Match and training demands of National Rugby League Women's (NRLW) competition  

Established Supervisor: Rich Johnston <Richard.Johnston@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dan Chalkley
Third Supervisor: Shreya Mcleod

Project Description
This project will investigate the physical demands of training and match play in the National Rugby League Women's (NRLW) competition using athlete tracking and performance data collected across multiple seasons. Students will examine key metrics including running distances, high-speed running, sprint efforts, accelerations, decelerations, and positional demands, while exploring how training loads compare with competition demands. The findings will improve understanding of the unique performance requirements of women's rugby league and provide evidence to support training prescription, athlete development, and performance optimisation within the NRLW.
 
Description of the research
Students may apply for an optional research internship within the SPRINT Research Centre, working alongside researchers and industry partners involved in women's rugby league. The internship will provide hands-on experience analysing league-wide NRLW athlete monitoring and performance datasets. Students may assist with data cleaning, management, statistical analyses, visualisation of findings, and the preparation of research reports and publications. This opportunity will develop practical skills in sports analytics, athlete monitoring, and applied research while providing exposure to real-world performance challenges faced by practitioners working in elite women's sport.

Physical Demands of Men's National Rugby League (NRL) Matches

Established Supervisor: Rich Johnston <Richard.Johnston@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Matt Jeffriess
Third Supervisor: Patrick Campbell

Project Description
This project will investigate the physical demands of men's National Rugby League (NRL) matches using league-wide athlete tracking data. Students will examine key performance indicators including running distances, high-speed running, sprint efforts, accelerations, decelerations, and positional differences. The project may also explore how match demands vary according to competition period, match context, team performance, and player characteristics. Findings will provide contemporary insights into the movement demands of elite rugby league and support evidence-based approaches to training design, performance preparation, and athlete management in professional sport.
 
Description of the research
The student will be involved in meetings with NRL staff across the course of the Honours year. They will have opportunities to assist with other research projects involving the NRL. For example, one of our current Honours students has been working as a Research Assistant on an NRLW project examining the influence of ball size on school girl rugby league matches alongside her Brisbane Broncos Honours project.

Understanding Athlete Health and Performance in Elite Women's Tennis

Established Supervisor: Dr Chris McCosker <Chris.McCosker@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Natalie Legge
Third Supervisor: Dr Patrick Campbell 

Project Description
Through a collaboration with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), this project will explore factors that influence athlete injury risk, health and wellbeing, availability, and performance in elite women's tennis. Working alongside a global sporting organisation, the successful student will have the opportunity to examine challenges facing some of the world's best female tennis players, including those related to competition schedules, environmental conditions, player health, and performance. The project will contribute to the ongoing development of evidence-informed practices that support athlete health and performance in professional sport while providing valuable experience working alongside an international high-performance environment.
 
Description of the research
In addition to their Honours thesis, students will have the opportunity to undertake an optional research internship within ACU's research environment and the broader WTA collaboration. Activities may include assisting with data management and analysis, contributing to ongoing athlete health and performance projects, participating in research team meetings, and supporting knowledge translation activities. Students may also have opportunities to collaborate with members of the WTA Sport Science team and gain insights into the application of research in professional tennis. This experience is designed to enhance readiness for HDR study and professional research careers but is not mandatory.

Understanding Athlete Development and Performance in Women's Rugby League Pathways

Established Supervisor: Dr Chris McCosker <Chris.McCosker@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Courtney Giles
Third Supervisor: Dr Patrick Campbell 

Project Description
Through a collaboration with Norths Devils Rugby League Club (Brisbane), this project will explore factors that influence athlete development and performance within women's rugby league pathways. The successful student will be embedded within the Norths Devils women's program, working alongside coaches and practitioners in a high-performance sporting environment. By investigating trainable aspects related to improved performance in women’s rugby league athletes, this project will contribute to the evidence base in this under-researched area.
 
Description of the research
In addition to their Honours thesis, students will have the opportunity to undertake an optional research internship within the Norths Devils women's rugby league program and ACU's research environment. Activities may include supporting training and game-day monitoring activities, assisting with performance testing, contributing to research data collection and analysis, and working alongside coaches and practitioners in a high-performance setting. Students may also contribute to other ACU research projects, gaining hands-on experience in applied sport science, strength and conditioning, research translation, and project management. This experience is designed to enhance readiness for HDR study and professional practice.

The influence of ball size on skill behaviours and movement solutions in schoolgirl rugby league match play

Established Supervisor: A/Prof Richard Johnston <Richard.Johnston@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Chris McCosker
Third Supervisor: Dr Daniel Chalkley

Project Description
This project will examine whether ball size influences the skill behaviours and movement solutions used by schoolgirl rugby league players during match play. Video footage from matches played with a standard size 5 ball and a smaller custom-sized ball will be coded to compare passing, catching, offloading, kicking and try-scoring actions. The student will examine how the frequency, location, technique, accuracy and outcomes of these actions differ between ball conditions. Findings will provide early evidence to support broader understanding of how a change in ball size may influence the women's game, including future considerations for the NRLW

Description of the research
The successful student would have the opportunity to assist with and be exposed to a range of research activities within the SPRINT Research Centre. This may include opportunities to gain experience with match analysis, data management, research translation, stakeholder engagement and project delivery. The internship would also provide exposure to collaborative research projects and the practical application of sport science research in high-performance and community sport settings.

