Tom Liberatore’s immediate AFL future remains uncertain, with the premiership midfielder still managing symptoms following his latest concussion. The 33-year-old went down in the Western Bulldogs’ loss to Geelong in Round 6, and hopes were high that he would bounce back quickly. However, he will now miss a second straight game, and “there’s no timeline on his return,” reports 7NEWS chief football reporter Mitch Cleary.
“It’s a combination of ongoing symptoms and caution around his history,” Cleary wrote. Liberatore suffered multiple high-profile concussions in 2024 but never needed to fight for his career in front of the league’s expert panel. Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge last week said that remained the case.
“He’s OK. He has come out of the game pretty good,” Beveridge said of Liberatore. “He’s feeling well, he’s sleeping, he hasn’t got any headaches or anything like that, so it’s good signs.” But the coach did flag there would be no risks under the club’s “conservative” approach to head knocks. “If there are any signs that Tom needs a bit longer, I’m sure our medical crew won’t let him play. But he seems to be OK,” Beveridge said.
Liberatore suffered the concussion in his first game back from a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Aaron Naughton is remarkably expected to play against Fremantle just a week after his horror fall, where he was stretchered off in a neck brace before being cleared of concussion and major injury.
