Review into GWS’s huge injury list but medical experts say damage might have been done
THE GWS Giants are in the middle of a review of their ever growing injury list but one of Australia’s leading sports medicos has warned the damage may have already been done.
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GWS are in the middle of a review of their ever-growing injury list but one of Australia’s leading sports medicos has warned the damage may have already been done.
The Giants are now without 10 first-team players for Saturday’s clash with North Melbourne in Hobart after co-captain Phil Davis failed to overcome a bout of concussion and Matt de Boer suffered a hamstring injury.
While there is nothing clubs like GWS, Sydney, Adelaide and Collingwood can do about head knocks and collision injuries, Dr Nathan Gibbs said their pre-season training programs may play a role in the prevalence of soft-tissue injuries during the season.
“One of the important things is the lag effect,” Gibbs said of injuries to high-level athletes.
“The programs that have been done through the off-season, the pre-season and in-season can’t be taken back, they’re done.
“It’s sometimes hard to stop the rot if that’s what you’ve got.
“It’s difficult to change the course. If you change or tweak the training loads you won’t see the benefit of that until after the next off-season. It’s a lot about balance and that takes time to develop and if you’ve got it wrong, it takes time to get it right again.”
GWS sports science expert John Quinn is two weeks into an injury review of the club and it is likely to take another month before any conclusions are reached.
Gibbs warned that even if changes were made to training programs, it would be unlikely to improve this season’s outcomes.
The cream of the Giants’ talented playing list, Josh Kelly (groin), Toby Greene (foot) and Brett Deledio (hamstring) have all been ruled out for another week.
The Giants’ shocking run with injuries this year follows an equally bad 2017 when they lost 158 weeks from their best 25 players.
“It’s a sign of a footy club that is open to checking out spots that we might not be covering off on,” Giants coach Leon Cameron said.
“If I’ve got a blind spot and there’s something I’m not covering off on or the footy department, having a set of eyes like John Quinn can do for us can only be positive.
Even though some can be put down to bad luck there is always something you can improve on in your program. Everyone is on board including myself, our coaches and our high performance unit.”
Davis has continued to suffer headaches since he was accidentally knocked out by Jack Darling on Saturday,
“It was a really big hit,” Cameron said.
“He has some headaches on Sunday and Monday and minor yesterday. With the concussion protocol if you get to Wednesday and you still have some symptoms it rules you out.”
Davis will be replaced by Tim Mohr who will play his first game since round 10 last year. The Tasmanian missed the entire 2015 season and played just three games in the last three seasons after suffering successive ACL ruptures.
GWS INJURIES
Phil Davis Concussion Test
Matt de Boer Hamstring 2 weeks
Brett Deledio Hamstring 1-2 weeks
Toby Greene Foot 3 weeks
Josh Kelly Groin 1 week
Adam Kennedy Knee TBC
Tom Scully Ankle 6-8 weeks
Will Setterfield Knee Season
Lachie Tiziani Knee Season
Zac Williams Achilles TBC
SWANS INJURIES
James Bell Hamstring 2 weeks
Jake Brown Shoulder 2 weeks
Jordan Dawson Quad 2 weeks
Jordan Foote Toe 2 weeks
Lance Franklin Bruised heel TBC
Dan Hannebery Groin Test
Alex Johnson Groin 2 weeks
Lewis Melican Hamstring 1 week
Sam Naismith Knee Season
Toby Pink Ankle Test
Sam Reid Quad 6-8 weeks
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