Williams, who played 250 games with Geelong, Sydney and Carlton, told the Seven network he knows he was in the winning premiership team in 1995 but does not remember a lot of the game.

He and former North Queensland player Shaun Valentine underwent tests at Deakin University covering memory, dexterity and response times, with worrying results.

Their response times matched those of much older men.

Is it really that unusual?
I played in a flag in my 20s and can remember virtually nothing of the game. AFAIC, your brain has a certain capacity to retain stuff and the more information you accumulate, some of the other memories will dissipate.
Some people are just wired differently. I can remember numbers from 30 years ago but other activities and circumstances are well gone from my memory bank.

If the AFL had medical knowledge that sending players back on the ground (instead of sending them to hospital) and damage to the brain occurs during and/or post-career - and the AFL did nothing to instigate rule changes surounding concussion - then they better have a good legal team.

I wonder whether this existed.

NFL only recently got serious about concussions. It really wasn't talked about much medically beyond the last 5 years perhaps. Now it is a priority of on field handling.

I'm glad the king hits and shirtfronts of yester-year have been eroded from the game (Wellingham sniping notwithstanding).

I wonder if the massive hit by Milburn on Silvagni has had ongoing effects for Stephen. Not just the initial contact but worse the head clattering into the Princes Park turf and him all but motionless... it's a good case study. I don't remember the post incident handling other than angry supporters and Milburn jibing the crowd.. was SOS carted off to hospital or just taken to the rooms? Did he play the next week?

Maybe in GW's case the loss of memory means something. He has always been acutely aware of details in his career, and I've heard more than one interview where he's corrected the interviewer with a very minor detail regarding an incident or a game.

Really sad if this is anything more than 'normal' time-induced vagueness.

Is it really that unusual?
I played in a flag in my 20s and can remember virtually nothing of the game.

Come to think about it I can't remember too much of the 1995 Grand Final either.

That, son, we can help you with.

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