Objectives To determine whether specific injury measures were associated with team performance in the Australian Football League (AFL). Methods 15 289 injuries caused players from 18 teams to miss 51 331 matches between 1997 and 2016. Data were aggregated to the team level. We analysed the associations among injury measures and team performance (reaching finals/playoffs and specific ladder/table position). Injury measures per team included: injury incidence, injury severity, injury burden, player match availability and percentage of the full player roster injured. We also weighted injury measures by five measures of player value. Results AFL teams’ injury burden and player match availability were associated with final table position (r2=0.03, p<0.05). Player value weighted injury burden was different between finalists and non-finalists (mean difference=−8, p<0.001) and explained 12% of the variation in the table position of teams (p<0.001). For a team, nine missed matches due to injury (burden weighted by a best and fairest player rating system) was associated with one lower table position. Player match availability weighted by player value was higher for finalists than non-finalists (mean difference=1.7, p<0.01) and explained 7% of the variation in the table position of teams (p<0.001). Discussion and potential implications The impact of injury (burden weighted by best and fairest) explained up to 12% of the variation in final table position—this is particularly relevant to making/not making playoffs as well as home ground/travel advantages for those teams that make the one-game format of AFL playoffs (not home-away or best of seven format).

中文翻译：

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伤病与澳大利亚精英足球队的表现有关吗？ 20 年球员伤病和球队表现数据，包括衡量球员个人价值的数据


目标 确定特定的伤害措施是否与澳大利亚橄榄球联盟 (AFL) 的球队表现相关。方法 1997 年至 2016 年间，18 支球队的 15 289 名球员因伤缺席 51 331 场比赛。数据汇总到球队层面。我们分析了伤病指标和球队表现（进入决赛/季后赛以及具体的天梯/积分榜位置）之间的关联。每支球队的伤病指标包括：伤病发生率、伤病严重程度、伤病负担、球员比赛可用性以及受伤球员名单中的百分比。我们还通过五项球员价值指标来衡量伤病情况。结果 AFL 球队的伤病负担和球员比赛可用性与决赛桌位置相关（r2=0.03，p<0.05）。决赛入围者和非决赛入围者之间的球员价值加权伤害负担有所不同（平均差=-8，p<0.001），并解释了球队表位置差异的12%（p<0.001）。对于一支球队来说，九场因伤缺席的比赛（由最佳和最公平的球员评级系统加权的负担）与较低的积分榜排名有关。按球员价值加权的球员比赛可用性，决赛入围者高于非决赛入围者（平均差 = 1.7，p<0.01），并解释了球队表位置变化的 7%（p<0.001）。讨论和潜在影响 伤病的影响（按最佳和最公平的负担加权）解释了决赛桌位置变化的 12%——这与进入/不进入季后赛以及这些球队的主场/旅行优势特别相关这使得 AFL 季后赛采用一场比赛的形式（不是主客场或七场两胜制）。