Brett Deledio - AFL Superstar.

Australian Fitness Podcast

So, in this Episode I had a chat with recently retired AFL Champion player, Brett Deledio.

It just so happens that Brett grew up and lived in the same small country town that I did. He’s a local celebrity and famous sportsperson around these parts, but, strangely enough we’ve only ever met once. Our paths have never really crossed, but as a coach thats worked in the sport for many years, I always watched him play with interest and certainly admired his physical strengths and abilities as a player.

Brett played 275 games, the great majority of them outstanding (check his stats) and with a style and approach expected of the modern day AFL player.

He was dominant throughout National Competitions as a junior player, and as a result, was drafted into the AFL as the No 1 pick in 2005. He played for Richmond and GWS and spent 15 years in the intense pressure cooker environment of AFL football. Along the way he was awarded the AFL Rising Star award, 2005, a two time best and fairest, and All Australian in 2015.

In the Podcast we go deep into his approach, thoughts and philosophy around Strength and Conditioning and Physical Preparation for the game he played, possibly one of the hardest games in the world to be physical prepared for.

So many competing physical demands, and such an arduous playing schedule. To play at the highest level for the time that he did and in the manner he did, probably had something to do with the battle he faced staving off soft tissue injuries towards the back end of his career.

As far as he approached it, it was go as hard as you can for as long as you can. Full noise!

It was really interesting to have a candid chat with a truly elite player, about how he trained, ran and managed his body throughout that time, as well as his admission that in the early part of his career he may have missed a few elements which he discovered a little later on.

For all you Aussie Rules players listening out there, pay attention, to his reflection on not doing leg strength work in the first few years of his career and then discovering the benefits and additional physical abilities once he started to load up his legs and get seriously lower body strong.

Brett is now a coach at the Hawthorn Football Club and when I interviewed him was working as a private coach until the AFL competition resumes.

Check him out @oneonone_football.

Also @brettdeledio07.

It was honest, open and easy, a real pleasure to talk to a guy who played some of the most brilliant football for the mighty tigers.