SYDNEY, March 14, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - A former Australian Rules star on Tuesday launched a "landmark" class action against the governing body over concussion-related injuries, with dozens more ex-players set to join.

Max Rooke played 135 games for Geelong before retirement in 2010 and now wants compensation from the Australian Football League (AFL) for head injuries he received while playing.

The 41-year-old filed a class action at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne alleging he suffered "permanent, life-altering concussion-related injuries and due to the negligence of the AFL", his lawyer Michel Margalit said in a statement.

More than 60 former players have come forward to join the class action, Margalit added.

The ex-players are said to be suffering from long-term injuries including neurological impairments such as traumatic brain injuries and dementia.

"The injuries suffered by this group of former AFL players has had a devastating impact on their lives and the lives of their loved ones," said Margalit.

"Some of the players who have joined this landmark class action have never been able to hold down a job after leaving the AFL."

Margalit added that a similar class action in the United States brought by former NFL players resulted in an initial payout of more than US$1 billion.

There is also a similar legal case in rugby union with 275 former players seeking compensation for brain injuries, including England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Steve Thompson and ex-Wales captain Ryan Jones.