This Giants star, completely deaf in one ear, can be hard to get off the field

According to Tom Green's teammates, it's not easy to get him off the field during a game. The Australian Football League (AFL) star midfielder, who plays for the GWS Giants, has a very good reason for this: he is completely deaf in his left ear.

Green jokingly told ABC Sport, "Sometimes my teammates or coaches say I have selective hearing, only listening when it's time to come off. I can only say, 'Oh, you know, I didn't hear you.'"

Green, 24, first noticed his hearing was "annoying" when he was 12, as he had to lean in to hear people clearly. After a series of hearing tests, he discovered that he had completely lost hearing in his left ear. "They're not too sure exactly what caused it. They called it sudden hearing loss syndrome... like a virus that destroyed the hair cells in the cochlea," he said.

Australian Rules football is often described as a 360-degree sport, where players can be tackled or contacted from any direction and handle the ball at any angle. Given this, and the open and unpredictable nature of Aussie Rules, players often rely heavily on team communication. However, Green has never found his hearing problem to have any impact on his football career—but he also doesn't know what it would be like otherwise.

Research suggests that hearing loss or impairment can affect balance, spatial orientation, and coordination. However, studies on athletes show that elite athletes with hearing impairments have similar or higher levels of certain athletic abilities compared to athletes with normal hearing. These studies also suggest that hearing impairment is not a barrier to athletes developing physical fitness or aerobic capacity, including strength or reaction speed.

Former Collingwood defender Sam McLarty—who played for the Magpies for two years after being drafted in 2016—was born with profound deafness and wore a bionic ear and helmet during games. His hearing problems did not concern club recruiters, with Collingwood list manager Derek Hine more interested in him as a fierce competitor.

Hine told AFL.com.au: "Our medical team will assess and then advise us. Obviously, in the report, they were very happy to take him on, just like if he had a knee or shoulder problem."

Regarding Green's sudden hearing loss, he could consider surgery, but it's not something he wants to do during his football career. "It's not something I particularly want to do during the season or while I'm playing, because I'd have to miss a big chunk of pre-season or football, and I particularly don't want to do that," he said. "So, I'll probably leave [potential surgery] until my hearing deteriorates after my career."

Green said playing in front of large, noisy crowds can be an issue, but there are also advantages for him when the sound gets louder. "You definitely hear less [in a packed stadium]. But I think that's the case for everyone, whether you have two normal ears or not."

"When the G [Melbourne Cricket Ground] is packed with rowdy supporters, everything is affected somewhat. So, maybe that brings everyone back to my level." For him, the only downside he's found is that it gives his teammates more reason to tease him.

Green said: "I'm sure sometimes my teammates think they're in space, they're calling for it [the ball], and maybe I haven't heard them, if they're on my left, but I think I've learned to deal with it. I don't notice it too much, but I also don't really know any different. I don't really know how much it affects it, but it does affect me."

"They [teammates] have commented a few times that I can't hear, and then they give me stick for it. Sometimes, I think it's more just day-to-day, like they'll call me, or try to talk to me, but I just can't hear them. So, they'll give me stick for that."