Lachie Whitfield will miss Sydney Derby XXI after being diagnosed with a concussion following the match against the Suns in Ballarat on Sunday.

Whitfield came from the field in the second quarter with visual disturbance, had a head injury assessment and was ruled out of the game.

The 26 year old has a past history of migraines following head knocks. 

After exhibiting further symptoms following the match and undergoing a concussion test on Monday, Whitfield was diagnosed with a concussion and will now undergo the mandatory 12-day concussion protocols.

GIANTS Head of Medical Cullan Ball said:

“Lachie obviously got a knock and he’s had some migraine-type symptoms over the course of the last couple of years and that has led to some visual disturbances for him and that’s what happened to him during the game.

“Unfortunately for Lachie his symptoms deteriorated as the quarter wore on and ultimately he was ruled due to those visual disturbances.

“At that point he was sent to hospital for observation and some further investigations to ensure he didn’t have a facial fracture. Thankfully those investigations came back clear. 

“He checked in with the medical staff again today and had his concussion assessment, which he failed, so he’s now been classified as a concussion and will enter the return-to-play protocols and we’ll see how he progresses over the next couple of weeks.”

Meanwhile, draftee Will Shaw suffered a shoulder injury in the VFL on Saturday.

“Unfortunately for Will, he’s injured that shoulder,” Ball said.

“He is going to seek a specialist opinion tomorrow and we’ll take that specialist’s opinion on board and if he requires any surgery, that’s likely to be done this week.”

In that same game, Ryan Angwin reported hamstring tightness while Tom Hutchesson unfortunately re-injured his hamstring.

“Ryan had some hamstring tightness and was taken out of the game more as a precaution than anything else,” Ball said.

“Being a first-year, we’ll look after him and see how he goes the next couple of days and then make a call on when he’s likely to return to play at that point.

“Unfortunately for him, Tom has injured that hamstring tendon, which is a significant injury. 

“We’ll see how he progresses over the next couple of weeks before we lock down a definitive return to play time for him but it may take him some time to get over this one.”

Mid-season rookie draftee James Peatling also had to be taken to hospital following a heavy collision in the final minutes.

“The news is good for him,” Ball said.

“The investigations have shown that there’s no major internal damage. He’s still pretty sore today and we expect him to be sore for the rest of this week really.

“We’ll see how he responds and once he’s ready to get back into some activity then we’ll get him back into training and see when he’s ready to play again. Thankfully no major internal damage for him.”

The GIANTS take on the Swans in Sydney Derby XXI at Mars Stadium in Ballarat on Saturday afternoon. while the VFL team has a bye.

Injury List - July 12