AFL Daily: Live rolling footy news from around Australia for April 4, 2019

Coaches as well as players are at risk of fatigue after four or five-day breaks as some clubs grapple with short turnarounds for the first time. The warning comes as the Western Bulldogs, Sydney, Richmond and Melbourne prepare for short turnarounds. RECAP TODAY'S FOOTY NEWS

Coaches as well as players are at risk of fatigue after four or five-day breaks as some clubs grapple with short turnarounds for the first time.

Western Bulldogs and Sydney must front up five days after their Round 3 games this weekend while Richmond and Melbourne will do battle on Anzac eve just four days after their Round 5 matches.

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High performance expert David Buttifant said the challenge wasn’t only physical and suggested clubs should enjoy “a little bit of frivolity” to stay fresh.

“There might be a bit more emphasis on yoga or meditation or they might go to a different venue, reduce meeting times and things like that,” Buttifant said.

“If you do too much they can go in mentally fatigued. It’s that cognitive energy. It’s holistic — the psychological and the physiological are so closely connected.

“That’s why it’s not just the players, it’s actually the coaches and staff as well that need to be able to have a bit of a breather and regroup.

“The coaches doing a lot of analysis, working overtime, giving feedback to players and reviewing games. They need a bit of time off, too.”

Dustin Martin and the Tigers have a four-day break before meeting Melbourne on Anzac Eve.

Norm Smith medallist Jason Johannisen (ankle) was close to returning for the Dogs on Sunday although next week’s five-day break was likely a consideration in holding him back.

Excluding Anzac games, five-day breaks were prohibited until this season.

But the AFL Players’ Association approved one per team to help play more Thursday games.

Geelong kicked clear against Adelaide on Thursday night off the back of a five-day lead-in plus an interstate trip.

Buttifant, co-founder at Resilience Builders, said extended breaks afterwards also needed planning.

“You’re using a lot of adrenaline to get yourself up for that four, five-day turnaround,” he said. “It’s that aftermath as well — giving them a bit of R & R to recalibrate and to give them a chance to recover.

“It’s not just in footy. We need an opportunity to recharge our batteries and there’s things footballers do that normal people can do as well.

“It could be just getting back to family and reconnecting, that could be enough as a bit of recovery too.

“When you’re focusing and using all your adrenaline to get through those two weeks for example, and when you’ve had a really heavy load — like if you’re at uni and you’ve got exams — after it you get sick.

“You’re using adrenaline and your auto-immune system starts to become vulnerable.”

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Originally published as AFL Daily: Live rolling footy news from around Australia for April 4, 2019

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