The League Injuries Thread

[Bornadog]

After rupturing the patella tendon in his left knee, Nic Newman will miss the 2025 season

[Axe Man]

After rupturing the patella tendon in his left knee, Nic Newman will miss the 2025 season

That's a big blow - runner up in their B&F last season. The Blues have had an ordinary couple of weeks on and off the track.

[GVGjr]

After rupturing the patella tendon in his left knee, Nic Newman will miss the 2025 season

Thanks a brutal injury.

[Garbs_7]

Between Newman and Walsh with a bad-ish hammy early, that is two very important players on the sidelines so far. Waiting for the Curnow knee injury delayed start next

[GVGjr]

Between Newman and Walsh with a bad-ish hammy early, that is two very important players on the sidelines so far. Waiting for the Curnow knee injury delayed start next

Walsh should bounce back before the start of the season. His ability to manage delayed starts is Treloar level impressive.

[Rusty12]

Newman for a full season is huge blow. Back to back top 2 or 3 in the B&F, and a structural anchor.
Most injuries are over-stated in terms of making excuses for losses etc, not this one.

[Garbs_7]

Walsh should bounce back before the start of the season. His ability to manage delayed starts is Treloar level impressive.

Yeah definitely, but it's just another big chunk of a pre-season he missed again and an uphill battle to be at peak fitness early on. He started well last year but then seemed to tail off a bit towards the back end of the season with his body maybe wearing down a bit again.

[Grantysghost]

After rupturing the patella tendon in his left knee, Nic Newman will miss the 2025 season

Oh wow that's a bad one, they take a long time to heal.

[Bulldog Joe]

Between Newman and Walsh with a bad-ish hammy early, that is two very important players on the sidelines so far. Waiting for the Curnow knee injury delayed start next

You can also add in Blake Acres with back surgery and Carlton now have issues with 5 of the top 10 in 2024 B&F

Newman (2nd) out for the season and maybe career ending
Walsh (3rd) Hamstring
Acres (6th) back surgery)
Curnow (9th) Ankle/Knee surgery
Kennedy (10th) elsewhere

[macca]

Another brownlow medal for Patrick Cripps here we come.!

[Bornadog]

George Wardlaw's hamstring injury is a high grade issue. Out for 10-12 weeks.

[azabob]

George Wardlaw's hamstring injury is a high grade issue. Out for 10-12 weeks.

Such a shame. An extremely talented player who just can’t get his body right. I really hope he can sort it out.

[GVGjr]

The Eagles Dom Sheed will miss the 2025 season after rupturing his knee

[Axe Man]

Why AFL hamstring injury crisis has taken the league at the height of pre-season

Four players went down with serious hamstring injuries within a week. JOSH BARNES unpacks what’s happening – and why clubs may be to blame.

A quartet of serious hamstring injuries just weeks out from practice matches has AFL clubs scratching their heads as an expert questions whether players are being pushed too far in pre-season.

Bulldogs defender Liam Jones and Bombers forward Matt Guelfi on Monday joined Kangaroo young gun George Wardlaw and Dogs veteran Jason Johannisen in the medical room with serious hamstring injuries suffered in a week-long spate.

Each of the four will miss the opening rounds of the season, with all players expected to be sidelined for more than two months.

Within the last week, Melbourne forward Jake Melksham and Fremantle budding star Hayden Young also went down with lesser strains.

Clubs have long expected injuries in the dog days of pre-season as practice matches draw closer, with one club figure admitting “you may unfortunately lose a few”.

Those who run the programs expect pressure on bodies of players when more match simulation picks up, given the miles pumped into the legs of players through January.

Dr Steven Duhig, a lecturer at Griffith University who researched hamstring injuries for a PhD, said that overuse of the legs can prompt twanged hammies.

Overuse can particularly impact the hamstring tendon, which leads to more serious strains than lower down the muscle.

“There is this spike and it seems to be four weeks leading up to injury and if that exceeds what they have been doing … if they did above that for an elevated period of time, then bang, they go,” he said.

“You could say, they have had a bit of time back from the Christmas break, they have now elevated that intensity again because they are stepping into match play and perhaps those guys, the hamstrings haven’t been handling it.”

As one club figure noted, despite the investment in sports science by all teams, hamstrings remain the most common injury league-wide.

In the AFL’s most recent injury report, there was an average of 4.71 hamstring injuries at each club in the 2023 season, ahead of concussions (4.26).

“You run, you kick, you bend over to pick the ball up, you accelerate and decelerate and just the amount of running you do … it’s the perfect recipe for hamstring strains,” Dr Duhig said.

“I think we are pushing harder and harder and trying to get them stronger and fitter and maybe we have gone too far.”

North Melbourne thought Wardlaw was on top of hamstring issues that began before he was drafted to Arden St and he had not suffered an injury there in 18 months.

But the tough nut went down during at the start of training last week when he appeared to not be moving at maximum speed.

Essendon thought it was doing everything right to push Guelfi past a hamstring setback suffered in the final training session before Christmas.

The 27-year-old had been to the United States during the off-season to get on top of his soft tissue woes and was working through a specific program that saw him running long laps around the entire precinct of the Hangar – up and down hills – to build strength.

But his hamstring snapped and he was sent for surgery.

Norm Smith medallist Johannisen has been dogged by soft tissue woes before, having missed 26 games due to hamstrings and 23 due to calf injuries since his first year at Western Bulldogs in 2012.

Dr Duhig spent time working on shoulder injuries in Olympic swim coach Michael Bohl’s squad – which includes Australian golden girl Emma McKeon.

He said his team had started developing tests which can predict when shoulder injuries are around the corner, but the technology isn’t advanced enough on hamstrings.

“We have all these new assessments and yet we still seem to be getting these injuries, it is mind boggling isn’t it,” he said.

Respected sports medico Dr Peter Larkins believes clubs are adding more time for hamstring recovery than in the past knowing that players are more likely to twang the injury again that season once they to it in summer.

THE HAMMY QUARTET

Player	Expected weeks out	Career games missed due to hamstrings
Matt Guelfi	10-12	12
George Wadlaw	10-12	5
Jason Johannisen	8-12	26
Liam Jones	8-10	0

[Bornadog]

Big day at the saints GjJ_bA4bIAMFtSP.jpg

[Axe Man]

I thought we were bad, Saints saying hold my beer.

[Bornadog]

Tom Green will miss the start of the season. Expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks due to a calf strain