by Harry Benscher
Throughout this year, injuries have stricken a lot of the AFL’s most prominent players. Callum Mills was struck out of the grand final because of a hamstring injury, and Oscar McInerney also was injured with a shoulder injury prior to the big game. The AFL reported the average injuries in the 2023 season was 34.9. But since the dramatic uprise of injuries in the AFL in 2024, we must ask why ?
There could be several reasons why the injuries have been upped in the last year. The National Institute of Health suggests that because there are more people playing and at a higher standard than ever before, a higher number of people are getting injured. Although there was a higher injury rate per club in 2015 (41.7 injuries) than in 2023 (34.9 injuries), it seems that it has just dropped over the years. Then there is the fact that people are just sometimes reckless. There are high tackles, broken bones, and even worse, concussions. There have been exactly 330 charges, 43 suspensions, and $572,500 spent on fines just in this year alone. With all of this happening, it is so important for AFL players to be aware of their injuries, and bodies. Hopefully next year there will not be as many people getting injured.
