Giant's 'no good' brain fade concusses McCartin

GWS Giants forward Callum Brown could be in serious trouble with the MRO after choosing to bump on Sydney defender Tom McCartin as the Giants went down by 29 points on Saturday.

Brown bumped McCartin as the pair chased after a kick from Giant Harry Himmelberg, with his shoulder making contact with McCartin.

McCartin received a free kick after the hit but was taken from the ground with a cut under his eye.

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The Swans defender was subsequently ruled out of the match after failing his HIA.

McCartin has a history of concussions, with his brother Paddy McCartin forced to medically retire last season due to the amount of head trauma he had experienced.

North Melbourne great David King declared Brown was in immediate trouble with the MRO.

"Oh dear," David King said on Fox Footy after the hit.

"That's no good. You can't brace like that and make that sort of contact anymore."

"That's a nasty hit," Alastair Lynch added.

King also believes that the full responsibility for the action is on Brown, who made the split-second decision to brace his shoulder and move to bump McCartin in the head.

"I know he's coming at speed and he's got some decisions to make … but the one outcome that he must prevent is contact with the head," King said.

"In terms of action, it's what we are stamping out of the game … It must be penalised."

The AFL moved at the start of the year to highlight the importance of protecting the head, bringing in more stringent rules and concussion protocols across the game at all levels.

If a player decides to smother and ends up contacting a player high, the league said at the start of the year that it would suspend players, irrespective of their intention during the incident.

Melbourne's Angus Brayshaw was forced to medically retire on the eve of the 2024 season due to head trauma, while just weeks ago, Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Murphy had to make the same call.