‘Misconceived’: Brighton Grammar hits back at Will Pucovski concussion lawsuit

November 6, 2026 — 5:00amThe elite Melbourne school being sued by former Australian cricketer Will Pucovski has alleged that he had pre-existing and underlying medical issues as part of its defence against claims in his concussion lawsuit.Pucovski, 28, has alleged the private school mishandled a training incident in 2014 that was the start of a series of career-ending concussions for the talented batter, who was forced into medical retirement in April 2025. His final first-class innings was in the 2023-24 season, after another major blow to the head.Court battle: Former Test batsman Will Pucovski is seeking recompense through the Supreme Court of Victoria.Getty ImagesLawyers Michelle Britbart KC and Nicola Cooper from Lander and Rogers, representing Brighton Grammar School, have lodged the defence in the Supreme Court of Victoria, rejecting Pucovski’s claims, which were lodged in August by Gordon Legal.Pucovski is seeking damages for a loss of capacity to earn an income as a professional cricketer between 2016 and 2025 and an inability to maximise the income he might have enjoyed in the media and coaching after a long playing career because of his medical retirement.“The plaintiff had pre-existing and underlying medical issues including but not limited to headaches and anxiety,” the defence statement said.“The plaintiff has a history of numerous head knocks and concussions prior to, and subsequent to, the subject incident, including while playing professional cricket.“Professor Peter Hand, neurologist, diagnosed functional neurological disorder driven primarily by underlying psychological factors and exacerbated by head knocks and concussions during his cricket career.“The plaintiff has been able to maintain gainful employment, including initially as a professional cricket player making his Test debut for Australia against India in January 2021 and more recently as head coach of the Melbourne Cricket Club in Victorian Premier Cricket and a cricket commentator for Channel 7.”He played one Test for Australia in January 2021, has recently worked as head coach of the Melbourne Cricket Club, and was a commentator for Seven in Australia’s two-Test series against Bangladesh in August.Pucovski’s claim alleged that then Brighton coach Alex Sylvan organised a robust training session on May 5, 2014, after the school’s second XVIII football team were beaten by Scotch College in an APS match.He alleged that Sylvan said “words to the effect that training would be aggressive and physical due to the team’s unacceptably weak performance in the weekend’s game” and, in paragraph 16 of his writ, alleged that a full-contact “keepings off” drill in the 40-metre arc of the oval was conducted.“Before the training drill commenced, Mr Sylvan again instructed and directed the students to be aggressively physical with each other, and to ‘go in hard’ against each other, and the plaintiff [Pucovski] understood the intention of the coach was that players would show aggression towards each other and that they deserved physical pain,” Pucovski’s writ said.“In the training drill, players aggressively attacked the ball and teammates. During the training drill, the plaintiff was sling-tackled in a rotational and vigorous manner, which caused his head [at the left temple] to collide with the knee of another student.”In its defence, Brighton Grammar confirmed a training session had been held on that day, but denies the allegations. The school added that “it does not admit paragraph 16(b) but says that this was a drill commonly performed in training sessions by the Seconds”.The school also said it did not admit Pucovski was vigorously sling-tackled causing his head to collide with a teammate’s knee, and rejected his assertion that he lost consciousness.After the “keepings-off” drill finished, Pucovski alleges he was approached to take part in the next drill, and was permitted to rejoin training, which included running, jumping and tackling.The school denied Pucovski’s allegations that the students were directed by the coach to be “unduly” aggressive towards each other or that his intention was that the players “deserved physical pain”.“It otherwise does not admit paragraph 17 [players told to ‘go in hard’] and says that it has no knowledge of the plaintiff’s perception of the coach’s instruction and that if the plaintiff had such an understanding it was misconceived,” the defence statement said.In a statement to this masthead, Brighton Grammar School headmaster Ross Featherston said: “I would like to acknowledge that Alex Sylvan is a highly respected and experienced teacher, and a valued member of the Brighton Grammar School community. The school respects the legal process currently underway and, accordingly, will not be making any further comment.”Career cut short: Will Pucovski was forced to medically retire from cricket because of a series of concussions.Getty ImagesLander and Rogers were contacted for comment. Sylvan did not wish to comment, his wife told this masthead. Gordon Legal was contacted for comment.The school said while it does not admit “players aggressively attacked the ball and teammates”, “that to the extent there was any physical contact between the players during the training drill, such physical contact was no more than what would reasonably be expected of the Seconds in a football training drill of this nature”.Pucovski, who is being represented by prominent lawyer Peter Gordon, said he had head pain and other symptoms through the following two days, but the school claimed he was at school for the full day after the incident and did not report any symptoms. The next day he left school early, for an orthodontist appointment, the school claimed, and again did not report any concussion symptoms.“The plaintiff first sought medical treatment from his general practitioner on Thursday, 8 May 2014 when he reported to the general practitioner that he did not suffer a loss of consciousness,” the defence statement said.The school said Pucovski was treated by a doctor at the Nepean Family Medical Centre where he was diagnosed with concussion, but the school was not informed “until several days later”. He did not attend school the day after his diagnosis.Pucovski alleged he was approached by Sylvan, who he claimed had the power to “discipline students who did not comply” to be “required or permitted” to act as a runner for Brighton’s next football match, and did so, a claim the school denied.The school said that Pucovski had volunteered to be a runner in that game.Pucovski complained of more headaches, and was taken to Cabrini Hospital in Malvern on May 11, where he was advised to “cease school and physical activity”.“An impression was formed that he had a moderate concussion exacerbated by running before symptoms resolved,” the school defence said.Pucovski alleges for the next six weeks he frequently remained at home and “often in a darkened room”, and developed anxiety, and, for the first time, “persistent, looping and intrusive thoughts which would subsequently be diagnosed as a form of mental health disorder (obsessive compulsive disorder)”.The school “does not admit” to this, and also defended Sylvan against claims he failed to comply with generally accepted concussion guidelines, including AFL protocols.Pucovski then visited a neurologist, Professor Gavin Davis, who wrote to the school and to Cabrini Hospital, stating that the 16-year-old had “ongoing significant symptom load”. His writ alleges that as a result of the collision, he had “sustained a traumatic brain injury which he has never recovered”, which the school denied in its legal response.A court date has not been set.News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.From our partners