AFL clubs work on strategies for post-pandemic resumption

Football clubs have begun the challenging task of identifying how best to prepare their players should the AFL season resume this season.

GWS Giants players take gym equipment from the club as the AFL calls a postponement of their season due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Picture. Phil Hillyard

Football clubs have begun the challenging task of identifying how best to prepare their players so that they are ready to go should the AFL competition resume at some stage this season.

With football departments closing, clubs were canvassing guidelines in relation to surgery and recovery for players who were either injured at the weekend or in rehabilitation as the enforced shutdown began.

Others have allowed interstate-based players to return home during the mandatory shutdown period, with training suspended for at least a month due to the coronavirus crisis.

Some clubs have prepared packs for players that include footballs and resistance bands so they can train in isolation during the period away from their bases.

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Guidelines on whether players could train together away from clubs were being finalised, but it seems doubtful given the government edict on self-isolation.

Sports science departments are also devising strategies aimed at ensuring footballers are ready for the rigours of playing games with increased regularity should the season resume as hoped at the start of June.

Disciplinary requirements during the shutdown have already proved difficult to follow for at least two footballers. Kangaroos Nick Larkey and Cameron Zurhaar have been advised by North Melbourne to apologise after they angered neighbours by hosting a house party following Sunday’s two-point win over St Kilda.

North Melbourne said the housemates, who caused a noise disturbance, acknowledged their “actions were inappropriate given the current climate and social distancing measures”.

The Kangaroos raised concerns regarding the treatment of seriously injured players after captain Jack Ziebell damaged his medial ligament during the win over the Saints.

North coach Rhyce Shaw said he was uncertain how players would receive medical treatment or undergo surgery and still co-operate with league rules that aim to minimising exposure to the virus.

“It is an interesting landscape because if Jack does need one, how do we go about that?” Shaw said on SEN. “At this point, it didn’t seem like he needed surgery, but who knows what will come through in the MRI. We’ll work through that.”

West Coast coach Adam Simpson said there were clear challenges for players as they attempted to maintain their fitness ahead of any resumption of play.

The 2018 premiership coach said clubs needed to find solutions swiftly in order for their players to maintain as much match fitness as possible during the layoff.

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten, whose side was overrun in the two-point loss to North Melbourne, agreed. Clubs have already begun devising mini pre-season regimes for when training resumes.

“It depends on how much time we get to say, ‘We’re going to resume play’,” Ratten said.

“I think the players will need to take some time off, or some little breaks, but we will keep them moving if we can.”

While the majority of the Melbourne team returned to Victoria after Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, the Demons left debutants Luke Jackson and Kossie Pickett in Perth to be with their families.

Other clubs were scrambling to ensure their players from interstate were able to beat the border shutdowns coming into place on Tuesday.