Growing Concerns Over AFL Off-Season Injuries
A growing number of long-term injuries has sparked debate about the length of the AFL off-season, with several former coaches and players expressing concerns over the current schedule. One such voice is Ivan Soldo, who recently learned he will not be playing this season due to a ruptured ACL sustained during Port Adelaide training on Monday. This injury adds to a list of high-profile cases that have impacted teams across the league.
St Kilda’s Max King and Crows defender Mark Keane are also facing extended periods on the sidelines. King is dealing with a calf injury, while Keane has suffered a leg fracture. These setbacks highlight the increasing challenges faced by players as they prepare for the upcoming season.
Ken Hinkley, who previously coached Port Adelaide from 2012 to 2025, has firsthand experience with the difficulties of managing pre-season injuries. He recalls supporting Todd Marshall through rehabilitation after an Achilles injury occurred during training. Hinkley has spoken openly about the emotional toll these injuries take on players, especially when their season is effectively over before it has even begun.
“It is a tragedy when you get these injuries at this time of year,” Hinkley said on SEN’s Sportsday. “Footy has a bad way of giving you a whack at this time of year. You just don’t want to be there at training if I’m being honest. It’s the thing you have to do and the one you least want to do because you know the risk.”
Hinkley emphasized the importance of proper preparation and training in ensuring players are ready for competition. He pointed to Marshall’s injury as a key example of how early-season setbacks can derail a team’s entire campaign.
“Last year, Todd Marshall snapped his Achilles at training and when you look at how our season went, it was almost the start of the end right there,” he continued. “You can’t do it without those types of players. You need a certain amount of training and preparation time otherwise you don’t have them ready for competing.”
Hinkley’s concerns are echoed by other figures in the sport, including Kane Cornes. Cornes has raised alarms about the increasing trend of season-ending injuries and the impact they have on players’ careers. He believes the current off-season structure may be contributing to the problem.
“Some, like Soldo, suffer such injuries with no contract security for the future,” Cornes said on SEN. “It happens every year but seems to be worse this year. This is absolute carnage. Time is going to run out for a lot of these players.”
Cornes pointed to several factors contributing to the issue, including changes in player conditioning. He noted that modern training methods differ from past practices, with players now being conditioned during match play rather than through pure running.
“You used to be able to condition players with pure running and then you would transition into match play. Players are having so much time off, they have de-conditioned; couple with the fact they don’t have time to reintegrate with running skills to get up to speed. They are just straight back into it and we’re seeing it. It’s brutal.”
He also criticized the players’ association for what he sees as an overemphasis on rest periods, arguing that it may be harming both the sport and the players themselves.
“While the players association think they are doing the right thing by giving players so much time off, they’re harming the product, the players and their careers. They’re not ready to be put through what clubs are putting themselves through after such a long break.”
Cornes added that while many people might view an ACL injury as purely bad luck, there is a connection between conditioning and the likelihood of such injuries.
“We need to change the way clubs are training the players. It has to change across the industry. It is harming the product and their careers.”
As the pre-season ramps up this weekend with the return of AFL’s State of Origin, teams are preparing for the official start of the season on March 5. With ongoing concerns about player safety and readiness, the debate over the off-season schedule is likely to continue.
