WorkSafe investigates after footballer suffers life-ending head injuries

Victoria's workplace safety watchdog is investigating after a suburban footy player was catastrophically injured when his head collided with a cricket pitch.

Mr Fitzgerald died on Monday night in hospital, after receiving end-of-life care.

WorkSafe has confirmed it was notified after Nathan Fitzgerald, 27, was critically injured during a local match at Lalor Recreation Reserve, in the city's northern suburbs on Saturday.

It comes as the council responsible for the oval, the City of Whittlesea, told the ABC it followed safety regulations but would support a safety review, if the pitch was found to have contributed to the injuries.

Mr Fitzgerald suffered two head knocks in quick succession before striking the pitch, which is comprised of a cover "shock-absorbing" pad over the top of a concrete slab.

The synthetic cover was only purchased last year, and this is only the second season of use.

"If this practice is determined to have played a role in the injuries sustained by Nathan Fitzgerald, council would support a review of the guidelines," Whittlesea mayor Lawrie Cox said.

"It is therefore important that any review be grounded in evidence," he said.

Campaigner says AFL should check pitches

Peter Jess, a prominent player manager turned concussion campaigner, has called on the AFL to conduct annual safety checks of pitches used in all levels of the game.

He said it was unacceptable the lower levels of the sport endured different safety standards to the top tier.

"The fact you have a concrete slab in the middle of your playing arena immediately raises red flags," he said.

Last year, Mr Jess wrote to the AFL and WorkSafe enquiring about ground safety checks after a client he represents suffered catastrophic brain injury when he collided with a metal fence close to the boundary.

He said both organisations have a responsibility to ensure player safety.

"There is no differentiation between the elite, sub-elite, and the community base football," he said.

"All of the safety football systems must be in parallel."

The AFL did not respond to the ABC's request for comment.

Mr Fitzgerald's injury extremely rare

The ABC has recently shone a spotlight on the dangers of contact in sport, including concussion and the progressive brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Monash University professor and consultant neurologist at Alfred Health, Terence O'Brien, said the type of injury Mr Fitzgerald suffered is quite different, likely a skull fracture causing bleeding between the brain and skull.

He said the acute, catastrophic injury was extremely rare but likely a consequence of Mr Fitzgerald's head hitting the pitch.

"In a lot of ways, it's like falling off a bike and hitting your head on the asphalt," he said.

The use of helmets in football has been highly contentious; with claims they can reduce concussion rubbished.

Professor O'Brien said there was little evidence helmets prevented concussion or the onset of other long-term brain diseases such as CTE and dementia.

But he said helmets could reduce the likelihood of skull fractures, even as research into brain injuries remains underdeveloped.

"There's much more we don't know than what we do know," Professor O'Brien said.

"The best prevention of this is to make sure we don't have, as much as possible, cricket pitches or very hard surfaces where sports like Australian Rules are played."

Mother of another player calls for greater awareness

While the exact cause of Mr Fitzgerald's injuries is yet to be revealed, the tragedy has once again sparked calls for greater awareness of brain injuries in sport.

Wendy Smith, whose son Antonio Loiacono died after an on-field collision, said there should be compulsory concussion and brain injury education for all sports, from volunteers to parents and players.

"There's an inconsistency between elite sports and grassroots footy," Ms Smith said.

"Kids' lives matter, we need to put them at the forefront of our discussions and not necessarily make the scoreboard the first decision."