Troubled St Kilda footballer Paddy McCartin hopes a negative stigma around concussion is subsiding and has urged Ballarat players to speak up if they don't feel well.
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Mr McCartin was in town on Saturday - the first time he has been back since a career-halting head knock during a match at Mars Stadium in March - and opened up about his personal struggles.
The 23-year-old said he felt sympathy for any footballer who had suffered concussion and promoted honesty when dealing with the symptoms.
"It's a bloody hard thing to go through," he said.
Listen to his interview with The Courier here.
"A lot of it is based on the individual, so how willing you are to be honest about how you are actually feeling. A lot of that is based around potentially that stigma of 'you're soft' or that kind of thing.
"As that conversation becomes a bit more frequent and a bit more regular, then that stigma goes away. And I feel like it has even since I first got in the AFL. And then hopefully people will be more willing to say: 'I don't feel right this week'."
The impact of concussion has been big news in recent times and in June it was revealed a disease linked to repeated concussions had been found in the brains of two former Australian rugby league players. The discovery was the first time chronic traumatic encephalopathy had been identified in an NRL athlete.
Read more: Concussion requires a longer lay-off: Jess
Mr McCartin recently returned home to Melbourne following a well-documented trip to the United States, where he received treatment for ongoing symptoms of concussion.
The AFL's number one draft pick of 2014 has played just 35 games for the Saints.
"I'd sort of exhausted a lot of options in Melbourne and generally for people who have been going through something for an extended period of time, you tend to look outside the box a little bit," he said.
McCartin said he had endured some tough times following his latest concussion in Ballarat, but was seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
"I'm still going through some ups and downs, but the more therapy and rehab I can do, (it opens up) the windows of when I don't have headaches to be longer than what they were before," he said.
"The longer the windows open up, the less I have headaches and then eventually and hopefully that will just turn into a full time window."
And while getting his health right is McCartin's first priority, a return to football is certainly on the cards.
"I really want to play footy again," he said.
"The next six months will probably stipulate a little bit whether that happens or not, but I'm really keen to play."
McCartin was at Eastern Oval with AFL big names Doug Hawkins and Mark Thompson on Saturday for the Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre's Wellness Round.
Held at the East Point and North Ballarat City fixture, the initiative raised money for the BRICC Wellness Centre.
Senior football and netball teams wore commemorative uniforms on the day and raffles and other activities were conducted to benefit the cause.
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