Sydney have gone all in on preparing for a healthy 2026 season to avoid the injury setbacks that disrupted their 2025 campaign, bringing in a world renowned reconditioning specialist to assist in the off-season recoveries of stars Tom Papley, Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald and Will Edwards.
The quarter all suffered a range of injury setbacks during the year, with Papley and Amartey notably going down with a hamstring strain and adductor concern in the same game against Fremantle.
It led to Sydney Swans Head of Physiotherapy and Medical Services, Damian Raper, to make the call to bring in American Bill Knowles, a reconditioning specialist with a wealth of experience across professional sport.
However, Knowles is particularly well advanced in the AFL scene, having played a role in Daniel Menzel's recovery from multiple knee reconstructions to play a further 59 senior games after a three-season hiatus.
"In Round 17 in a win against Fremantle, we had Tom Papley sustain a hamstring strain and Joel Amartey sustain an adductor strain as well," Raper said to SwansTV.
"We started to think about the health of these two players more. We had challenges with [their health] throughout the year and we had challenges with Logan McDonald and Will Edwards as well."
Knowles highlighted that while he understandably cannot elevate the footballing skills of the Swans group he is overseeing, he is able to improve their movement fundamentals, reducing the risk of injury.
"It's about getting good engagement with the athletes and understanding the process I'm taking them through. Do they know the why behind it and does that help them continue the process when I leave?" Knowles said.
"I can't necessarily make them a better footy player, so if I can make them a better athlete off of that pitch in how they move, roll, express and produce force, there's a chance we increase their capacity to express themselves at a higher level in competition."
Papley said that the two-week conditioning block with Knowles has kicked him 'into gear' as he sets his sights on a bounce back 2026 after featuring in a career-low 11 games this year.
"It's been rewarding. When someone is world renowned for their rehab stuff, it's kicked me into gear a little bit," Papley said.
"I'm not the most professional bloke running around but I think to get some exercise and work on that strength on my knee and ankle has been rewarding for sure.
"We've been breaking down a lot of running mechanics and getting in the right positions. I'm a small player that's always got rounded shoulders so I've been taught to grow a little bit. It'll help me go out and have a good pre-season."
Similarly, Logan McDonald struggled with health consistency in 2025 and missed the full season following multiple ankle setbacks, but feels Knowles' program has helped him find confidence in his body again.
"I've built resilience in my body up ahead of the pre-season," McDonald said.
"It was a difficult year for myself with a range of injuries all stemming from my ankle but this two week block is going to give me a lot of confidence, especially around my ankle, that I'm going to be in my best possible shape."
