Brittany Tully can't pinpoint the exact moment the realisation dawned on her.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Sometime during her final AFLW season with the GWS Giants, the nagging voice in her head started to shout.
The risks of pursuing her sporting aspirations had become too great and Tully knew it was time to retire.
Central to the former Gungahlin star's decision was the increasing risk of concussions and concerns surrounding the lifelong consequences of repeated head knocks.
Tully has spent the past couple of days reflecting on her decision after the Australian Sports Brain Bank revealed former AFLW star Heather Anderson was suffering from CTE when she died last November.
The landmark finding marks the first time any female athlete in the world has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Tully and Anderson's careers were intertwined from a young age, the pair attending primary school together before facing off in the Canberra women's AFL competition and ultimately the AFLW.
MORE CANBERRA SPORT:
The finding provided Tully and a host of others with closure while also offering a chance to pause and reflect on their playing days.
"It's super scary and sad but it's good we can find out and know these things for the future," Tully said.
"Heather was a very skilled player who would never take a backwards step, but she would never do anything untoward. She was just a highly-skilled player who did a lot of things on the field other women can't do."
Like Anderson, Tully featured in the inaugural AFLW season in 2017, however her time in the competition extended until 2021.
It's a period in which concussion awareness rapidly grew and protocols were tightened regularly.
The increased professionalism of the competition saw a rise in the physicality of contests and increased the intensity of collisions. At the same time, medical staff expanded and education surrounding the impacts of head knocks grew.
![Former GWS Giant Brittany Tully is tackled during her AFLW career. Picture Getty Images Former GWS Giant Brittany Tully is tackled during her AFLW career. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/GzY3iczng7SLWqVgHSV78t/2cab1d3e-1b6e-443b-99ec-7d81186c46df.jpg/r0_0_3000_2244_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Having ridden the journey for four seasons, Tully found it increasingly difficult to block out her fears.
"The chat I had to the coaches when I said I was going, we talked about the concussion risk," she said. "I understood that a hard part of football is you have to put your body on the line somewhat without knowing what's coming. For me, I was thinking 'is that worth it?'
"It wasn't one incident, it was a bit of a build up to that point. I would get the odd head knock, I was never diagnosed with a concussion but everything scares you."
Like many athletes, Tully made the transition to coaching after retirement and the 30-year-old is now in charge of the Ainslie women's first grade side.
While the intensity in the local competition is considerably lower than the AFLW, concussions are still prevalent and AFL Canberra officials are determined to minimise head knocks.
Tully's focus is on teaching her players proper tackling technique, while her medical staff has drilled in the importance of always following concussion protocols.
"At the local level people come in and don't know how to tackle," she said. "I try and teach the best method to take the impact yourself and protect the person you're tackling.
"Our physios take head knocks pretty seriously. They put players through the testing and can tell when someone might be under the weather. For me, it's about the way we play, protecting yourself first and foremost and the player you're tackling."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram