A study's found most inter-county Gaelic football players aren't getting the full concussion assessment after taking a heavy hit on the field of play.

Medical students at UCC say players got visible strikes to the head that delayed their return to play 242 times in 111 matches over the last two Championship seasons.

Though 87.2 per cent were assessed, in nearly nine out of ten cases the exam lasted lasted two minutes or less -- but the GAA's protocol demands a full ten minutes.

Mario Rotundo, one of the final-year medical students who trawled through hours of footage for the study, says the guidelines are there -- but they're not being used at the highest levels of the sport.