Brisbane premiership star Brandon Starcevich has played down suggestion his AFL career could be threatened by another concussion injury.
Starcevich was substituted because of a head knock in the third quarter of the grand final, following a collision with Ollie Dempsey.
The 26-year-old has had a history of concussions, including a two-month absence from Round 1 in 2025 after suffering a head knock against Sydney.
However, with his 2026 club still in question as West Coast chases the restricted free agent to return to Western Australia, Starcevich minimised the seriousness of the concussion in an interview.
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“I feel fine. It was obviously a bit scary, but I’ve pulled up fine,” Starcevich said AFL.com.au.
“I potentially (could have come back on) but it was more risk management than anything. I’ve had a little bit going on this year, so to finish like this, I can’t ask for much more.”
When asked about the decision on heading home to West Coast or trying to become a triple premiership player with Brisbane, Starcevich gave a diplomatic answer.
“I’ll take a couple of days to enjoy it and then decision time is coming. It’s hard either way. It’s a tough decision to make and it’ll come later,” he said.
Brisbane would be entitled to compensation if Starcevich departed as a free agent, but it could be diluted and not exist if Oscar Allen and Sam Draper join the Lions as free agents as expected.