Hamstring Injuries in AFL: What’s Really Causing Them?

By Grant Frost · Physiotherapist • Last clinically reviewed: 26 March 2026

With a noticeable increase in hamstring injuries across the AFL last weekend, the football world is again searching for answers.

When trying to make sense of this, it’s natural to look at what has changed. An extra player per team and rule changes aimed at increasing game speed and intensity are all being discussed as possible causes.

But from my perspective as a physiotherapist who is passionate about understanding the root causes of pain and injury, this explanation may only represent part of the picture.

1. A Spike in Hamstring Injuries

Hamstring injuries have always been common in the AFL, but they tend to attract significantly more attention when they involve high-profile players.

This week, players such as Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee, the in-form Christian Petracca, and Milan Murdock, perhaps the feel-good rookie story of the year, have all been affected. This has amplified the conversation across both media and fans.

2. What the Data Shows

Looking at the broader injury data, there does appear to be a spike in hamstring injuries from last weekend.

However, it’s important to remember that these numbers represent a snapshot in time and should be interpreted carefully. You can explore the full AFL injury lists below:

• March 11 - Round 1
• March 18 - Round 2
• March 24 - Round 3

3. Why Speed Alone Doesn’t Explain Things

It’s logical to link these injuries to increased speed and intensity. However, this explanation lacks the specificity needed to understand why one particular muscle on one side of the body breaks down. Why Petracca’s right hamstring? Why Rozee’s left?

Running, sprinting, and performing under fatigue are normal demands for AFL athletes. They may have potentially increased, but are not new. So the more useful question becomes: what might these demands be exposing?

4. A Root Cause Perspective

Most soft tissue injuries occur when load exceeds a tissue’s tolerance in a given moment. The key question is not just what happened in that moment, but what may have reduced that tissue’s tolerance beforehand.

The human body functions as a system. Nothing truly happens in isolation.

If we focus only on the site of pain or injury, we risk missing the broader context that may better explain why that breakdown occurred.

5. Understanding the Underlying Mechanics (Video Guide)

This video outlines the key principles that underpin this discussion. While it focuses on tightness, mobility, and control rather than injury directly, these concepts provide valuable insight into how dysfunction may develop.

Once injured, it can be harder to see these bigger issues as pain, weakness, and affected function can get in the way a little. However, improving lower back function—loosening tight muscles, freeing up stiff spinal joints, improving trunk strength/activation/stability, and more importantly—working to improve static postures and shapes, can all have an immediately positive influence on hamstring function.

So much so, that I would argue that all lower limb soft-tissue injuries—strains, tears, tendon dysfunction, etc.—should be considered "back-related" until proven otherwise.

6. The Role of the Spine

The lower spine plays a key role in how our leg muscles function. The nerves that supply the lower limb exit from the base of the ribcage and below. These nerves influence muscle tone, flexibility, strength, and coordination. When impacted, they can create a cascade of tightness, weakness, cramping, or reduced load tolerance down the line.

7. Why Sitting Posture Matters

Musculoskeletal issues typically develop for a reason. Clinically, spinal dysfunction often stems from what we do when we’re not being active—particularly our sitting postures and habits. Regardless of level, most athletes still spend significant time sitting—whether work, study, travel, team meetings, or recovery. The issue isn’t sitting itself, but typically how we sit, and for how long.

What I consistently see is that the spinal levels contributing to dysfunction are often the same levels people unknowingly collapse through during prolonged sitting. So in many cases, the seeds of soft tissue injuries may actually be sown during our less athletic moments, not the activity itself. That underlying dysfunction is then carried into performance, where the demands of the game may expose it.

8. Takeaways

• Acute injuries can distract from the bigger picture
• The moment of injury is important, but only part of the story
• Address spinal function and sitting habits where appropriate
• Sport-related strength, mobility and conditioning is still clearly important