Do AFL players go through more physical trauma than any athletes?

Remove this Banner Ad

aflcliche

Club Legend
May 26, 2010
1,716
1,026
AFL Club
Carlton
I'm talking about things like grueling training, playing injured and coping hits everywhere, having to do all kinds of hard recovery and procedures to get right for the next weekly game (eg draining fluid, having jabs). What other sportsmen put their body through such strain?
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Week to week probably AFL/NRL players when it comes to injuries and playing hurt.

I don't think they would be in the top 10 in the world when it comes to intense training.
 
Interesting thread, honestly not sure. Dont foĺlow o'seas sports and nil interest in league. Does seem the contest is more structured in league though. In Rugby there's no structure in the rucks and mauls other than what you can impose, think this makes them more dangerous for players.
Afl similarly has no natural structure and contact comes from all angles.This randomess is also inherently dangerous I would have thought.
As for training I think the AFL players probably cop it harder with endurance a major issue. Both Rugby codes are more about strength and explosive speed.
I'm not an expert but I assume a sprinter does less work than a marathon runner overall?
 
I'm talking about things like grueling training, playing injured and coping hits everywhere, having to do all kinds of hard recovery and procedures to get right for the next weekly game (eg draining fluid, having jabs). What other sportsmen put their body through such strain?

Most sports.

Maybe identify sport that don't.

Physically, Rugby and NRL kill the AFL, aerobically, not so much.
 
Fighters do take an absolute beating, but they do not fight week to week. They will generally do 1-4 fights a year.

Despite the amount of protection they wear, NFL players take an absolute beating, if Aussie Rules is a contact sport, then American Football is a collision sport.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-five-torn-core-muscles-among-other-injuries/

According to Tania Ganguli of ESPN, the Houston Texans’ defensive end finished the season, in which he missed no games, with five core muscles that were either fully or partially torn, necessitating surgery on both sides of his body. Citing a source, Ganguli wrote that those injuries included “a partially torn right adductor longus, a fully torn left adductor longus and a fully torn left adductor pectineus in his inner thighs and groin,” in addition to partial tears in Watt’s abdominal muscles.

That sounds painful enough, but it was far from all that Watt gutted through. Here’s what he had to say Wednesday to Sports Radio 610 in Houston:

“Last year was definitely, by far, the most strenuous on my body that I’ve ever had, fighting through a whole bunch of things that I’ve never dealt with before.

“We had the broken hand. I had a herniated disc in my back halfway through the year. I had, obviously, everything that went on with my groins and I don’t think people fully understand what that process was like.”
 
I played all sports as a kid and young adult, as far as the football codes are concerned I distinctly remember coming off the Australian football field feeling like I'd been bashed from pillar to post whilst running a marathon. As an all round thing, I found Australian football way harder to play, although obviously you get hit harder in the rugby codes. Soccer was like a walk in the park by comparison.
Combat sports are next level again.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

In the NHL they play 82 games regular season, and potential for up to 28 post-season games in an 8 month season. Some players do play all 82 of them. And that is a very physical game similar to footy. Those players tend to have much longer careers though.

AFL players have some of the shortest careers, with most retiring before 32. Definitely up there for physical trauma, I wouldn't say the most, but in the top few definitely.
 
I watched the Cahill goal on youtube and this was in the recommended videos, probably because of this thread.



I know over a couple of years you could go through and pick out some big hits in the AFL but some of these guys are targetting the head rather than poor bumping techniques in the AFL. Concussion problems, well I never.
 
Last edited:
MMA is not the right call. Fighters that get beat up are given medical suspensions that can last for many months before they are able to apply for a licence to fight again.

The correct answer is Muay Thai, intense physical training and sparring from a prepubescent age for elite fighters. The rules regarding their ability to complete is very lax compared to MMA as many practitioners have 100+ bouts by their mid 20's.

Being 23-24 is considered 'old' in that sport and many fighters by that stage have already developed debilitating long term physical injuries.
 
It would have to be close and surely the most demanding ball game.

Running 15kms per game with big body, tackling getting up from tackle, taking hits and constantly getting knocked down falling over and getting up again.

The sport that I've played and is extremely demanding is motocross you have to man handle a 90-110kg machine through insane terrain, but you only get hit when you go down.
 
Last edited:
I'm talking about things like grueling training, playing injured and coping hits everywhere, having to do all kinds of hard recovery and procedures to get right for the next weekly game (eg draining fluid, having jabs). What other sportsmen put their body through such strain?

Jockeys go through a fair bloody whack to body on regular schedule. Getting weight right for race. Broken collarbones etc.
Ask Michelle Payne and others.

Not sure I would call motor bike riders or racing car drivers athletes but they get banged up bad a few times.
The reality is, you play sport you accept a few broken bones here and there. Had my fair share in cricket. Bowling is not good for the body. It is why our fast bowlers break down so often. Really can mess with your feet and ankles. Still when you bat small chance you can get killed as a batsmen if it hits you in wrong spot. Could even happen if field in close. We all know this though that take up these sports. We know there are risks involved but few cost you your life.
I stopped playing footy young based on fact I could see the toll it takes on body and did not want to walk around like a 70 year old with dodgy knees and other joints when just 40 which a lot of players do that play throughout the twenties. My older brother put me off it seeing him have trainers run out and whack his shoulders joints back in place and he play on. I was happy enough playing kick to kick with mates after the siren at Princes Park after a Carlton game to miss playing so much. Happy my knees and shoulder joints all feel as good as when I was 18.

I reckon down hill skiers would have a tough time too.
Footy takes a serious toll on body though. The highs are so good though, plenty of players willing to put up with the pain.

I'd rather be a footy player than a jockey though.
 
Yep but watch out for the NFL brigade, also boxing is far more dangerous than mma.
 
Most sports.

Maybe identify sport that don't.

Physically, Rugby and NRL kill the AFL, aerobically, not so much.
But aerobically is physical. AFL has a higher injury rate on average than RL, twanging a hammy hurts as much as getting a finger up your ass.
 
Yep but watch out for the NFL brigade, also boxing is far more dangerous than mma.

The thing is boxing has so few fights over time. A lot of time the body is not going through hell. Just a lot of training. The damage they do it to their head and brain. Lets be honest though, many of them not sharp to start with.

As for NFL, they wear padding and on and off the field so often it is just small sharp burst on body hitting. There is not a lot of action going on to be honest. How many actual minutes does the average player play in a game? I would think it is not like an AFL player running 15 km's in two hours and twisting turning on angles to knee joints as often. No doubt they take some big hits when they do but the regular minute to minute athletic ask of sport I not see in same ball park. Virtually human chess. I do not even know how many players they use. Looks like they use up to 60 human chess pieces a game so I reckon not a lot of ask over 2 hours for one player. There is a reason why guys like Ben Graham, Darren Bennett and a Rocca took it up after they finished their AFL career. They could not expect their body to keep playing footy at elite level but this other sport overseas that asks less on body is a good thing to earn some money on well after your thirties if you can learn the particular punting skill needed in time.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top