By Libby Birch and Marnie Vinall
Dual AFLW premiership player and sports physiotherapist Libby Birch uses skills from both her professions to analyse the biggest injuries in football, and the impact on their teams.
Nearly 14 months after undergoing micro-discectomy surgery, Carlton announced this week that Sam Walsh will be sidelined for at least the first two games of the season due to persistent back “pain and stiffness”.
The surgical procedure, performed in December 2022, aimed to alleviate pressure on a nerve by excising a portion of the problematic bulging disc.
Walsh had been grappling with severe nerve pain radiating down his right leg, significantly impeding his performance on the field. This discomfort, attributed to the pressure exerted by the bulging disc on the nerve, is a common affliction among athletes subjected to rigorous training and those who compete in contact sports.
However, the path to recovery for elite athletes like Walsh is fraught with challenges. While lumbar discectomy typically yields positive outcomes in the general population, the unique demands placed on competitive athletes means there are special considerations.
For Walsh, routine movements like collecting ground balls and kicking pose significant hurdles, as they impose the highest compressive forces on the lower back. Throughout the off-season and pre-season, Walsh would have been subjected to meticulous load management protocols to minimise the risk of exacerbating the surgical area.
Sam Walsh is being troubled by a back injury and will miss the opening rounds of Carlton’s season.Credit: Jonathan Di Maggio
Injuries of this nature can be triggered by a single movement or by the cumulative effects of load over time. Walsh will probably need to manage this condition throughout his career.
Initially, Walsh’s training would have been scaled back to alleviate the initial flare-up, progressing gradually to include movements that simulate kicking, either on the field or in the gym. The ultimate goal is to gradually restore full range of motion without pain, particularly for ground balls and kicking within the uncontrolled environment of AFL football.
The medical team must also consider the heightened pain and nerve sensitivity that Walsh may be experiencing. Injured or compressed nerves can become hypersensitive, even after repair, requiring less stimulus to generate a pain signal. This can cause discomfort with light touch or movement, akin to a sunburn making a normally pleasant experience, like a warm shower, uncomfortable.
As Walsh progresses through his rehab, the Carlton medical team will put his long-term health first. The prospect of missing a few rounds as a 23-year-old athlete with a promising career ahead is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
Walsh’s importance to Carlton’s ball movement can’t be understated. He is a linchpin in their midfield, with his defensive work rate and exceptional skills in moving the ball forward efficiently.
He controls the midfield alongside Patrick Cripps, ensuring the Blues can maintain possession and dictate the tempo of the game.
He also boasted an impressive average of seven score involvements last season, adding a layer of potency to Carlton’s attack.
Walsh ruled out for at least two matches
Gut-running Carlton midfielder Sam Walsh will miss at least the opening two matches of the Blues’ season because of a nagging back injury.
Carlton confirmed on Monday Walsh had been ruled out of the opening round clash against the Brisbane Lions and round one match against Richmond, and his availability was now classified as “indefinite”.
Given they have a bye in round three, the earliest date Blues fans might get to see Walsh in action is now more than a month away. They travel to South Australia for a Gather Round (round four) clash with Fremantle at the Adelaide Oval.
The injury is a rare setback for Walsh, who immediately established himself in Carlton’s midfield after being the No.1 pick at the 2018 draft. He did not miss a senior game in his first three seasons at the club.
Despite missing the opening game of 2022 and the first four games of the Blues’ 2023 campaign, he still managed 38 games in the past two years to take his tally to 99.
But it’s now unclear when he will get to lead his team through the banner for his 100th game, with the Blues only able to say that the next update on his progress would come after their bye in round two. That’s the same time they plan to provide an update on the health of key defenders Jacob Weitering (calf injury) and Caleb Marchbank (illness).
Carlton said Walsh was increasing his training loads, but was on a modified program for now.
A noted hard worker on the track, Walsh reportedly was at the tail end of a strong pre-season when he complained of back soreness following the final intra-club hitout in mid-February.
Clayton Oliver will play in the opening round.Credit: Getty Images
Demons confirm Oliver will play against Swans
Melbourne’s midfield star Clayton Oliver will play the opening round against Sydney after a difficult post-season, with the club happy with how he’s progressing physically and emotionally.
Demons coach Simon Goodwin confirmed the ball magnet would play, while admitting there was still progress needed from the star.
“It’s been a pretty long process post-season to firstly and foremost get Clayton healthy and that has been a process but it’s one that we’ve undertaken as a footy club,” said Goodwin.
“We’ve addressed some things, we’ve gone about a process to get him to this point. It’s not finished but he’s healthy, he’s happy, he’s ready. We’re united and connected as a footy team – and that’s been a big part of our summer and he’s a big part of that.
“So he’s done everything we could have asked him as a footy club to get himself into this position. And he’s right to go.”
Oliver missed the Demons’ pre-season clashes, including their 38-point practice match win against Carlton last week, with the club electing him to play in the VFL match simulation instead.
“He’s done six weeks, seven weeks of full training, you know, within our environment, and he’s obviously had the two games as well,” Goodwin said. “So he couldn’t have done any more to be physically ready for the season ahead.”
Goodwin said Oliver had worked with people within the footy club and externally, while opting not to go into details about specifics, to get him “really healthy, happy and fit”.
“He’s looking really strong out there at training, he’s looking strong in the match sims that we’ve had in the VFL and ... we should be sort of proud and celebrate where he’s got to this point. But we know those challenges aren’t finished.”
Goodwin said there were never any guarantees that Oliver would return to the side, with both parties needing to work out how to get the player back to a positive position.
“I know he’s just been going about his business, about building trust and respect back, you know, with the football club, with his teammates,” said Goodwin.
Max Gawn and Harrison Petty during Melbourne Football Club preseason training.Credit: Joe Armao
“But there’s been no guarantees along the whole way. It’s been up to him to show us.”
The Demons’ culture has come into question during the off-season after Joel Smith was alleged by Sport Integrity Australia to have trafficked or attempted to traffic cocaine in September 2022.
This followed the club bowing out of finals in straight sets after high expectations for a premiership bid earlier in the year.
Goodwin joked he had “taken the rear vision mirrors off my car” with the ambition to only look forward.
“We have had challenges, but a lot of those challenges are in the past. And we’ve addressed them really early on in our pre-season, whether that be a finals exit, whether it be some of the challenges that were had in and around our footy club,” said Goodwin.
“And what it’s been about in the last sort of four months has been about looking forward, about what the opportunities are ahead of us, and what we can actually achieve and do this season … those things about how we actually get better as a footy team, both on the field off the field.”
Goodwin also denied there was a drug problem at the club.
“We can only deal with what’s in front of us. And that’s an investigation that’s ongoing. Clearly, once we get all the information we can address it. But right now, as we sit here today, that’s that’s all speculation. It’s an ongoing investigation.”
There will be a series of new faces in Melbourne jumpers on Thursday night for the opening round clash with Sydney. Caleb Windsor and Blake Howes will make their debuts, while former Saint Jack Billings will run out in the red and blue for the first time.
Goodwin confirmed Harrison Petty was still a few weeks away from playing, likely two, while Lachie Hunter was still three to four weeks and Shane McAdam two away from a return.
The coach added he wanted his side to be able to move the ball more efficiently inside 50 but was happy with how the Demons defend and win the contest, and this year wanted to “celebrate what we’re good at”.
They will also be without Angus Brayshaw, who retired for medical reasons this pre-season.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.