North Melbourne’s Jy Simpkin won’t play in Round 1 after sickening bump last Sunday

North Melbourne is taking a conservative approach to the recovery for co-captain Jy Simpkin ruling him out of the club’s Round 1 clash following the sickening bump which left him concussed last weekend.

Simpkin, who has a history of concussions, was knocked out by St Kilda’s Jimmy Webster who was set to be handed a heft suspension by the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night, in a practice match at Moorabbin last Sunday.

The bump caused outrage among the AFL community and significant concern for Simpkin, who has now suffered three concussions in the past 12 months.

On Tuesday the club confirmed Simpkin had checked in with medical staff who opted for safety and ruled him out of the club’s season-opening clash with GWS on March 16.

His return to playing remains unknown.

 

“Jy’s health and wellbeing is our number one priority,” general manager of football Todd Viney said.

 

“Given Jy’s concussion history, our medical team will take a conservative approach to his management and recovery as per the AFL’s Concussion Protocols.

 

“Jy came into the club today, he’s doing well and is in good spirits but his official return-to-play timeline is unclear at this point as it depends on his progress.”

Webster issued an apolgy to Simpkin after the incident conceding he “ failed to meet” the accepted standards to protect his fellow players.

“I deeply regret my actions,” he said.

“I’ve reached out to Jy and cannot understate my remorse. My thoughts are with Jy and his family, and I hope he has a speedy and successful recovery. I fully recognise the importance of protecting players’ heads and in this instance, I failed to meet that much-needed standard.

“I will present to the Tribunal and understand there will be consequences for my actions.”