The AFL has made the bold move to outright ban skinfold testing for under-18 players in pathway programs.
The league previously banned player weights from being made public knowledge earlier this year, and the skinfold test ban is another move to protect players concerned about their body weight.
AFL club bosses were told of the move without consultation earlier this week as underage players will no longer have their body fat measured prior to drafts.
Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes didn’t think that skinfold testing was an issue as a draftee given that those testing didn’t shame players but tried to offer tips on how to improve in the measurement.
He also thinks that the test also gives players some resilience as they’ll inevitably have their weight and measurements tested if they ever become a senior AFL player.
“It was about the resilience factor of it,” Cornes said on SEN Sportsday.
“I came through those programs and pathways and it was a measurement, you get your skinfolds done and you get a number and you were never criticised for the number.
“But then it was reviewed and they said, ‘How is your diet? What has led you to have this skinfold measurement of 60? What if you made these changes to your diet?’.
“They’d say, ‘We'll test you again in two months’ time. Let's see if you can with some adjustments to your diet, get down to 55’.
“Isn't that what we need to prepare these elite juniors for? That's what they're going to face when they get to the AFL. Isn’t it more about resilience than body shaming?”
Cornes’ main concern with the move is that he fears that the AFL could also soon ban anything that makes players feel uncomfortable.
He pondered whether fitness testing and GPS tracking could also be banned given players could be humiliated by their results.
“My fear is, where does it get to?” Cornes asked.
“There’s nothing more humiliating than a two km time trial after Christmas for someone who hasn't prepared themselves.
“Are we going to get to the point where Laura Kane and her team say, ‘Hey, you know what, this is humiliating for players that they're finishing last and getting lapped in a fitness test after Christmas, we're banning the two km time trial.’?
“You say, ‘No’, but if you had of said 15 years ago, you're going to ban the skin fold test, which was a significant measure (you wouldn’t believe it).
“Where does it stop? Where does it start? Where does it go to?
“My fear is that the skinfold is a symbol for greater concern around where we are going to ban … is a GPS number shaming?
“That's more my broader concern about where it's going to get to.”
The memo from the AFL said that the only body measurements taken of draftees will now be of height and weight, with all results collected private information.
