Position-Specific Running and Technical Demands During Male Elite-Junior and Elite-Senior Australian Rules Football Match-Play

Abstract Jennings, J, Štaka, Z, Wundersitz, DW, Sullivan, CJ, Cousins, SD, Čustović, E, and Kingsley, MI. Position-specific running and technical demands during male elite-junior and elite-senior Australian rules football match-play. J Strength Cond Res 37(7): 1449–1455, 2023—The aim of this study was to compare position-specific running and technical demands of elite-junior and elite-senior Australian rules football match-play to better inform practice and assist transition between the levels. Global positioning system and technical involvement data were collated from 12 Victorian U18 male NAB League (n = 553) and 18 Australian Football League (n = 702) teams competing in their respective 2019 seasons. Players were grouped by position as nomadic, fixed, or ruck, and data subsets were used for specific analyses. Relative total distance (p = 0.635, trivial effect), high-speed running (HSR) distance (p = 0.433, trivial effect), acceleration efforts (p = 0.830, trivial effect), deceleration efforts (p = 0.983, trivial effect), and efforts at >150 m·min−1 (p = 0.229, trivial effect) and >200 m·min−1 (p = 0.962, trivial effect) did not differ between elite-junior and elite-senior match-play. Elite juniors covered less total and HSR distance during peak periods (5 seconds–10 minutes) of demand (p ≤ 0.022, small-moderate effects). Within both leagues, nomadic players had the greatest running demands followed by fixed position and then rucks. Relative disposals (p = 0.330, trivial effect) and possessions (p = 0.084, trivial effect) were comparable between the leagues. During peak periods (10 seconds to 2 minutes), elite juniors had less technical involvements than elite seniors (p ≤ 0.001, small effects). Although relative running demands and positional differences were comparable between the leagues, elite juniors perform less running, HSR, and technical involvements during peak periods when compared with elite seniors. Therefore, coaching staff in elite-senior clubs should maintain intensity while progressively increasing the volume of training that recently drafted players undertake when they have transitioned from elite-junior leagues.