Tahu was a guest speaker at a fundraiser for Newcastle’s concussion clinic on Friday – a free service run by world leader in the growing field of study, Dr Andrew Gardner.

Athletes from any level can access the clinic if they are concerned about the impacts of head knocks they’ve suffered on the playing field.

Such is the influence of Dr Gardner’s work that Tracey Macpherson – whose husband found help at the clinic – took it upon herself to organise the fundraiser, which sold more than 200 tickets and drew guest speakers including Tahu, rugby league immortal Andrew Johns, former Wallaby Ben Darwin, former jockey Libby Hopwood and ex-Socceroo Ray Baartz.

The event took place amid news this week that the Newcastle Knights had deferred contract talks for back-rower and co-captain Sione Mata'utia pending medical tests, after he suffered five known concussions in two seasons.

“This is the main reason why we need someone like Andrew [Dr Gardner] and his research team to have these facilities – for people like Sione,” Tahu told the Herald on Friday.

The former Knights centre, who recently returned from the US where he was working with rugby union squads, said there was a range of factors that influenced a footballer’s health and behaviour after retirement. 

But, having lost close mate Chad Robinson to suicide as well as former Wallabies team mate Dan Vickerman in the past year, he felt it was important to continue looking at the welfare of ex-athletes.

"I’ve been seeing, since I’ve been back from America, a handful of players and they look really worn out,” he said.

“I think there’s a lot to do with concussions and player health and safety. That’s why we need someone like Andrew researching and pinpointing what’s the main reason why players are [dying from] suicide, why players are depressed or have short memory loss or long-term memory loss. 

“Is it because of the head knocks or is it because of something else?”

Dr Gardner said the public profile of concussion in sport had been boosted in recent years by ongoing issues with former NFL players, which had “raised concerns and eyebrows” and involved lawsuits, deaths and bodies being donated for research.

But you don’t have to be playing at an elite level to be affected by concussion. 

“One of the biggest things we are seeing is players aren’t well educated in what to expect and how long it should take them to recover,” Dr Gardner said.

“[The clinic is] a great opportunity for us to educate them as well as look after them. What we always try to do is get them back to work or back to university or the school classroom before we talk about getting them back to sport.”

Johns said he didn’t believe concussion was a “huge issue” in rugby league.

He said he hadn’t seen the effects of concussion on former players from his era, but told the Herald it had been more noticeable in the older generation of ex-footballers.

“There’s some signs of early of dementia and Alzheimer’s and you hear different stories,” Johns said.

“I think it’s something in the game we need to look at and I applaud Dr Gardner and what he’s doing – raising awareness but also looking after current and past players.”

The clinic can be contacted on 4921 4770 from Monday to Wednesday.