more clearly,” he said.
“They should’ve ruled him out of the game and done the test, they’ve put their hand up, but good clubs stick by good people, and Mark Fisher is a good person with a long history at that football club.
“He’s impacted many lives in a positive way. I can vouch for his character. I would trust him with my life, I’ve certainly trusted him with my kid’s life.
“He has made a mistake. Good clubs stick by good people and that’s what Port Adelaide should do.”
Fisher was a part of the group that helped save Cornes’ son Eddy’s life after he was born in 2006 with heart defects.
Power club doctor admits fault after clash
Cornes’ defence came despite Footy Classified showing numerous instances over the past two seasons where Port players were allowed to continue playing after suffering head knocks.
Essendon great Matthew Lloyd said Fisher would be “devastated” in the wake of the incident.
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“The club should be embarrassed with the way it’s been handled, particularly in this current climate,” he told Footy Classified.
“I could understand maybe a year ago, two years ago, three years ago.”
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