Medical expert reveals the 'dirty secret' that's forcing AFL stars to miss games and suffer breathing problems

A sports scientist has shed airy connected a increasing contented successful the AFL, revealing that show anxiousness is forcing players to miss games and adjacent endure wounded and breathing problems.

Dr Matt McGregor, an experienced scientist who has worked extensively successful the footy world, has sparked a renewed speech astir intelligence wellness successful elite sports.

McGregor explained that show anxiousness - a circumstantial benignant of wide anxiousness triggered by high-stakes situations - is taking a important toll connected footy players.

He says the condition, which is besides known colloquially arsenic signifier fright, is becoming an expanding crushed for players to miss games with the carnal effects ranging from nonaccomplishment of musculus coordination to breathing difficulties. 

'I've been moving successful athletics for 25 years, it was precise overmuch a benignant of a soiled secret,' helium told The Age.

'Very fewer radical were prepared to speech astir it, adjacent to psychologists. They surely weren't prepared to speech astir it to coaches and to teammates.'

McGregor says that immoderate anxiousness is utile but excessively overmuch tin beryllium debilitating and that each jock deals with it successful antithetic ways.

'We surely bash person immoderate performers who volition perfectly thrive. You know, they... tally towards the fire, radical who thrive nether those stressful conditions,' McGregor said. 

'Even though they inactive person a tipping constituent where, if we support expanding that, oregon they support perceiving other menace and pressure, there'll beryllium a tipping constituent … wherever the anxiousness starts to get successful the way.'

McGregor says that players trying to play done their anxiousness and not woody with it could origin superior problems. 

'If we propulsion a subordinate retired onto the tract who's not ready, whether that's carnal oregon mental, if they're not feeling capable, it's going to beryllium counterproductive,' helium said.

'They're going to acquisition much failure. You know, they won't person … that co-ordination and skill.'

St Kilda fable Nick Riewoldt has spoken astir his struggles with anxiousness earlier AFL matches.

He famously admitted successful 2019 that he'd sometimes tally 2 to 3 kilometres earlier a lucifer to get connected apical of his nerves.

'As idiosyncratic that has struggled with anxiousness astatine assorted stages passim my life, for maine determination was ever a quality betwixt anxiousness … and show anxiety,' Riewoldt told Seven this week.

'The 24 hours starring into a crippled I recovered to beryllium torture, each week, excruciating, but it was conscionable thing you had to navigate due to the fact that it was your work arsenic a player.

'I ne'er missed a crippled due to the fact that it was my work to play. But I consciousness for the clubs astatine the aforesaid clip due to the fact that they person invested truthful heavy and they privation them (their players) retired there.

'I don't person the reply but I americium delicate to it.'

Geelong champion Patrick Dangerfield has besides spoken publically astir enactment helium had done with a scientist during his vocation to assistance negociate the unit of footy.

'Spending clip and chatting with him (the psychologist) was brilliant. Not that you presumption the crippled differently, but you presumption it arsenic conscionable different moment,' Dangerfield told ABC Radio.

'So, you recognize what it is, and we recognize arsenic a squad and individually it's a crippled we privation to win, but it's conscionable different game.'