Previous laboratory style research has shown that fatigue worsens postural control and proprioception at the ankle. The purpose of this research was to test the effect of fatigue due to a game of Australian Rules football has on postural control, and therefore the relevance of previous research to a sporting environment. The method of analysis was a uni-lateral standing balance test. The frequency of toe touches and therefore loss of balance over a 30 second period were calculated before and after a game. The dominant leg increased significantly from 2.65 to 4.03 toe touches, whilst the non-dominant leg recorded a non-significant increase from 3.06 to 3.19 toe touches. A significant difference in the change from pre-to post game was also noted between dominant and non-dominant legs. Effect size data supported these findings. This research demonstrates that a player becomes significantly fatigued on the dominant leg during a game of football. This may indicate an increased risk of injury on the dominant side as a player becomes fatigued during the game. 
This minor thesis was written by a post-graduate student as part of the requirements of the Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) program.