Do Small-Sided Games Represent Competitive Match Behaviour? A Network Analysis of Representative Training Design in Team Sport

Established Supervisor: Adam Hewitt <Adam.Hewitt@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Sam Palmer
Third Supervisor: Daniel Chalkley

Project Description
Small-sided games (SSGs) are widely used in team sport to develop technical, tactical and physical performance. However, it remains unclear whether the interactions and cooperative behaviours observed in SSGs accurately reflect those occurring during competition. This project will use performance analysis and network-based approaches to compare player interactions in training and match environments. By examining team structures, passing networks and collective behaviours, the project will determine the extent to which common training activities represent competitive match demands. The findings will help coaches design more representative practice environments that better support skill development and transfer to performance.

Description of the research
The student will have opportunities to contribute to ongoing sport analytics and performance research activities within ACU. Activities may include assisting with video coding, performance analysis, data preparation, network analysis, literature reviews and dissemination of findings. The student may also engage with industry partners and sporting organisations involved in applied performance analysis projects. This experience will provide exposure to real-world research workflows, collaborative research teams and contemporary analytical approaches used in sport science, helping develop skills relevant to future Honours, HDR and industry-based research pathways.

Individual differences in the acute response to interval training in endurance athletes

Established Supervisor: Andrew Townshend <Andrew.Townshend@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Carissa Gardiner
Third Supervisor: Jonathon Weakley

Project Description
This project investigates individual differences in systemic and local muscle oxygen kinetics during interval training in highly trained endurance athletes. The outcomes will increase understanding of how best to individualise training loads to optimise exercise prescription in distance runner and cyclists. The successful student will gain exposure to the use of metabolic carts, analysis of blood lactate and near infrared spectroscopy and exposure to real-world applied methods of programming to improve endurance performance. Students with an interest in exercise physiology, exercise prescription and applied research with high-performance athletes would be best suited to this project.

Description of the research
The successful applicant will also have the opportunity to be involved in additional projects involving the analysis of chronic endurance training loads and subsequent adaptations as well as contribute to a large-scale scoping review on training intensity distribution.

From Lab to Lake: Using Motion Capture and Wearable Technology to Understand Rowing Performance

Established Supervisor: Nirav Maniar <Nirav.Maniar@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Natalie Legge
Third Supervisor: Mark Moresi

Project Description
Rowing performance and injury prevention rely on understanding movement patterns across training environments. This project will examine the relationship between laboratory-based biomechanical measures obtained using a Vicon motion capture system and accelerometer data collected during on-water rowing. Competitive rowers will complete standardised rowing assessments in the biomechanics laboratory and field-based testing sessions on the water. The study aims to determine whether wearable sensor data can provide valid indicators of rowing technique and movement characteristics observed using gold-standard motion capture. Findings may support the development of practical biomechanical monitoring tools for coaches, athletes, and performance staff.

Description of the research
The student will have the opportunity to undertake an embedded research internship in collaboration with the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Rowing and Biomechanics Programs. Activities may include assisting with laboratory-based Vicon motion capture data collection, wearable sensor deployment, field testing at rowing clubs across Sydney, data processing and analysis, and engagement with athletes, coaches, and performance staff. The student will gain experience in applied sports biomechanics, athlete monitoring, industry collaboration, and research translation. This internship will provide valuable exposure to high-performance sport environments and enhance readiness for future HDR study and research careers.

Optimising drop jump training for sprint performance

Established Supervisor: Dr. Mark Creaby <Mark.Creaby@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Matthew Jeffriess
Third Supervisor: A. Prof. Jonathon Weakley

Project Description
Sprint performance is a key determinant of success in many field-based invasion sports, including both Rugby codes, where the ability to accelerate rapidly and achieve high maximal sprint velocities can influence critical match outcomes. Recent work from our group has highlighted the important contribution of the triceps surae muscle-tendon complex to sprint performance. However, despite the widespread use of plyometric exercises in athlete preparation, it remains unclear whether common training drills adequately replicate the mechanical demands experienced during sprinting.

This project will investigate the mechanical loading of the triceps surae during drop jumps performed from a range of heights and compare these demands with those observed during sprinting. Leaning on our existing collaborations with Queensland Rugby League and Rugby Australia, this project will involve the collection, analysis and interpretation of data in an elite cohort. Students with a keen interest in biomechanics, data analytics and applied sport science research will have an opportunity to apply their skillsets to musculoskeletal modelling and the translation of findings to high performance industry partners.

