Melbourne Storm champion Christian Welch reveals concussion plight as GameGear and Monash University launch trial

If any of Christian Welch’s eight concussions triggered his shift in mindset around head trauma, it was the concussion he suffered during a key State of Origin match.

Determined to make an impression, he made a bone-crushing tackle on New South Wales rival Jack Wighton in match one of the 2020 season in Adelaide; his head made contact with the center’s hipbone.

“This really shook me up. This was probably the worst concussion I’ve ever had,” Welch says in this piece.

“The symptoms lasted much longer than I was used to.”

The Maroons’ enforcer was ruled out for the remainder of the clash and informed then Queensland coach Wayne Bennett that he was withdrawing from the second game despite passing the NRL’s concussion protocols.

It’s a moment the now-retired Melbourne Storm prop remembers as one of his proudest.

“Two or three days after that, I was feeling really sleepy and lethargic. It’s hard to explain, but you just don’t feel comfortable,” Welch says.

“You were a bit dazed, so I stood back. I remember saying to Wayne after we’d had a bit of a run during the week: ‘I can’t play this weekend, although I’ve passed I’m not there yet’.”

“You never know how many Origins you’ll play or whether you’ll get back there. It was pleasing that late in my career I had the maturity to say I should prioritize recovery and not play it through.”

Loading

Welch returned to the Queensland team a year later but suffered another concussion at the series launch in Townsville.

“Brian To’o has a mind that is very hard to approve of,” he laughs.

He suffered another head injury in pre-season and also managed past problems at just 30 years old, which would end his career ahead of the 2025 season.

Since then, Welch has backpacked across Europe and undergone surgeries on his back, hip and nose; He has healed from the battle scars in a career that has spanned 163 NRL appearances, including the 2019 premiership and six Maroons caps.

Although he has no lasting symptoms from the blows to his head, he admits they are scarier than the mishaps that sent him under the knife.

“This is definitely the scariest thing out of all the injuries. I’ve done my left and right ACL, my right Achilles, and they’re the biggest players of the season,” Welch says.

“But I’m not worried about a strained knee or calf muscle. When you’ve had multiple concussions throughout your career and you see some of the heroes of the game struggling at an older age, it’s worrying.”

Welch’s desire to improve concussion awareness led to Monash University supporting a first-of-its-kind study with GameGear launching the revolutionary headset in community football and rugby.

The study, conducted in partnership with non-profit Connectivity Traumatic Brain Injury Australia, will involve 600 players aged 16 and over from Victoria, NSW and Queensland who will test the headset.

It was developed to help manage certain heading forces without restricting performance, and Manly forward Jake Trbojevic has worn the equipment.

“Independent laboratory testing has shown that this headgear can significantly reduce the forces transmitted to the head during impacts, which gives us strong reasons to think that it may reduce the risk of brain injury in collision sports such as Australian rules football and rugby league,” said lead researcher Stuart McDonald.

“The big question now is whether these laboratory findings will translate into real games,” the associate professor added.

Welch called the title “a different look” but said “we need to continue to evolve.”

He believed the horrific incident involving Storm forward Eliesa Katoa would inspire a game-wide change in mindset for players to be more self-reporting of their health. A.A survey by the Rugby League Players’ Association last year found a third of players did not report concussion symptoms during training.

Katoa has been ruled out of the 2026 season after picking up three blows that led to a brain haemorrhage before and after Tonga’s match against New Zealand in the Pacific Championships.

Melbourne teammate Ryan Papenhuyzen also revealed he may never play rugby league professionally again after describing the distress he felt following a header last year.

“His salary this year would be incredibly high, so if we give that up and put his health first, I have a lot of respect for him,” Welch says.

Loading

“Hopefully, young people will see a guy like Paps step away from the peak of his powers and prioritize his health. “I know the pay is great, but if you’ve had a great career you get to 30… you’ve still got a lot of life to live and you’re so much more than a footballer.

“I think we’ll start to see earlier retirements.”

While Welch has done everything he can to prepare for life after rugby league, earning a commerce degree and an MBA while studying at Harvard, Stockholm and Berlin, he says his struggles are far from over.

He remembers being in the barracks after the Storm’s final qualifier victory over the Bulldogs in 2025 and telling his partner he had to leave after being overcome with emotion.

Welch believes this fact will make it harder for young athletes to end their careers, but they need to make these difficult decisions.

“It’s very difficult to prepare for this loss of identity. Once you step outside the bubble, you feel really isolated and quite alone,” Welch says.

“I’ve been lucky and won a premiership, played for Queensland, so I couldn’t imagine how difficult that decision would be when you’re 21 and you’ve got 10 years left, you haven’t achieved anything but you can feel it. To have that taken away must be incredibly difficult.”

“It’s hard to beat the euphoria and euphoria you get from winning a premiership or an Origin series. I don’t think I’ll ever feel that feeling again and I think I’m at peace with that, but it’s about reconnecting and making sure you stay close to your network.”

Start your day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.