CONCUSSION issues have forced Kade Kolodjashnij to put his playing career on hold, but Melbourne is confident the luckless wingman will make a full recovery despite suffering another recent head knock.
The 24-year-old hasn't been sighted on the track in recent weeks, with the Dees confirming on Thursday he had been on a modified program since a training incident late last year.
"Kade has been on an individualised program since December following a concussion at training," Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney told AFL.com.au.
"As a club, we are respecting Kade's history of concussions and being very cautious with his rehabilitation.
"His program has been developed by medical experts and he is showing signs of improvement.
"Our main priority is to get Kade back to full health and we do expect him to make a full recovery.
"At this stage, we have not put a timeframe on his recovery and subsequent return to football."
Kolodjashnij hasn't played since round three, 2019, which was his first season as a Demon after crossing from Gold Coast.
He arrived at the club with a history of head knocks, and in just his second game in the red and blue, suffered delayed concussion.
He missed seven weeks before returning in the VFL but was knocked again two weeks later and was ruled out for the season.
In September last year, he likened the lingering symptoms to having a "hangover".
"It's not your normal injury, obviously," Kolodjashnij told the club's website.
"You can't see it physically, so you come into the club and you're feeling a little bit off, but everyone thinks you're fine, which is probably the most challenging bit.
"When you wake up on a Sunday, you've sort of got the headaches, a few migraines and you're just feeling off."
St Kilda forward Paddy McCartin has also put his career on hold after a string of concussions left him with lingering symptoms.
McCartin was at Moorabbin on Thursday watching the Saints' intraclub but has no specific timeframe on a potential return to the game.
Recent players forced to retire because of lingering concussion symptoms include Sean Dempster (2017), Koby Stevens (2018) and Liam Picken (2019).
