Luke Meehan and Conditioning team

[fastin bulbous]

So

My physiotherapist has been head Physio at an AFL club for 20 plus years. Life member. Premierships. Head Physio of VIC state of origin teams too. I asked him yesterday his thoughts on our physical performance area, the insane amount of injuries we keep getting year after year. This is what he said.

Essentially, he reckons we’re working at the far end of what’s a bad system in the AFL right now, but that everyone’s grappling with it, but that perhaps we’re not managing or controlling it as well as others. I’ll try and explain. It revolves around 3 areas or stages of high risk.

He reckons it starts in the pre season. He said the work clubs do is repeat-power based a lot more nowadays and that can start problems rolling. He thinks clubs are over doing it a bit in that space.

He then reckons that when you get to pre season game time (February) a second set of issues arise. Clubs are loath to play their guys too much, in too much competition, because they don’t want them getting injured. But he says clubs then roll into the start of the season with guys that really aren’t as match fit as they probably should be and as a result, they encounter this second stage of break down risk upon season commencement. He reckons they’re getting players to go from 0-100 kph in 3 secs on a luke warm engine. He felt it was better to play guys a minimum of 3 decent practice games against genuine opposition using a minimum of 70% or so game time rather than just one game like many clubs do with their players or 2 games for 3 quarters or whatever.

The third stage of risk comes when you are putting rehabilitated players back out on the park. He said gone are the days when medical and fitness people had their own businesses and weren’t conflicted by bonuses by their sole employer for having low rates of players missing games. They’re trying to hit targets that maybe they shouldn’t be if that makes sense. He felt this conflict also extended into the stage 2 I mentioned above.

Anyway, he reckons it’s something every club is dealing with and that at the end of the day it takes a really strong and experienced Head of Football or Head of Physical Performance to see through things, and keep things in balance.

Note: that’s his view, not necessarily mine so no need for anyone to get in a flap and pick the eyes out if it which is common on PRE. It’s just an objective, outside view from someone that works in the industry and has seen and done it all that I’m passing on.

So why is your psychiatrist releasing 70% of in patients to the park without proper rehabilitation. It’s a damn disgrace!

 

[Redford]

So

So why is your psychiatrist releasing 70% of in patients to the park without proper rehabilitation. It’s a damn disgrace!

I’m almost with you there Bulbs but the sand whispered heat and burnt the feet of gulls landing on the shore so I didn’t worry about it.

 

[fastin bulbous]

I lay down in the sun, become everyone who ever walked this way, where the desolate places meet the oasis, empty spaces of today

 

[Willo]

My physiotherapist has been head Physio at an AFL club for 20 plus years. Life member. Premierships. Head Physio of VIC state of origin teams too. I asked him yesterday his thoughts on our physical performance area, the insane amount of injuries we keep getting year after year. This is what he said.

Essentially, he reckons we’re working at the far end of what’s a bad system in the AFL right now, but that everyone’s grappling with it, but that perhaps we’re not managing or controlling it as well as others. I’ll try and explain. It revolves around 3 areas or stages of high risk.

He reckons it starts in the pre season. He said the work clubs do is repeat-power based a lot more nowadays and that can start problems rolling. He thinks clubs are over doing it a bit in that space.

He then reckons that when you get to pre season game time (February) a second set of issues arise. Clubs are loath to play their guys too much, in too much competition, because they don’t want them getting injured. But he says clubs then roll into the start of the season with guys that really aren’t as match fit as they probably should be and as a result, they encounter this second stage of break down risk upon season commencement. He reckons they’re getting players to go from 0-100 kph in 3 secs on a luke warm engine. He felt it was better to play guys a minimum of 3 decent practice games against genuine opposition using a minimum of 70% or so game time rather than just one game like many clubs do with their players or 2 games for 3 quarters or whatever.

The third stage of risk comes when you are putting rehabilitated players back out on the park. He said gone are the days when medical and fitness people had their own businesses and weren’t conflicted by bonuses by their sole employer for having low rates of players missing games. They’re trying to hit targets that maybe they shouldn’t be if that makes sense. He felt this conflict also extended into the stage 2 I mentioned above.

Anyway, he reckons it’s something every club is dealing with and that at the end of the day it takes a really strong and experienced Head of Football or Head of Physical Performance to see through things, and keep things in balance.

Note: that’s his view, not necessarily mine so no need for anyone to get in a flap and pick the eyes out if it which is common on PRE. It’s just an objective, outside view from someone that works in the industry and has seen and done it all that I’m passing on.

That’s exactly what I was thinking Redfords

 

[Willo]

So

So why is your psychiatrist releasing 70% of in patients to the park without proper rehabilitation. It’s a damn disgrace!

