Genetic predictors of match performance in sub-elite Australian football players: A pilot study.

The current study aimed to determine whether previously identified candidate polymorphisms were associated with match performance in sub-elite Australian Rules Football (ARF) players. The genotypes of thirty players were analysed along with 3x1-kilometre time trial results, ARF-specific skill assessments (handball and kicking), and match performance (direct game involvements) per minute (DGIs/min) to investigate if there was a relationship between any of the variables. Results support previous findings that aerobic time trials are a significant predictor of DGIs/min in sub-elite ARF players. Significant associations were found for genotypes CC ( = .001), AA ( = .001), AG ( < .001), ID ( < .001), AA ( = .003), AG ( = .008), CC ( = .018) and CC ( = .010) and the 3x1-kilometre time trials ( < .001). In the current study, a variant in the gene was a strong predictor of handball possessions during a match. Significance was seen for variants in the and genes when the kicking and handball skill test results were combined and used in a linear mixed model to predict DGIs/min, suggesting a potential relationship with motor learning. The confirmation of genetic predictors of player performance in a team sport, such as ARF, suggests a portion of the physiological mechanisms of skill and ARF-specific talent may be explained by the expression of a specific number of genes.