Canberra Capitals forward Rachel Jarry is facing a six-month stint on the sidelines as repeated concussions threaten to derail her career.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A distressed Jarry was stretchered from the court and taken to hospital early in Canberra's drought-breaking win over the Dandenong Rangers at Dandenong Stadium on Saturday night.
Jarry has suffered at least six concussions in her career and was told not to move as a precaution and left the venue on a stretcher, with the incident halting the WNBL clash for almost 20 minutes.
Jarry did not lose consciousness and was taken from the court by paramedics during the first quarter of Canberra's stunning 81-78 win.
The win snaps the second-worst losing streak in Capitals history at 13 games, leading Canberra fans to proclaim "ding dong, the witch is dead".
But it wasn't all good news with Jarry playing just 2:35 minutes before suffering her third concussion of the season, which came 10 days after she returned from a three week concussion-imposed lay-off.
The Olympian went down with ball in hand and was treated by support staff from both clubs, who opted to call an ambulance for additional help.
Capitals coach Paul Goriss was shattered for the star forward who was looking to use the final month of the season to relaunch her Australian Opals hopes.
"Obviously with the concussion history it's probably not very good news for her. They called an ambulance and she's in hospital right now with her mum," Goriss said.
"She more than likely will be out for an extended period of time due to this being her third concussion in like eight weeks.
"She's just hard-nosed. That's the thing, she's hard-nosed and she's a competitor. Not that it's her fault, but she puts herself in situations where she competes.
"That's her and that's her calling card but unfortunately it's not good from a medical standpoint."
Jarry, 26, told The Canberra Times the lack of knowledge about the long-term effects of concussion is "worrying" but she wouldn't change her style when she had her most recent setback in November.
The WNBL concussion policy states any player suffering a concussion must be reported to the league and ticked off by an official club doctor before returning to play.
Jarry likely won't play another minute this season with the Capitals out of finals contention with only five games remaining in the regular season.
It is a heartbreaking mishap for Jarry, who worked tirelessly to overcome a knee injury that hampered her start to the competition.
The Capitals shot out of the blocks to take a 26-18 lead into the first break and built one of their most complete performances of the season to clinch the nail-biting win.
Their lead was sliced to one with 14 seconds remaining but the Capitals held out for a three-point win, steered home by Jordan Hooper (21 points) and Nat Hurst (15).
It's Canberra's first win since they went back-to-back on opening weekend over two months ago and Goriss says it's just reward for the effort they've put in during a rough season.
"A huge sense of relief. It's just great for the girls because as I've said all along they've still worked their arses off every day after every game," Goriss said.
"Losses mount up and have a toll physically and mentally and they've stayed strong throughout this period. They've deserved better than what they've got in the wins and losses column.
"The difference was we played consistent basketball for 40 minutes and I think that was showing in the end with a win. Everyone contributed."
