Revealed: The incredible amount of time off AFL players get - as footy great says 'it's gone way too far'
Revealed: The incredible amount of time off AFL players get - as footy great says 'it's gone way too far'
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AFL clubs are growing unhappy over the amount of time they have with their players and former footy star Kane Cornes believes things are getting out of hand. The 2025 football season is fast approaching with some clubs, including Essendon, Richmond and St Kilda, weathering a plethora of injuries to some key stars.
![[Jordan Ridley is one player who has suffered a setback in pre-season having sustained a hamstring strain]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/30/10/94674005-14341667-image-a-20_1738231200683.jpg)
While injuries are not uncommon in pre-season, the Bombers currently have nine players undergoing injury rehabilitation - the most in the league. But discussions around the ammount of time clubs have with their stars have opened up in recent days with one performance boss voicing his frustrations at how he believes the AFL's jam-packed calendar is causing more injuries.
![[Kane Cornes has since offered his thoughts on how much time clubs get with their players, saying that things are getting out of hand]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/30/10/94674085-14341667-image-a-22_1738231339232.jpg)
Speaking on SEN Breakfast, footy journalist Sam Edmund claimed he had 'been in contact' with two high-performance footy bosses following a debate on the show about injuries in the sport. The performance managers said that the AFL's jam-packed calendar 'made this sort of injury rate inevitable, and in fact, a disaster waiting to happen.'.
![[Cornes claimed that the AFL Players' Association have 'far too much power in the game' adding that 'this is why' players are getting injured]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/30/10/94674097-14341667-image-a-23_1738231437469.jpg)
Essendon currently have nine players receiving treatment for a range of injuries. Jordan Ridley is one player who has suffered a setback in pre-season having sustained a hamstring strain. Kane Cornes has since offered his thoughts on how much time clubs get with their players, saying that things are getting out of hand.
![[Cornes recounted a comment from Saints boss Ross Lyon who had said that players get 'three and a half days a week off']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/30/10/94674231-14341667-image-a-24_1738231558756.jpg)
With the premiership opening round set to begin on March 6, clubs have have been hard at work in training over the past few months preparing for the new season. Unofficial pre-season matches are due to begin on February 15, with some having already held intra-squad scratch matches, while the AAMI community series will kick off on February 25.
![[Cornes also cited that North Melbourne will have had an extended off-season but players will only train this summer with the club for eight-and-a-half weeks]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/30/10/94674255-14341667-image-a-25_1738231625072.jpg)
