In football in Australia, slower speeds are
reported in the first half when compared to those in
the second half.3 However, the capacity to identify
the types of movement slowing the action among
current players adds new knowledge. For example,
the slower second half suggests the need for
a greater focus on threshold training to delay the
implementation of decisions that compromise low
intensity on-field movement. Players going into the
second half with expectations of increased movement
and game statistics combined with sustained
intensity of play may be well placed to outperform
opponents. It is not known how much reduced
player effort in the second half is psychological versus
physiological. It is possible that factors such
as closeness of scores, crowd participation, ladder
position, etc., could reflect effort. However,
further investigation of these factors is required.
Interestingly, average player speeds immediately
after the half-time break in AFL football in Australia
have been reported as slow and gradually
increasing over a period of about 5 min, suggesting
that a mental element was important.11 However,
these authors also showed average player speeds
were highest after other longer stop (rest) breaks
and then declined in a typical human power function
curve. Similar analyses are yet to be conducted
on Australian players, although studies on
Italian players also greater intensity after rest
intervals