ACL Health in Youth Rugby League Athletes

Written By Ayden McCarthy, Ph.D. and Joshua Wedlock, Ph.D.

Female rugby league players face a stark reality: they are three times more likely to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury compared to males. This disparity has driven new research at the University of New England, funded by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL).


Led by Associate Professor Robert Crowther and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Ayden McCarthy, the study examines how the ACL adapts to the demands of training and competition in adolescent female athletes. Thirty-one players from the Carlingford Cougars are undergoing comprehensive assessment across the 2026 season.


Using advanced MRI imaging through the University of Sydney’s Imaging Core Research Facility, the research captures ligament structure at millimetre-level detail. This approach is rarely applied in female youth rugby league. Athletes also complete physical performance testing, strength and power assessments, and ongoing training-load monitoring to identify risk factors and inform safer program design.


As part of this research team, Dr. Ayden McCarthy’s work directly informs the applied practices used within The Higher Performance Lab. This connection allows current evidence from elite research settings to be translated into practical strategies for injury prevention and performance development in female youth athletes.


Watch here - https://www.instagram.com/p/DWAeGSsDoKs/

Ayden McCarthy, Ph.D. and Joshua Wedlock, Ph.D.

Ayden McCarthy is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of New England with expertise in physical performance, injury risk, and data-driven human science. His research applies machine-learning approaches to understand and predict physical performance outcomes. He holds a PhD from Macquarie University.

Josh Wedlock is a researcher and educator with more than a decade of teaching experience and over ten years of applied work in health and fitness. He holds a PhD from Macquarie University and researches expedited learning and language acquisition.

https://www.thehigherperformancelab.com/
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