The Influence of Rotations on Match Running Performance in Female Australian Football Midfielders

Relationships between physical fitness characteristics, technical skill attributes, and sports injury in female Australian football players

OBJECTIVES

To explore the relationships between physical fitness and i) technical skills and ii) time-loss from Australian football injury in female players across the talent and participation pathways.

METHODS

This study uses a subset of data from two cross-sectional and one prospective cohort studies. A total of 223 female Australian football players across five competition levels (elite/non-elite senior, high-level junior, and non-elite junior (14-17 years)/(10-13 years)) were included in this study. Comprehensive physical fitness assessments and modified Australian football kicking and handballing tests were conducted in the 2018/19 pre-seasons. During the respective competitive in-season, time-loss injuries were recorded by team personnel. Stepwise multiple linear regressions were performed to determine the relationship between physical fitness and kicking and handballing scores. Cox proportional regressions were conducted to identify physical fitness factors associated with injury.

RESULTS

Increased running vertical jump height, greater hip abduction strength, and faster timed 6 m hop speed demonstrated a relationship with kicking accuracy when adjusted for years of Australian football playing experience (adjusted R2 = 0.522, p < 0.001). Faster agility time and increased lean mass were associated with better handballing accuracy (adjusted R2 = 0.221, p < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression revealed an increased risk for sustaining a time-loss injury in less agile players (adjusted HR 2.41, 95% CI 1.23, 4.73, p = 0.010). However, this relationship no longer remained when adjusted for age and years of Australian football experience (adjusted HR 1.68, 95% CI 0.81, 3.50, p = 0.166).

CONCLUSIONS

Physical fitness may be a significant factor contributing to development of Australian football technical skills in female players. However, its role is unclear in protecting against injury risk in this athlete population. Further research is needed to explore the multifactorial and complex phenomenon of talent development and injury risk reduction in female Australian football players.

Methods of performance analysis in women's Australian football: a scoping review

Background

The first women's Australian football (AF) professional competition was established in 2017, resulting in advancement in performance analysis capabilities within the sport. Given the specific constraints of women's AF, it is currently unclear what match-play performance analysis methods and techniques are implemented. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to describe and critically appraise physical, technical, and tactical performance analysis methods that have been employed in women's and girls' AF match-play.

Methodology

A systematic search was conducted on the 27th of June 2022 through five databases. Eligibility criteria were derived from the PCC framework with the population (P) of women and girls AF players, of any level of play; concepts (C) of interest which were measures, data, and methods related to the sport's physical, technical, and tactical performance; and the context (C) of methods that analysed any match-play performance. A narrative synthesis was conducted using extracted study characteristic data such as sample size, population, time period, collection standards, evaluation metrics for results, and application of thematic categorisations of previous sports performance reviews. Critical appraisal of eligible studies' methodologies was conducted to investigate research quality and identify methodological issues.

Results

From 183 studies screened, twelve eligible studies were included, which examined match-play through physical (9/12, 75%), technical (4/12, 33%), and tactical analysis (2/12, 17%). Running demands and game actions analysis were the most researched in senior women's AF. Research into junior girls' AF match-play performance has not been investigated. No research has been conducted on non-running physical demands, contact demands, acceleration, and tactical aspects of women's AF. All studies utilised either inferential statistics or basic predictive models. Critical appraisal deemed most studies as low risk of bias (11/12, 92%), with the remaining study having satisfactory risk.

Conclusions

Future research utilising increased longitudinal and greater contextual data is needed to combat the prominent issue of data representativeness to better characterise performance within women's and girls' AF. Additionally, research involving junior and sub-elite AF players across the talent pathways is important to conduct, as it provides greater context and insight regarding development to support the evolving elite women's AF competition. Women's AF has been constrained by its resource environment. As such, suggestions are provided for better utilisation of existing data, as well as for the creation of new data for appropriate future research. Greater data generation enables the use of detailed machine learning predictions, neural networks, and network analysis to better represent the intertwined nature of match-play performance from technical, physical, and tactical data.

Physical and technical demands of Australian football: an analysis of maximum ball in play periods

BACKGROUND

This study compares ball in play (BiP) analyses and both whole game (WG) and quarter averaged data for physical and technical demands of sub-elite Australian football (AF) players competing in the West Australian Football League across playing positions.

METHODS

Microsensor data were collected from 33 male AF players in one club over 19 games of the 2019 season. BiP time periods and technical performance data (e.g., kicks) were acquired from the Champion Data timeline of statistics, and time matched to the microsensor data. Linear mixed modelling was utilised to establish differences between maximum BiP periods and averaged data.

RESULTS

The analyses indicated significant differences (p < 0.0001) between maximum BiP and WG data for all metrics and all playing position (half-line, key position, and midfielders). The percentage difference was greatest for very high-speed running (171-178%), accelerations (136-142%), high-intensity efforts (128-139%), and high-speed running (134-147%) compared to PlayerLoad™ (50-56%) and total running distance (56-59%). No significant (p > 0.05) differences were evident for maximum BiP periods when they were compared between playing positions (i.e., half line vs key position vs midfield). Significant (p < 0.0001) differences were also noted between maximum BiP phases and averaged data across all 4 quarters, for each microsensor metric, and all playing positions. Technical actions (e.g., kicks and handballs) were observed in 21-48% of maximum BiP phases, depending on playing positions and microsensor metric assessed, with kicks and handballs constituting > 50% of all actions performed.

CONCLUSIONS

These results show the BiP analysis method provides a more accurate assessment of the physical demands and technical actions performed by AF players, which are underestimated when using averaged data. The data presented in this study may be used to inform the design and monitoring of representative practice, ensuring that athletes are prepared for both the physical and technical demands of the most demanding passages of play.

Activity profiles of full-match and substitution players in the 2018 FIFA World Cup

In order to better understand the intensity of match activities of full-match and substitution football players, running performance of 527 players who generated 1167 match observations in the 2018 FIFA World Cup were analysed. Differences in activity profiles between groups (1st and 2nd half full-match, early and late substitutes) were quantified by the generalised mixed linear modelling. Results showed that: (1) Full-match players presented trivial changes (ES: 0.09-0.20) in the time spent (% of total playing time) and distance (m/min) covered at high intensity but substantial descents (ES: 0.33-0.61) at moderate and low intensity from the 1st to the 2nd half. (2) Early substitutes achieved substantially higher (ES: 0.27-0.65) numbers in time spent and distance covered at high and moderate intensity, but lower (ES: 0.27-0.46) numbers in walking and jogging time and distance than 1st and 2nd half full-match players. (3) Late substitutes achieved substantially higher (ES: 0.28-1.26) numbers in time spent and distance covered at high and moderate intensity but substantially lower (ES: 0.39-1.06) numbers in top speed (km/h), walking and jogging time and distance than 1st and 2nd half full-match players and early substitutes. Results of this study could provide insights to the design of post-match conditioning sessions.