Grand Final Day: What AFL Does to the Body, On and Off the Field
The 2026 AFL season is heading into its final stretch, and the race to September is looking like one of the more compelling in recent memory.
After Round 24, Fremantle sit clear at the top of the ladder. Sydney are second, Hawthorn third, and Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne are locked together on 52 points in a tight battle for fourth through sixth. Geelong and the Western Bulldogs round out the top eight on 48 points each.
This year also brings something new to September. The AFL has introduced a wildcard finals round for the first time, expanding the finals from eight to ten teams. The seventh and eighth placed sides will host the ninth and tenth in wildcard games before the competition reverts to the familiar finals format. For teams on the bubble, there is now more to play for deep into the final rounds of the home and away season.
It is shaping up to be a big September.
At South Yarra Osteopathy, we work with a wide range of active people, and that includes a lot of footballers. From grassroots community players to those who take their sport seriously, AFL puts a remarkable amount of demand on the body. Finals month feels like a good time to talk about what the game actually requires physically, and the injuries we commonly see and work with across the football season.
AFL Is One of the Most Physically Demanding Sports in the World
This is not hyperbole. AFL players cover between 12 and 15 kilometres per game, shifting between high-intensity sprints, contested marking, physical collisions and rapid changes of direction. The demands on the body are enormous, and they differ significantly across positions.
What makes it particularly interesting from a musculoskeletal perspective is that AFL does not ask the body to do one thing repeatedly. It asks it to do everything, often simultaneously. A player might sprint hard, take a mark, land awkwardly and then sprint again within seconds.
That variability is part of what makes the sport so watchable. It is also part of what makes AFL injuries so varied and complex.
The Most Common AFL Injuries We Work With
Hamstring Strains
Hamstring injuries are the most common soft tissue injury in AFL, and they are notoriously stubborn. The explosive acceleration, kicking and rapid deceleration that the sport demands places repeated high-speed load through the posterior chain.
What many people do not appreciate is that hamstring injuries are rarely just about the hamstring. The way load is distributed through the pelvis, the mobility of the hip and the function of the lower back all influence how the hamstring performs under pressure. At South Yarra Osteopathy, we look at the whole chain rather than just the painful structure.
Knee Injuries, Including ACL
ACL injuries are one of the most significant setbacks a footballer can face, and AFL players are at genuine risk given the pivoting, cutting and landing patterns the sport demands.
Alongside ACL, we commonly work with patients managing patellofemoral pain, IT band syndrome and general knee soreness that builds across a long season. Knee pain in footballers is often considered a knee problem, but it is frequently connected to hip stability, foot mechanics and the way load is absorbed further up or down the chain.
Shoulder Injuries
The shoulder takes significant punishment in AFL through contested marking, physical contact, falls and tackles. AC joint injuries, labral tears and rotator cuff strains are all common presentations across a football season.
Shoulder injuries also tend to linger when they are not fully rehabilitated. Part of the reason is that daily life keeps loading the area, and part of it is that the shoulder, neck and upper back are closely connected. Restrictions in one area will often affect the others.
Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is one of the most frequent complaints we see in footballers at all levels. The rotational demands of kicking, the physical contact and the sheer volume of running across a season all contribute.
For community-level players, lower back issues are often compounded by what happens off the field. Long hours sitting at a desk during the week, insufficient recovery between sessions and the cumulative load of training on top of match play all add up over a season.
Groin and Hip Flexor Strains
Groin injuries are a persistent challenge in AFL. The kicking action places significant demand through the hip adductors and hip flexors with every disposal, and like hamstring injuries, groin strains carry a high recurrence rate when the underlying mechanics are not properly addressed.
It Is Not Just Elite Players. Community Footy Takes a Toll Too.
The AFL finals shine a spotlight on elite football, but the vast majority of the footballers we work with at South Yarra Osteopathy are community players. People who play on weekends, train twice a week, and also have jobs, families and the rest of life to manage.
Community footballers often carry a higher injury risk than elite players in some respects. They have less access to the recovery infrastructure that professional clubs use to manage players across a long season. There are no physio rooms between sessions, no sports science staff monitoring loads, and far less time built around training and recovery.
Sleep, stress and overall workload matter here too. A player carrying a heavy week at work, managing family commitments and running on poor sleep is asking the body to perform and recover at the same time. The body generally communicates clearly when it has had enough. The question is whether you are paying attention early enough.
How Osteopathy May Support Footballers
At South Yarra Osteopathy, we work with active people across a wide range of sports and fitness levels. Football is a significant part of what we see through the cooler months.
Osteopathic care is not a replacement for medical assessment, imaging or surgical intervention when those are indicated. What it may help support is the broader musculoskeletal picture. This means looking at areas of restriction or compensation that could be contributing to an existing injury or increasing the risk of a new one, and working with the patient on a plan to address them.
We take a whole-body approach to assessment. A sore hamstring is assessed in the context of hip mechanics, pelvic position, lower back mobility and how load is distributed through the lower limb. A shoulder that keeps flaring up is looked at alongside the neck, thoracic spine and the movement patterns around the joint.
Osteopathy is a collaborative process. Our team provides assessment, guidance and hands-on care, and the patient plays an active role in their recovery. That might mean adjustments to training load, movement work outside of appointments, or simply developing a clearer understanding of what is happening in the body and why.
We also work with people who are not injured yet but want to understand how their body is moving heading into finals. Identifying areas of tension or restricted movement before they become a problem is often the most effective approach.
And If You Are Watching From the Couch This Grand Final Day
Not everyone will be on the field this September. Plenty of people will be watching from the couch, and that comes with its own modest set of physical demands.
Three or more hours in a fixed seated position, often leaning forward with tension as the last quarter tightens up, is a reasonable load for the lower back, hips and neck. The muscle tension that builds during a close game is surprisingly real.
Our suggestion is a simple one. Get up at half time. Walk around. Make a cup of tea. Take a lap around Fawkner Park if you are feeling ambitious. Your lower back will likely thank you on Monday morning.
If Monday morning is rough regardless, whether from the weekend’s football or a niggle that has been building across the season, our team at South Yarra Osteopathy on Claremont Street is here to help.
Written by the team at South Yarra Osteopathy
southyarraosteopathy.com.au · 108/9–11 Claremont St, South Yarra VIC 3141 · 03 9994 8754