Mine just said I needed some time in the “rubber room”

 

[Little Ziggyadee]

Let's see how Guthrie goes.
Missed 10 weeks because of a quad injury.
Did it in the preseason game and he returns this week.

 

[fastin bulbous]

Mine just said I needed some time in the “rubber room”

There’s room for 2. We can talk footy.

 

[TigerMad]

Would have thought that anyone who's job, and income, is based on whether player miss games because of injury, would be conservative and err on the side of caution.

Why does Richmond have repeat injuries seemingly caused by players being re-injured?

 

[RoarEmotion]

Here is the decision making algorithm decider at Richmond S&C meeting.

 

[Tony Braxton-Hicks]

One of the witch's hats has been sent for scans after a training mishap. Meehan expects it will be out for 3-6 weeks.

 

[Little Ziggyadee]

One of the witch's hats has been sent for scans after a training mishap. Meehan expects it will be out for 3-6 weeks.

Bad news Witches Hat 3 will now miss 8-10 weeks. Mass discolouration

 

[Feeling Tigerish]

 

[Harry]

This is just a reminder to everyone, it's round 7. The side looked cooked from the start of the season, carried over from the previous season (despite not having played finals).

Good post. Not only are our players getting injured but they are fatiguing during games and being run over.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Have we had a single game this year we haven't copped an injury? It's been unbelievable.

 

[Sintiger]

We saw another example of mismanagement last night. Hopper grabbed at his hamstring and his body language indicated that he’d felt it go twang. The doctor goes out, has a chat to him, then leaves him on the ground. The commentary team were gobsmacked. The player has an injury history and has just returned. We’ve got an unused sub on the bench. But no, we won’t take him off, we’ll just leave him there until he does it good and proper, which he predictably did. We were gonna lose him from the moment he did it, but why leave him on the ground to make it worse. Hard questions need to be asked.

I am not defending anyone in this debate, I don’t know the answer, but this is not what happened.

Hopper said he felt discomfort but that he thought it was the bandage he was wearing. He did not indicate that he thought his hamstring went twang, he in fact said that he has never had a hamstring injury before. He still felt discomfort a couple minutes later and went off.

There is enough evidence of an issue without embellishment of what actually occurred.

As an aside Rozee last night actually went off, was examined and went back on again with a hamstring.

 

[Little Ziggyadee]

Get rid of him now before kids start walking away.
Look at Collingwood 9 players over 30 and No injuries 7 weeks in a row

 

[CarnTheTiges]

I am not defending anyone in this debate, I don’t know the answer, but this is not what happened.

Hopper said he felt discomfort but that he thought it was the bandage he was wearing. He did not indicate that he thought his hamstring went twang, he in fact said that he has never had a hamstring injury before. He still felt discomfort a couple minutes later and went off.

There is enough evidence of an issue without embellishment of what actually occurred.

As an aside Rozee last night actually went off, was examined and went back on again with a hamstring.

He pulled up and immediately grabbed at his hamstring. Knowing he was returning from an injury, he should have been taken off for assessment immediately. There are times and players that the decision needs to be taken out of their hands. We’re suffering too many of these type of incidents for us to not take immediate action. We had a fit sub, who we had to put on for Hopper soon after. Taking him off early might not have made a difference to Hopper’s injury, which given the way we’ve handled things, and how they hit us, is probably going to be long term, but what is the point of keeping a player you already know is playing under duress on the field to possibly make the injury worse?

 

[Sintiger]

He pulled up and immediately grabbed at his hamstring. Knowing he was returning from an injury, he should have been taken off for assessment immediately. There are times and players that the decision needs to be taken out of their hands. We’re suffering too many of these type of incidents for us to not take immediate action. We had a fit sub, who we had to put on for Hopper soon after. Taking him off early might not have made a difference to Hopper’s injury, which given the way we’ve handled things, and how they hit us, is probably going to be long term, but what is the point of keeping a player you already know is playing under duress on the field to possibly make the injury worse?

Fine. I am saying that is not what Hopper said happened.

 

[toothless]

In the case of Hopper and Lynch injuring themselves and continuing to play, they have themselves to blame for further injury. Just plain dumb. The club should make a blanket rule that if you're injured take yourself off immediately without question, the club simply can't afford for further (prolonged) injuries.

 

[tigertim]

He first injures and grabs at the hammy at the 12 minute 8 second remaining mark of the 3rd quarter, motions at the bench by stretching his knee out but then continues to play for another 2 minutes before aggravating it further (the bit where Oliver consoles him with a pat on the head)