Will Pucovski takes former school to court over 2014 concussion that preceded 13 head injuries

Will Pucovski has sued Brighton Grammar, alleging a 2014 concussion at age 16 was mishandled and contributed to the health issues that ended his career.

Former Australia Test batter Will Pucovski has launched legal action against his former school, alleging a serious concussion suffered during a football training session as a 16-year-old was mishandled and ultimately set in motion the health problems that ended his cricket career.

Australian batter Will Pucovski suffered a nasty blow on his head (Getty Images)

Pucovski's lawyers have filed a statement of claim against Melbourne private school Brighton Grammar in the Victorian Supreme Court. The 28-year-old is seeking damages over the long-term effects of the head injury he suffered in 2014. The allegations contained in the claim have not been tested in court, while Brighton Grammar is yet to file its defence.

The incident occurred when Pucovski was playing for Brighton Grammar's second XVIII Australian rules football side. According to the claim, the team had suffered a heavy defeat against Scotch College before being told its next training session would be especially physical and demanding.

Pucovski's lawyers allege the players were instructed to show greater aggression because of what was regarded as an unacceptable performance. The claim says Pucovski understood the purpose of the session to be that the players should show aggression towards each other and had effectively "deserved physical pain".

Pucovski alleges he returned to training after being knocked unconscious

During a full-contact drill, Pucovski was allegedly sling-tackled before his head struck the knee of another student, knocking him unconscious.

He was helped from the field but, according to the statement of claim, was later asked whether he could continue and returned to the session, including taking part in further tackling. His lawyers allege Brighton Grammar failed to arrange an adequate medical assessment, properly manage the injury or follow relevant concussion and first-aid protocols.

Pucovski has previously recalled the moment, saying he was walked to the sideline before his coach asked whether he wanted to keep training.

"I am like 'Yeah'. So I just went and trained for the rest of the day," Pucovski said at a Lord's Taverners function in July. He described it as "probably the biggest day of my life" because he had never felt the same afterwards.

Symptoms worsened over the following days. The claim states Pucovski experienced headaches and problems with his vision before being diagnosed with concussion. He later developed nausea and was taken by his parents to Cabrini Hospital, where he was advised to stop physical activity and stay away from school.

His lawyers allege the collision caused a sustained traumatic brain injury from which he has never fully recovered and left him more vulnerable to worsening symptoms from subsequent concussions.

The Brighton Grammar incident was the first in what became a troubling history of head injuries for one of Australian cricket's brightest batting talents. Pucovski eventually suffered 13 known concussions, with his final one coming in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in March 2024 when he was struck on the helmet by Riley Meredith.

An expert medical panel later recommended that Pucovski stop playing, and he announced his retirement in April 2025.

Pucovski played just one Test for Australia, against India at the SCG in January 2021, scoring 62 on debut. He finished his first-class career with 2,350 runs from 36 matches at an average of 45.19, including seven centuries and a highest score of 255 not out.

Prominent lawyer Peter Gordon is representing Pucovski. Brighton Grammar has said it cannot comment while the matter is before the courts.