Bartel wants McCartin to ‘take his time’ following repeated head knocks, opens up on own experience

2007 Brownlow Medalist Jimmy Bartel is urging Paddy McCartin to be patient as he looks to return to senior football next season.

The injury-prone St Kilda forward has been placed on the club’s inactive list, ruling him out for the rest of the year.

McCartin has managed just 35 games since being drafted in 2014 due to repeated concussions, the latest of which was sustained in pre-season.

Jimmy Bartel told 3AW Football McCartin should “take his time” as he bids to return to football in 2020.

“There’s so much unknown about this,” he said.

“He’s got the added pressure of being a number one draft pick and he’d be thinking how he can repay this club.”

Bartel opened up on his own experience with concussion, saying the effects of multiple head knocks “lingered” for multiple months despite being cleared fit to play.

“I went to the supermarket a number of times and I’d get there and go ‘what am I doing here?’, he said.

“You could talk to someone on the phone for 25 minutes and I’d hang the phone up and I’d have zero idea who I was just speaking to.

“You’d get so frustrated.”

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