AFLW: Compressed fixture under fire as injuries pile up across competition

The AFLW’s compressed fixture has been labelled “cruel” and “unfair” by a former All-Australian, as the Magpies count the cost of some critical injuries at a crucial point of the season.

The compressed AFL Women’s fixture has been labelled “cruel” and “unfair” to players who will miss significant portions of the season due to the devastating combination of back-to-back games and injuries.

Collingwood captain Bri Davey was concussed in the second quarter on Tuesday night and will now miss a further two games due to the league’s 12-day concussion protocol amid the compressed fixture block.

Teammate Brit Bonnici is set to miss up to three weeks with a calf injury with the Magpies to play four games within 14 days.

“(Brit) will miss three games, if not four, and you shouldn’t be missing 40 per cent of the season with a calf,” AFLW All-Australian former player Kate McCarthy told this masthead.

Davey will miss the Pies’ next two clashes. Picture: Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“The thing that is unfair is that players maintain their professional standards from the months of November through to May – yes they’re contracted 12 months now, which is a great step forward – but they’re still holding themselves accountable over those months. That’s really hard to do for a long period of time.

“Then they’re getting to the season and missing huge chunks of the season due to injury where without the compressed games they might only miss one or two.

“It’s cruel. It’s really cruel. It makes you question whether it’s worth it.”

Clubs are also managing players throughout this condensed fixture block.

Collingwood coach Sam Wright has had his playing list cruelled by injury and said on Tuesday night this busy period meant his team had to treat “games like it’s training”.

“It’s pretty hard with the loads that we’ve got at the moment to train the players. But the players are excited,” he said.

“They get to play more footy and that’s what it’s about for them and, to be honest, growing the game, we want more games. It looks the same for everybody.”

West Coast coach Daisy Pearce this week described the four-week fixture frenzy as “interesting” and “perhaps a test” for when the women’s game expands further to overlap more with the men’s game and whether midweek football would work.

McCarthy, a foundation Brisbane player who also played at St Kilda and Hawthorn, said the toll on players backing up for games in this 33-day period of short breaks should not be underestimated.

Daisy Pearce (R) said the fixturing will be a test for the players. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

“Your first day of recovery, you’re wiped – tired and emotionally really drained after the adrenaline of getting up for a game,” McCarthy said.

“You then have this dumping effect that sometimes makes you feel quite depressed, to be honest.

“Take the Lions for example, they might have a bit of a run-around on day two, they play the Bulldogs on Wednesday night so day four they’re already playing in Perth against the Eagles on Sunday, with a travel.”

McCarthy said the midweek fixturing was a big positive amid the men’s finals series but said longer breaks had to be a consideration.

“There was the premise around it being an extra game (this season) … there was no reason why it couldn’t have been an extra week as well. I don’t understand that. The grand final is the first week of December – there’s no reason why it couldn’t be the second,” she said.

“If we look back at it, in reality we’re going to look back at the end of the season and players are going to have played less games than they would have last year because of yes, injury, but player management having to come into play because of the condensed fixture.”

The AFL will continue to monitor the condensed fixture block and player injury data as part of its season review process.