AFL’s concussion crisis comes to a head as AFLW heavyweights get set for season decider

It was the moment the AFL — and Adelaide fans — would have been dreading.

In the early minutes of the Crows’ 18-point victory over an inaccurate Melbourne in Saturday’s opening AFLW preliminary final, skipper Chelsea Randall and Melbourne’s Eliza McNamara brutally collided.

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Shortly after, Randall was ruled out of the game by her club doctor — presumably with a suspected concussion.

Earlier this year the AFL announced that players who were concussed would be forced to miss a minimum of 12 days of football, with previous rules allowing them to return after six days (and therefore potentially play the week after a concussion).

This rule change applied to both the men’s and women’s competitions.

While elsewhere it has been reported…