Kade Kolodjashnij Biography

Kade Kolodjashnij calls time on his career after years of being plagued by the effects of concussion, having managed just two games in the past two years.

"It's disappointing it has turned out like this. I think coming into the AFL system you don't expect to be retiring at 25 years old, but I have been fortunate enough to be at two great clubs," he said.

"Unfortunately concussion got the better of me over the last four years or so."

Kolodjashnij says he has overcome his concussion symptoms and is now running his own business alongside his brother, focusing on natural insect repellent.

"I am back in a pretty good place now - I am exercising and feeling good physically and mentally," Kolodjashnij said.

"During my football career, Jake and I invested in a family business which specialises in natural insect repellent. It's going really well at the moment and we have been operating and trading for about 12 months now."

Repeated concussion has so badly affected Melbourne wingman Kade Kolodjashnij that he has had to periodically shield himself from sunlight.

The concerning revelation came from Kolodjashnij's former Melbourne teammate Jordan Lewis, a fortnight after it was decided the 24-year-old would put his career on hold after he suffered another head knock.

"When you see it day to day and you see that he is a really good guy and a happy guy, and you see the emotions that he goes through during the day, he isn't able to do what he loves doing," Lewis said.

"He has to be home all the time because he can't be exposed to light, that's when it hits you. Is the game worth that?"

Kade Kolodjashnij has been on a modified program since a training incident late last year, and there's no timeframe for his return. However, Melbourne is confident the luckless wingman will make a full recovery.

"Kade has been on an individualised program since December following a concussion at training," Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"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."

Kade Kolodjashnij is ruled out for the rest of 2019 due to a concussion.

"Obviously he's had multiple concussions, so we're being cautious with him," Melbourne elite performance manager David Misson said.

"He's just come back from the Gold Coast after having a bit of time away with his family to just reset, but he's come back pretty enthusiastic to get going again.

"He won't play this year, but we're hoping we'll set him up for a good pre-season."

Melbourne has all but confirmed key recruit Kade Kolodjashnij won't be available for selection in round one as he continues to recover from a significant adductor injury.

"His injury was just a little bit more significant because he had some tendon damage to his adductor," Misson said.

"So we've purposely taken him a little slower. He'll probably play round one but it's more likely to be in the VFL," Melbourne elite performance manager Dave Misson said.

Gold Coast trade Steven May and Kade Kolodjashnij to Melbourne in exchange for pick 6.

Kade Kolodjashnij receives a significant boost in his ongoing struggle with concussion symptoms after tests revealed his issues centre around a weakness in his neck and should not affect him long-term.

"(Kade) had some specialist advice last week down in Melbourne which was really helpful which identified some issues more so to do with his neck than the actual concussion itself," Gold Coast football manager Jo Haines said.

"That's giving Kade and the medical team some really good direction on the way forward."

Kade Kolodjashnij is hoping for an end to the run of concussions that have seen him fall down the pecking order at the Suns.

The 22-year-old started 2018 full of promise under new coach Stuart Dew only to relive his nightmare.

An initial concussion contributed to his demotion to the Suns' NEAFL side and the second, a nasty case of whiplash after being slung into the Darwin turf, has him back at square one.

"I was flying (at the start of the season) so it's frustrating and a real rough patch I'm in, but I've just got keep going and stay positive," Kolodjashnij said.

"It takes its toll mentally but there's not much else I can do, just pretty much accept it and hope it doesn't happen again."

Kade Kolodjashnij admits to being concerned about the concussion that ruined his 2017 season.

"It was pretty scary at the time," Kolodjashnij said.

"I wasn't sure what the go was. I had a few symptoms with headaches post-concussion.

"It was going on for a few weeks, so I went down to Melbourne and saw a specialist down there and he gave me the advice to sit out the rest of the season."

Kolodjashnij will now wear a protective helmet as part of his playing attire.

"To start off it was a bit of a hassle being up in the heat with the black helmet, I had a few tough days in the pre-season, but I've adjusted to that now and it's second nature to put the helmet on and go out and play," he said.

Kade Kolodjashnij is ruled out for the remainder of the season due to lingering concussion symptoms.

Kolodjashnij hasn't played since round 13 with a heavy bump the following week at training causing the injury.

Despite making solid progress in his recovery, the 21-year-old was never able to fully recover and the club decided to end his season early with his ongoing health and welfare their No.1 priority.

"He suffered some concussion symptoms over the last few weeks and he’s been pulled from playing," Suns chief medical officer Dr Barry Rigby said.

"He has improved but when we did try and train him again, he again recurred with symptoms suggesting he had ongoing concussion.

"In terms of Kade’s progress from here on in, he will not be playing for the rest of the season, we’ve made a medical decision in his best interest."

Some off-season reading and a tweak to his diet has Gold Coast's rebounding defender Kade Kolodjashnij feeling better than ever.

