GOLD Coast coach Rhyce Shaw said he was surprised when the ARC ruled young forward Dekota Baron out of Saturday's win over Richmond with a head knock despite being cleared by Suns doctors.
Baron copped a heavy first-quarter hit at People First Stadium where she came off second best in a marking contest with Montana McKinnon.
After initially being checked by doctors and allowed to play on, the game was halted minutes later with ARC intervention deeming Baron needed a head injury assessment.
The teenager left the field, took the test and was cleared to return after the mandatory 15 minutes on the sidelines.
Baron played a further couple of minutes before the game was again stopped, with the ARC determining the Rising Star nominee would take no further part in the game.
She left the field and was visibly upset.
Shaw said he was surprised by the ruling.
"We assessed her and we cleared her to go back on, but the powers that be in the ARC have seen something different and they made the judgement call to take her off, but that's as much as I know at this point," he said.
"It was a bit of a surprise, but that’s the stuff we can’t control.Â
"It's frustrating at different times, but we've got to do what's right for the wellbeing of the player and that's first and foremost what should be taken into account at the very beginning."
Baron was one of two Suns to finish the game on the bench, with rebounding defender Daisy D'Arcy ruled out with concussion in the third quarter.
Baron has been a star in her first season, taking big marks and using her athleticism to kick six goals and be a key cog in the Suns forward line.
Her absence meant Anne Hatchard played the entire match in the reworked forward mix.
"When you go down one of your key players, especially a key forward like that, and 'Baz' (Baron) has been in such good form, it is difficult and you have to shuffle," Shaw said.
"Sometimes it's not going your way and you have to find a different path … we were able to dig in and get the job done and we’ll learn a lot from that."
