Development of AFL Players & Lists Recommendations from AFL finals statistics and correlations with elite Sport. LORIS BERTOLACCI

IS AFL AN ELITE SPORT? n IS AFL AN ELITE SPORT? n Approx 700 AFL Players n Very few AUSSIE athletes get past heats or even qualify for the Olympics. n Most AFL players do not exhibit elite physiological profiles. n Therefore what is required is 1) A “good” physiological profile 2) good techniques taught when young 3) experience at junior and more importantly at AFL level over a period of time that parallels their maturational period. n Nobody is born an elite AFL player. n There may be 50 elite players in the AFL? who would have been our overseas imports if they had played soccer? n Therefore in my opinion we can influence greatly the development of most AFL players who come into the game with reasonable genetics and good junior coaching.Forget the stars.They in a way are not part of this investigation. MAY n THE SPORT IS ELITE BUT ONLY 10% OF PLAYERS MAY BE ELITE.

QUOTES n “IN GOD WE TRUST,EVERYONE ELSE MUST BRING DATA.” n “ Demming” n Famous USA statistician who helped Japanese manufacturing in 50’s. n DIRTY HARRY n “Opinions are like arseholes,everyone has got one.”

FAST TRACKING ? n Is fast tracking possible ? n Does development of players fall into line with normal maturational processes unless a player is exceptional in ability and/or physical development ?

General Sports Development n FROM BOMPA n Theory and Methodology of Training n “ The motor and physiological functions reach an optimal level between the ages of for men.” n SPEED : Acquiring maximum speed is achieved by athletes around n STRENGTH & ENDURANCE : Performed optimally by athletes approaching the age of 30. n HOW LONG TO DEVELOP? n DECISION MAKING ? TACTICAL KNOWLEDGE? PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS? TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT ?

CRICKET BEST CRICKET NATIONS 01 n AVE AGE 30 n SD 3.6 STATE COMP AUSSIE n AVE AGE 28 n SD 3.5 Mainly technique & psychological traits. *(a lot of players still have to have basic athletic qualities) Takes a long time to develop these qualities.Get better with age. * (note better at older in National teams.) HOW MANY YOUNG AFL PLAYERS CAN PLAY IN AN AFL SIDE?

General Sports Development n AGE TO REACH HIGH PERFORMANCE (Bompa) n TENNIS: n WRESTLING n BASKETBALL n BOXING n VOLLEYBALL n FENCING n SOCCER n WEIGHT LIFTING 21-28

TRACK & FIELD n AVERAGE AGE WORLD CHAMPIONS AT EDMONTON IN MALE TRACK and FIELD n ( eliminated throws due to age of athletes who are nearly all 30 plus and represent the long time it takes to gain strength). n 25.5 n ( this is replicated in Olympics and past Worlds ).

TRACK and FIELD Top m sprinters 01 Ave 25.0 (range 19-34) STDEV 3.1 Top steeple runners 01 Ave 25.8 (range 19-34) STDEV 3.8 Top 30 Shot Putters 01 Ave 27.3 (range 19-35) STDEV 3.9 AVERAGE of three 26 (higher than Edmonton due to Shot Put).

Olympic Weightlifting n AVERAGE AGE 00/96 Olympics & last 2 Worlds. n AVE 25.6 n SD of 4 n SPEED/STRENGTH (not slow/like AFL)

EFC 1 st year picks 94-99

Baby Bombers ?

GRAND FINALISTS 93-00

Grand Final Teams n GRAND FINAL TEAMS n * Only 14 players of 44 in GrandFinals were on average 5 yrs Development or less in AFL. n * Winning Grand final teams have on average 7 players with 5 years or under of AFL development.

Ages Grand Final Teams 93-00

AGES of LISTS

AVERAGE GAMES in GF for 5 yrs Dvt & Under

Games Played n FOR PLAYERS WHO HAVE ON AVERAGE BEEN IN THE SYSTEM 5 YEARS OR UNDER IT TAKES 44 GAMES TO BE AT THE LEVEL TO ACHIEVE THE REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND GAME KNOWLEDGE THAT IS REQUIRED FOR AFL.THIS IS AN ABSOULTE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR “GAME” DVT SINCE ONLY 7 PLAYERS IN GRAND FINALS FIT INTO THIS CATEGORY.

AVERAGE AFL DEVELOPMENT n AVERAGE DEVELOPMENT TIME OF ALL PLAYERS IN GF’s n 7 years n 1 SD = 0.8 ( ) n 2 SD= 1.6 ( )

DEVELOPMENT AFL PLAYER n AVERAGE DVT TIME IN AFL OF GF PLAYERS 93 to 2000 n 7 years with 1 SD of 0.8 n THUS AN ASSUMPTION CAN BE MADE THAT IT CONSERVATIVELY TAKES AT LEAST 6 YEARS IN THE SYSTEM AND OVER 50 GAMES IN THE AFL ON AVERAGE TO DEVELOP AN AFL PLAYER AS AN ABSOLUTE MINUMUM. n KEY FACTORS INVOLVED n 1) SKILLS ACQUISITION & DECISION MAKING: Skills require a certain amount of experience that cannot be achieved apart from 50 to 70 games. n 2) CONDITIONING AND TRAINING AGE: This seems to fall into line with 5 to 7 years of hard training and games.Fitness tests are slightly less important than conditioning needs such as strength/power/core/technique. n 3) NORMAL MATURATIONAL PROCESSES: Generally agreed that maturation on average at about 25 years of age.

FITNESS TESTING n Whilst fitness testing is critical in terms of judging speed and overall capacity it now seems to me that it is a guide only.It’s importance lies in not recruiting players that fall too far outside norms required. (eg Barnard /Sanderson /Lloyd). After that development is the main need required.Trying to find “stars” may need the whole assessment of fitness/skills etc.But because a player does a 15 beep test and runs 2.9 may only mean he will take 4 years to develop and not 5.His body is not mature and his AFL experience is non-existent.