AFL Injury Ladder: Carlton woes continue to hit finals push as Richmond hit hardest
Carlton just can’t escape the soft-tissue curse and, on Thursday, its long-term fitness boss called time. See the full AFL injury ladder – one that highlights the plight of a Victorian rival.
Only Richmond players have spent more time in the medical room than Carlton this year despite an internal mid-season check-in designed to halt a run of soft tissue injuries that could derail the premiership hopeful.
With midfielder Adam Cerra suffering a third hamstring injury of his 2024 campaign on Saturday night, the Blues have been stuck in soft-tissue peril.
On Thursday, the club confirmed it will revamp its fitness team under a new boss after league stalwart Andrew Russell announced he would retire as head of performance after 26 years in the AFL.
The Blues have suffered 10 separate hamstring setbacks this season, with their injury crisis compounded by other injuries such as serious knee blows for Jack Silvagni and Sam Docherty, and more recently busted shoulders for Matt Cottrell and David Cuningham.
The long-time fitness guru worked across the AFL, including working at Essendon, Port Adelaide and Hawthorn when each club won premierships.
Amid a rash of soft tissue problems, the Blues went through an internal check-in of its fitness process mid-year but the problems have persisted.
Russell has been a widely respected fitness boss across the league and will lead the Blues through to the end of the season.
He said he had seen a change in the club since he arrived at Ikon Park in 2018.
“The transformation that has taken place at the club, on and off the field has been significant,” he said.
“To see the athletes emerge as professionals, their drive and commitment towards a common goal now is really powerful. It has been fantastic to be part of their development over time.
“I have loved my time at this football club and look forward to maximizing what we are able to achieve for the remainder of the season.”
Russell began at Essendon before being appointed as head fitness coach at Port Adelaide when he was just 24 and is an accomplished runner in his own right. Under his watch, skipper Patrick Cripps bounced back from a long battle with his health to return to a Brownlow Medal-level midfielder and Charlie Curnow shrugged off injury problems that threatened to derail his career and won two Coleman Medals.
Jacob Weitering only missed the opening two matches of the year but he kicked off the soft tissue woes by suffering a serious calf tear in the pre-season.
The Blues have now lost 131 weeks to injuries this year from players in their best 22, a tally only topped by Richmond’s 157, according to Champion Data.
The Brisbane Lions (107), Adelaide (102) and Hawthorn (98) rank next.
Covering the entire playing list, Richmond has lost 246 games to injury to Carlton’s 181.
The Tigers have copped five season-ending knee blows, to Mykelti Lefau, Tylar Young, Sam Naismith, Josh Gibcus and Judson Clarke.
Carlton had to live through a rash of hamstring injures early in the season, with Cerra, Mitch McGovern and Adam Saad all pinging hammies at the same time in round 5.
The injuries at Princes Park seemed to be easing mid-year but ow now hit back.
The Blues currently have Cerra, Zac Williams and ruck Hudson O’Keefe out with hamstrings, while Sam Durdin (calf), Orazio Fantasia (calf), Matthew Carroll (groin) deal with soft tissue problems.
Overall, 86 matches have been lost by Carlton just to groin, calf or hamstring injuries, almost equal with the total games missed by all injured Gold Coast players (87).
While every player is different, soft tissue injuries are seen as more manageable than contact injuries such as shoulder problems.
Williams battled achilles and glute issues this season before his hamstring strain and young ruck O’Keefe missed seven games with a hamstring before pinging it again in his second VFL game back.
Tom De Koning will not play until finals – if the Blues make it – due to a lung and foot blow.
Charlie Curnow rolled an ankle on Saturday night and will be a test to face Hawthorn this weekend.
For years, Carlton has battled to find clean air on the injury front and even in last year’s remarkable late-season run, a number of players such as Harry McKay, Sam Walsh and Docherty limped with the club to finals.
In 2018, the club held an external review into its high performance program to stop the constant limping around the club.
While Richmond sits on the bottom of the ladder and on the top for most games missed from injury, Sydney has done the opposite.
No club has missed less games from best 22 players, with the Swans only losing 44 matches to injury.
Damien Hardwick has zero excuses for his club missing finals, given Gild Coast has only lost 52 best-22 games and has had the lowest injuries overall with just 87 games missed.
Geelong has fared well, with 61 games missed from top players and just 113 overall.
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