Kolodjashnij had missed games on two separate occasions in 2016 when struck down by mystery abdomen issues.

"I've read a book on gut bacteria - Justin Cordy gave it to me - and that's really helped me," he said.

"Just the right foods to eat for good digestion, for bacteria in your gut.

"They reckon I had a partially blocked bowel, but we're not 100 per cent sure what's causing it."

Kade Kolodjashnij says with three separate trips to hospital this season, 2016 has undoubtedly provided the steepest learning curve of his young career.

Kolodjashnij has twice missed matches because of unexplained abdomen pain and also missed another with concussion following an accidental knee to the back of the head from Richmond's Sam Lloyd.

"It's been an up-and-down year for me personally," Kolodjashnij said.

"It took its toll going to hospital, then getting knocked out, I missed a few weeks of training there.

"I wasn't feeling too great.

"I'm getting that confidence back now. I've been able to get on the park a lot more and building it from training and continuity in games every week."

Kade Kolodjashnij is knocked out and stretchered off the ground early in the third quarter after copping a knee to the head from Richmond's Sam Lloyd.

Lloyd was making a legitimate attempt at a mark, with no intention of malice.

Kolodjashnij lay on the ground for several minutes and did not move in what was his 50th game. He required a neck brace.

The Suns reported Kolodjashnij was conscious and sitting up in the rooms soon after, talking to his brother, Geelong's Jake.

"They've got to check his neck. We've got a bye next week so if his neck is OK, I think he should be alright (to play in a fortnight)," coach Rodney Eade said after the match.

Kade Kolodjashnij has signed a two-year contract extension with the Suns that will keep him at the club until the end of 2018.

"We’ve changed a lot in the short time that I’ve been at the club, and we are now clear in the direction we want to go," Kolodjashnij said.

"We want to become a club that is respected for delivering sustainable success on and off the field for the Gold Coast."

Gold Coast list and strategy manager Scott Clayton said the way Kolodjashnij backed up his brilliant first season with an even better showing in 2015 was highly impressive.

"We are rapt that he has re-committed to the club until the end of 2018," Clayton said.

"We made some major changes at the club late in 2015, which included tough calls on the player list, and in establishing a high performance unit under Justin Cordy that is getting the players fitter, stronger and confident in their own bodies and we have seen this make a difference when it comes to retaining players."

Tom lynch has won the Gold Coast best and fairest award, winning a tight count at Southport's Sharks Event Centre on Friday night.

Lynch (131 votes) used a stirring second half of the season to edge out second-year defender Kade Kolodjashnij (129).

Reliable full-back Steven May (102) was third despite missing three matches after being suspended for an early-season bump on Brisbane Lions captain Tom Rockliff.

"I think at the end of my career I can look book and be proud that I've won a club best and fairest," Lynch said.

"When I got drafted all I wanted to do was play one game. I'm quite proud I've managed to win a club best and fairest."

After a terrific debut season in 2014, Kade Kolodjashnij says he is looking forward to more opportunities in the Suns' midfield in 2015.

"I've been playing wing in the match simulation at training, so I'll probably look to push a little bit more up the ground this year," Kolodjashnij said.

"I should get more footy up the ground. A lot of my possessions last year were in the back half, so hopefully I can use my running ability to get up the ground and have more inside 50 opportunities."

Kade Kolodjashnij is likely to be sidelined for a month after straining his hamstring in the Suns' upset loss to the Western Bulldogs in Cairns.

The 18-year-old, who was probably his team's best player in the first half, hobbled from the field in the third quarter and was immediately subbed out of the game.

Kade Kolodjashnij is the round 10 NAB AFL Rising Star nominee after tallying 21 disposals at 81% efficiency in a 45-point win against the Bulldogs.

"The coaches have been really good, they've shown a lot of faith in me and that gave me a lot of confidence," Kolodjashnij said.

"I think they always knew I was pretty good at that rebounding half-back and attacking. I always had a pretty good offensive game.

"But they just told me that you need to be able to defend if you want to play AFL footy. So I've been really focusing on my one-on-one defending."

Kade Kolodjashnij makes his AFL debut for Gold Coast with 19 disposals (10 kicks and 9 handballs), 2 marks and 4 tackles in a 48-point loss to Fremantle.

After a lifetime of playing together, Jake and Kade Kolodjashnij will play for different teams in 2014 after being drafted by Geelong and Gold Coast, respectively, in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft.

"I'm sure over the next couple of days that's when it's going to sink in," Jake said.

"Once we settle down in the new clubs and meet all the boys, make new friends, it'll be fine."

"I was out the back here doing photos and I was worrying about whether Jake had got picked up or not," Kade said.

"It's awesome. He's now at Geelong.

"That (only one brother getting picked) would've been a pretty bad situation ... would've been mixed emotions really."