More AFL stars tipped to follow Sean Darcy, Elliot Yeo, Jeremy McGovern and Heath Chapman to Aspetar in Doha

One of the leading experts from the Doha medical facility that Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy visited last week believes there will be a substantial increase in AFL stars flying to Qatar in the coming years. Darcy spent nearly a full week at Aspetar in Doha to undergo rigorous testing on the knee he had surgery on last year. His move followed teammate Heath Chapman spending time at Aspetar last year following persistent hamstring injuries, Chapman played 16 AFL games and three WAFL matches after returning. REVEALED: What happens at Aspetar that had Sean Darcy, Jeremy McGovern, Heath Chapman and more flying to Doha West Coast pair Jeremy McGovern and Elliot Yeo also benefited from their trips to Aspetar while Sydney’s Callum Mills, Collingwood’s Jordan DeGoey, Carlton’s Adam Cerra and Essendon’s Jordan Ridley are among other big names to fly to Qatar in recent seasons. Sydney coach Dean Cox and CEO Tom Harley led a recent tour of Aspetar for their club. International soccer stars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland along with players from the NBA, NFL, NHL and UFC have also utilised Aspetar’s unrivalled expertise, technology and facilities. Aspetar’s Head of Elite Performance and Development, Dr Enda King, said AFL players are embracing the opportunity to make themselves better. “It’s interesting how across sports and in the AFL in particular, how aware the athletes are with their bodies and what they need to work on, not just when they’re injured, but also during the off-season,” he told The Sunday Times. “Players are taking the initiative to preemptively see where they are at so they can have a clean slate for the pre-season. Players’ bodies are their most valuable asset. “You can see their desire to make sure they are doing everything to ensure they are in as good a working shape as possible. “In-season is so busy for the AFL. The demands and their loads are so challenging that they are keen to make sure they are optimising their opportunities to have a successful run at it. “We are lucky that we have a very strong cohort of Australians working at Aspetar. “The demands of the game are well known to many in the department and I think that’s really a key attribute, especially for some of the unique positions like the ruck or key forwards or key defenders. They’re very specific to AFL. “Understanding the performance pathways and being able to communicate and optimise their recovery is important.” Dr King wasn’t allowed to discuss any of the players he has worked with but Chapman spoke highly of him last year. Dr King travelled from Ireland to study at WA’s Curtin University before working in Qatar. He’s always marvelled at AFL players ability to withstand punishment. “It’s demanding on the shoulders, it’s demanding on the trunk and it’s particularly demanding on the lower body, whether that is the groin, the knee or the ankle,” he said. “The combination of high volume demands of running loads coupled with pivoting and lots of contact means every body part is at risk of suffering some sort of injury. That’s why the demands of the game are so high.”