Kicking goals for player wellness

Dr Chris Bradshaw

Issue 20 | Spring/Summer 2007

Sports physician Dr Chris Bradshaw (MBBS 1985) is an important influence on player fitness at 2007 AFL Premiership winning side Geelong Cats.

An elite athlete himself -- competing in the decathlon at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games - Dr Bradshaw's career has always revolved around sport. He has worked as head doctor of the 2000 Sydney Olympics Australian Track and Field Team, with AFL clubs Melbourne and Richmond, and Fulham Football Club in the UK.

Dr Bradshaw completed a medical degree at Monash University during the mid-1980s and is the recipient of two Monash Blues -- the University's highest sporting accolade.

"I chose Monash because its sports medicine course was seen to be more progressive and open-minded than those offered at other institutions," he said.

In mid-2006, Dr Bradshaw was head-hunted to lead Geelong Football Club's medical team. His role is to ensure that player injuries are kept to a minimum.

"We had a lot of injuries last year. The club got themselves into a position where they were trying to protect players but, in doing so, they weren't conditioning them enough," Dr Bradshaw said.

Dr Bradshaw said Geelong made a conscious decision to improve 'player wellness' in 2007, resulting in a dramatic decrease in injuries.

Factors such as sleep, soreness and mood are monitored closely at training sessions and any players who rate poorly are rested. The club has other relatively new members of the medical team, including a former Irish heavyweight boxing champion and past AFL players including Duncan Kellaway. These individuals work alongside club stalwarts like physiotherapist Nick Ames.

The medical team have invested in new approaches to ensure their players are in top form. On Dr Bradshaw's advice, the club sent defender Max Rooke overseas to receive treatment from a renowned German doctor for his hamstring injury.

"We're always trying to get better at what we do, which is why Geelong is a great organisation to work for," Dr Bradshaw said.