Injuries = uneven competition

[Alan]

The AFL competition will always be slanted to teams in the ES which have much less travel commitments than their interstate rivals who have to travel every other week.

With the pace of modern football, injuries are a part of the game, we have to expect them. It is almost impossible to treat any sort of football injury on a plane. The futher the distance to travel, the longer it will take to get injuries attended to, and the longer they will last.

No thought to the injury factor has been evident from the AFL, or from anyone else.

I think that interstate teams should be able to have bigger eligible squads than Melbourne teams, for example ADL / SYD squads 40 and Eagles & brisbane 42.

Alan

[daddy_4_eyes]

Hi everybody, it's my first post.

Injuries do make the competition uneven, but air travel has nothing to do with it. Look at richmond, they're victorian and they had tons of injuries. And having 42 on the list wouldn't benefit anyone either because it would only mean that the eagles and lions would have more crappy players on their team to contend with.


Go Eagles!!!

[This message has been edited by daddy_4_eyes (edited 09 December 2000).]

[Maz]

Haven't you realised that everything is done to suit the Victorian based clubs. Everyone says that the travel factor doesn't come into it. But like you Alan I believe that it has a big impact on the players. In some cases I believe that it could shorten their careers. The travel does not help when your injured and have to sit on a plane for hours.

[Alan]

The Eagles played a total of 39 players in 2000. That is more than will be available in the current list.

The Eagles have had to play injured players for the last five years. The Vic clubs all know that the answer is to give the Eagles a few injuries and thay won't be a menace come late September. It is the same for all interstate clubs.

If any Vic team was told to move interstate, there would be Hell to pay. Everyone knows that injuries will decimate clubs who have to travel every other week.

It would be interesting to see how the great Bummers would fare, if they had to play if they were based interstate. I doubt that they would have the depth to do this in the longer term, with a list of 38.

The Salary Cap should reflect the distance from Vic to make the competition fair. It is not fair when a club is so decimated by injury that it is forced to play injured players, just to field a team.

Alan

[James2]

There's nothing like a bit of Western Australian paranoia!!

All teams have players that play with injury. Wayne Carey is an example- living in Victoria certainly didn't aid his recovery.

Your excuse is a complete fiction. The eagles just had a bad year with injuries; this happens to teams sometimes. This had nothing to do with travelling every second week. Travel certainly didn't effect the Crows, when they won back-to-back.

Any team, regardless of the state, is affected by a large injury toll. The WCE are no different from any other team in this regard.

Of course, you are welcome to leave the AFL and join the WAFL anytime!!!!

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"Be not afraid of greatness."
Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

[Visro]

Welcome to the WC bigfooty forum Alan....nice to see another WC forum member now posting their views here! http://www.bigfooty.com/ubb/smile.gif

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I was put on this Earth to complete a certain number of tasks. I am so far behind I will never die...

[Alan]

Thanks Visro, James you are well off key.

It is clear to all that your understanding of injuries is miniscule. Never done a cruciate? That's good that you don't put your body on the line for anything, but if you would only read James Hird (the real one) about his trip to Perth, you might begin to understand a bit about playing interstate.

The flying every other week is a huge factor regarding fitness. Injuries sustained in a match and dealt with on a plane will last much longer for interstate teams than Vic ones whose players can head for treatment in the pool with a team of physios only minutes after they happen. This can't be done on a plane.

Four hours back to Perth is when WA player injuries "set". It will always be a problem, and one that deserves compensation.

Regards

Alan

[GoEagles]

Can the Eagles, Dockers and Lions complain to the AFL about getting "Economy Class Syndrome" when flying now? http://www.bigfooty.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Eagleheart]

Alan i think the point you are making about
injuries is a valid one ,it certainly did'nt
help Bluey i reckon all those hours on a plane with his crook back. But anyway the west coast coaching staff have acknowledged that injuries and interstate travel dont make good bed fellows ,they are now looking at a player staying in vic,brizzy ect for a day or two if injuried while playing away.

[Bloodstained Angel]

The WCE should get their own private jet fully equipped with medical facilities to rehabilitate injuries in-flight and with enough room so that the entire squad can stretch out in comfort and not get so fatigued on those long interstate trips.

they can afford it - believe me.

cheers

[carly]

Well I reckon they should call the plane
"The Nest". With the amount of travel the guys have to do it would be their home.

[goatmaster]

Welcome Alan,
It is interesting that if the injuries "set" on the plane why don't they leave injured players overnight to be treated ?
I have a travel schedule about 1/2 of the Eagles & Dockers & know what it takes out of you & it is terrible (i'm not playing footy either in the middle of trips!)
However the Eagles & Dockers are a different case to other teams becaude of the length of the flights. A 1-2 hour flight is easy compared to the 4hr horror of East - West. Brisbane to Perth is even worse as you either stop (generally in Sydney so you can be delayed or travel at stupid hours.
I do believe that Ansett should be pressured into flying Jumbos on the regular runs that footy teams do to Perth so there are more business seats. I hate to think how the players get on in economy.


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Goatmaster
the prime minister of the principality of Mooball

[goatmaster]

Welcome Alan,
It is interesting that if the injuries "set" on the plane why don't they leave injured players overnight to be treated ?
I have a travel schedule about 1/2 of the Eagles & Dockers & know what it takes out of you & it is terrible (i'm not playing footy either in the middle of trips!)
However the Eagles & Dockers are a different case to other teams becaude of the length of the flights. A 1-2 hour flight is easy compared to the 4hr horror of East - West. Brisbane to Perth is even worse as you either stop (generally in Sydney so you can be delayed or travel at stupid hours.
I do believe that Ansett should be pressured into flying Jumbos on the regular runs that footy teams do to Perth so there are more business seats. I hate to think how the players get on in economy.


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Goatmaster
the prime minister of the principality of Mooball

[InTheBack!]

I know the Lions have left some players behind and/or flown them to an away game earlier that the rest of the squad to help in injury management.

Interesting that injury management & prevention can also be a big factor. The Lions have improved the on field time of several injury prone players in the last 2 years with the help of new medical staff.

So I think clubs that have minimum injuries are also those who undertake good recruiting of reliable players (reliable bodies!), pay heaps to get good medical staff & have a dose of good luck with star players.

Going on a plane is only part of the issue.

[Alan]

I went around the world in September. That didn't worry me, with 17 flights in 16 days.

I had carefully mananaged a back injury that I sustained in June, as well as a spider bite and was only cleared to travel just 48 hours before departure date.

That is injury management.

I wouldn't have gone to the US, UK and EC in two weeks because I had been injured, because injuries DO SET while sitting on planes.

If Essendon and the Eagles could swap venues for just one year, the tables would turn.

The AFL would still be unfair, but this time to Essendon. You can't have pools and gyms on planes, as Sheedy would know, but anyone who has had a serious injury would understand.

I have, over a life of sport activity, so I think that I am qualified to say that injuries can't be treated on planes. That is a stupid notion.

Critically hurt Eagles are left behind, but the urge to get back to the best city in the world! That is not injury management. That is just common sense.

Alan

[carly]

The US presidents plane has some preety amazing stuff in it! Maybe the dockers and the Eagles could go halves in buying a plane with massage tables and a spa bath? Some tvs and other stuff. You could have one area where the coach can meet with players and an area where the brain trust can meet.