A week before they take on reigning champions France the battered Socceroos are already engaged in an even more important battle – in the treatment room – that could ultimately decide their World Cup fate.
A series of untimely injuries has left Graham Arnold facing the prospect of being without several of his most important players against the reigning world champions, but Australia’s team on the ground in Qatar is leaving no stone unturned in the critical race against time.
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The Socceroos have access to world class medical facilities across two venues with a team of doctors, physios, sports scientists and massage therapists working with individual players up to a whopping 10 hours a day.
Star winger Martin Boyle (knee) could be in danger of missing the tournament altogether after Marco Tilio was brought in as back-up player on Tuesday night but he is far from the squad’s only serious injury concern.
Harry Souttar (knee) and Kye Rowles (foot) – considered Australia’s first choice centre back pairing – are coming off significant injuries and battling to be fit to take on France.
Skipper Mat Ryan (knee), Ajdin Hrustic (ankle) and Nathaniel Atkinson (ankle) also came into the tournament under injury clouds.
While all were deemed fit enough to be selected in Australia’s 26-man World Cup squad, key decisions around their availability for the France match and beyond will be made in Qatar and medical staff will have a crucial role to play.
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That work has been happening for some time, with chief physiotherapist Kurt Lisle – perhaps the busiest man in Doha this week – spending the past two months travelling the globe to visit players and build relationships with their clubs.
Armed with as much information as possible, Lisle and the team are now in the “hectic” pre-tournament mode, juggling the needs of individual players as the squad ramps up its tactical preparations in training.
As well as the wide range of sporting and medical facilities on offer at Australia’s World Cup base, the Aspire Academy, the Socceroos also have access to the Aspetar sports medicine hospital only five minutes down the road.
Injured or recovering players have access to high-tech equipment including altitude rooms – used to allow them to train cardio under lesser strain to their bodies – anti-gravity treadmills and other recovery facilities.
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Duties are shared between the head doctor, three physios, three sport scientists and a massage therapist but the onus is also put on the players to live and breathe their recovery around the clock.
“The whole management (using recovery facilities) by us as a team can be 8-10 hours a day but on top of that, the player then can’t go and play a game of table tennis or a game of pool,” Lisle told foxsports.com.au.
“They then have to mentally spend the rest of the time in their room and with ice machines on and doing some of the recovery strategies that they need to do.
“If they want to prepare properly for the World Cup they’re basically thinking about it 24 hours a day but trying to switch off for that good 8-10 hours sleep as well.
“So pretty much right from the time they wake up till they go to bed except for when they’re eating meals, we’re doing things with them as part of a team and helping them to get back.”
The Socceroos face France on Wednesday next week (AEDT) and recovery will remain a critical issue with just three days between Australia’s remaining group games against Tunisia and Denmark.
