Thankfully many WAFL clubs are now working at implementing early screening and education at the development and colts levels to combat this problem, however there is still plenty of room for improvement.

I currently juggle playing for the Perth Demons with working as a Physiotherapist in a private practice as well as being the team physio for the Perth colts. It can be quite a challenge on my time management skills.

At Perth we train Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays, play Saturday and have a rehab session Sunday morning. I will do one to two weight sessions per week and try and squeeze an extra swim or yoga session in where I can.

Each day starts with waking at 5.30am and I get home before 8pm just one night each week. This leaves little time to spend my girlfriend Kelly and also my mates however I am lucky that they understand my situation and aren’t too fazed.

Football at this level can be very demanding and over time can take its toll. The time commitment we put in as players is made much easier by being at a club we really enjoy spending a lot of our time.

This year, more so than previously, we have a really good vibe and feeling at the club, not just amongst the players, but also from the officials down to the volunteers. The players all work extremely hard at training however it’s important we break up the routine a bit by enjoying each other’s company with dinners, player functions and social days.

In my time as a physiotherapist and a player I have seen many players battle through long term injuries. Here are the 5 keys to injury prevention that any young player entering the system should seek out.

1) Specific Musculoskeletal Screening

a)    ? To identify known causative factors to injury: For example- poor single leg squat control can predispose an athlete to groin, hip and knee injuries.

b)    ? To provide a baseline for ongoing monitoring: A drop in groin power (squeeze test) by more than 20 per cent can indicate early onset of groin overload/injury.

2) Training load management

Too much training load or a poorly designed training program can lead to athletes breaking down. Especially in regards to young athletes during their active growth phase. Rest and recovery is an equally important element of any effective training program.

3) Targeted corrective exercise

Following on from a screening process, young athletes should be educated in the key areas they need to work on with specific exercises prescribed to achieve the required level.

4) Early identification and intervention

Players need to know their bodies and be able to identify early signs of injury. Injuries such as shin splints, stress fractures, osteitis pubis and tendinopathies are all preventable with early reporting by the athlete to their physiotherapist or coach.

5) Sufficient warm up & recovery

Gone are the days of a quick jog and a few static stretches before training. A warm up needs to be dynamic and sports specific in readiness for high intensity effort. Cool downs, static stretching, cold water immersion & icing are important tools to manage that post game soreness and early injury management.

A lot of WAFL players are in a similar boat to myself whereby they have little free time outside of their work and football commitments. It certainly makes it all worthwhile when we are getting a few wins on the board and enjoying the challenge each week brings. 

To be a successful club at this level takes time, hard work and commitment from all players to buy in too the club culture regardless of their outside commitments. This is something we are finally building at Perth and if we keep going I am confident our success isn’t far away.

Nick Kane works at East Vic Park Sports Physiotherapy
Ph: 9361 3777