Packing games in could be bad news for players

CRAMMING five games into three weeks could tear down players’ immune systems and compound their recoveries from the deadly coronavirus.

High-performance expert David Buttifant also warned that footballers were more likely to suffer soft-tissue and ACL injuries early in the season.

He said that risk would be magnified under the league’s radical plan to stage 54 games in the next month.

The AFL is committed to using the entire calendar to fit in a 17-round season.

However, it has seriously discussed staging Rounds 2-6 in a three-week period to bank as many games as possible before an anticipated compulsory shutdown.

Should a player contract COVID-19 during a heavy period of being overworked, Buttifant warned it could be tougher to fight off the virus. That would also trigger an automatic shutdown of the season for 14 days.

“If you load them up, they’re going to become vulnerable,” Buttifant, who served 13 of his 20 AFL seasons at Collingwood, said. What would you rather, money or health?

“Their immune system will become more vulnerable if you increase that load.

“What does it do when it comes to the coronavirus? If they’re under a lot of physical duress, because they don’t (normally) play five games in three weeks, what are the risks associated with that? Gee, it would be tough, because as we know, the first few games there’s more susceptibility to injuries with the velocity of games and the firmness of the grounds.

“Having five games in three weeks … that’s an increase in workload, and the susceptibility of further injuries would be heightened.”