{"id":556494,"date":"2026-03-22T06:48:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T06:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/556494\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T06:48:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T06:48:44","slug":"hamstring-fears-rise-as-even-afls-most-reliable-player-callum-wilkie-admits-the-games-too-quick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/556494\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamstring fears rise as even AFL\u2019s most reliable player Callum Wilkie admits \u2018the game\u2019s too quick\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

St Kilda<\/a> veteran Cal Wilkie has admitted he is overdoing it on high-speed sprints early in the season as AFL<\/a> rule changes come under fire for a spate of hamstring concerns.<\/p>\n

Gold Coast<\/a> recruit Christian Petracca and Richmond<\/a> duo Tom Lynch and Toby Nankervis, who had never previously had a hamstring injury, all failed to finish their match at the MCG on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Soft-tissue issues have also affected Anthony Caminiti (Saints), Isaac Heeney (Sydney), Callum Ah Chee (Adelaide), Hugh McCluggage (Brisbane), Adam Saad (Carlton) and Toby Bedford (GWS) this year \u2014 the tally up on just two such injuries in the early stages of last season.<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

The AFL introduced a series of rule changes for 2026 to speed up the game but the data is showing players are running faster while running less \u2014 a recipe for disaster over the course of the season.<\/p>\n

Nankervis said he is unsure of his outlook.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew one, don\u2019t get much high speed or sprints,\u201d he laughed outside scans on Sunday, saying he does not have an answer on the series of injuries across the AFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty brutal game … footy\u2019s bloody tough. I don\u2019t want to see anyone get injured but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a trend or anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Channel 7 expert Kate McCarthy believes the \u201ccarnage\u201d will continue until the game slows down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is something we\u2019re going to see a little bit more of at the moment until players and staff both work out the demands of the game,\u201d she said on Sunday Footy Feast.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll slow down, defences start to get the ascendency and start to work out how to play this and work the rules better.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think taking the sub out and having the fifth man on the bench, the metres overall decreased for players but the high-speed efforts have gone up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll continue to see a little bit of a rise (in soft-tissue issues) until it starts to level itself out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell Brown noted fewer collision injuries in this year\u2019s matches.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut certainly free-flowing, high-scoring, high demands on the body, far more soft-tissue issues,\u201d the Hawthorn premiership player said.<\/p>\n

Wilkie, the AFL\u2019s most reliable player having not missed a game since his debut, concedes he has \u201cprobably been doing a bit too much\u201d to start the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m running too fast at the moment,\u201d he told Sunday Footy Feast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not reading the play enough, or the game\u2019s too quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the 30-year-old defender, on a high after St Kilda held on to defeat GWS on Saturday, remains positive on the \u201cgreat\u201d rule changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got to be exciting for the fans and us as players and teams have to adjust to it,\u201d Wilkie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we adjusted better this week than we did last week where it was just free-flowing, high-speed circle work type of football.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like it was better yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do so much work in the off-season, and the short pre-season I don\u2019t think is an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilkie\u2019s record of 158 straight appearances has been under threat \u201ca couple of times\u201d and in fact he \u201cdidn\u2019t even train at all last week\u201d, though not because of a soft-tissue concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy right side\u2019s a bit sore,\u201d Wilkie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to take a lot to miss, I love being out there playing my role for the footy club and the boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, touch wood, I can continue this streak and continue to go out week in, week out.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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3 min read<\/p>\n

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3 min read<\/p>\n

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