Description of the research
The successful student would have the opportunity to contribute towards the analysis of biomechanical data collected as part of a larger collaboration with a national representative team and governing body. This will include analyses of other sports specific skills, and training in advanced biomechanical modelling techniques.

Wellness Monitoring in State-Level Rugby League Referees: Exploring Trends and Associations with Training Load and Performance

Established Supervisor: Dr Daniel Chalkley <Daniel.Chalkley@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Matthew Jeffriess

Project Description
Athlete monitoring systems are widely used to support performance, recovery and wellbeing in sporting populations; however, the relationships between subjective wellness measures and other performance indicators are not yet fully understood. This project will analyse longitudinal wellness data collected from state-level rugby league referees and examine associations with training load, physical performance and other available monitoring metrics. The student will investigate patterns and trends within the dataset to better understand factors associated with readiness, recovery and wellbeing. Findings will contribute to the evidence base underpinning athlete monitoring and inform best-practice approaches within rugby league officiating pathways.

Description of the research
A student undertaking this project will have the opportunity to assist with and be exposed to a range of research activities within the SPRINT Research Centre. This may include experience with athlete monitoring technologies, performance data analysis, research translation, and collaborative projects conducted in partnership with sporting organisations. The student will also have the opportunity to work alongside the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) Referee High Performance and Development Squads, gaining practical experience in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of performance data within an applied high-performance environment. This internship will support the development of skills relevant to future higher degree research and industry practice.

Applied Situation Awareness and Human Performance Technologies

Established Supervisor: Dr Daniel Chalkley <Daniel.Chalkley@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Matthew Jeffriess
Third Supervisor: Professor Gert-Jan Pepping

Project Description
Situation awareness and decision making are critical components of successful sporting performance, influencing how athletes perceive, interpret and respond to dynamic competitive environments. This project will investigate factors associated with situation awareness in sport using contemporary assessment approaches and human performance technologies, including the Meerkat platform. Drawing on partnerships with organisations such as the Queensland Academy of Sport, the research will explore differences in perceptual-cognitive skills across athletes, relationships between situation awareness and performance outcomes, or the application of technology to support athlete development. Findings will contribute to evidence-based approaches for enhancing human performance in sport.

Description of the research
A student undertaking this project would have the opportunity to assist with and be exposed to a range of research activities examining situation awareness, decision making and human performance in sport. This may include experience using emerging assessment technologies such as the Meerkat platform, athlete testing, data analysis and industry-engaged research conducted in collaboration with sporting organisations including the Queensland Academy of Sport. The internship would provide valuable experience working within an active research environment and support the development of research and analytical skills relevant to future higher degree research candidature.

Athletic Development, Load and Injury Risk in Academy and State-Level Queensland Football Players

Established Supervisor: Dr Patrick Campbell <Patrick.Campbell@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Matthew Jeffriess
Third Supervisor: Dr Daniel Chalkley

Project Description
This project will examine factors contributing to athletic development, fatigue responses and injury risk in academy and state-level Queensland football players. Students may investigate physical performance characteristics, training and match load, neuromuscular fatigue, movement demands, injury surveillance, or perceptual–cognitive factors relevant to football performance. Individual projects will contribute to a coordinated program of applied research examining how physical, workload and contextual factors interact within QLD football pathways at Wynnum Wolves Football Club. Findings will help inform evidence-based approaches to player monitoring, training design and injury risk profiling in male and female development environments.

Description of the research
Students may have the opportunity to complete an optional research internship with SPRINT and Wynnum Wolves Football Club. The internship may involve assisting with athlete testing, training and match monitoring, injury surveillance processes, data management, and applied research translation activities. Students will gain experience working within a multidisciplinary performance department and contribute to projects designed to inform player development, performance monitoring and injury risk profiling. Internship activities will be supervised by the performance staff at the football club and members of the research team and tailored to the student’s project focus, partner needs and available opportunities.

Profiling physical performance capabilities and identifying risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in tactical populations

Established Supervisor: Dr Patrick Campbell <Patrick.Campbell@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Michael Rigney

Project Description
Musculoskeletal injuries are a major source of training disruption, reduced workforce capacity and long-term health burden in tactical populations. This project will use existing multi-year physical performance and injury surveillance data to profile exercise-related capabilities and describe musculoskeletal injury patterns in tactical personnel. Depending on data availability and student interest, the project may focus on physical performance characteristics, injury incidence and burden, or associations between routinely collected fitness measures and subsequent injury outcomes. Findings will provide occupation-specific evidence to inform injury mitigation, training prescription and future prospective research in tactical population health.

Description of the research
The student will have the opportunity to undertake an optional research internship with SPRINT, separate from the honours thesis. Internship activities may include supporting data cleaning and management within an ongoing tactical health research program, contributing to literature synthesis, preparing research translation materials for industry partners, and observing project management processes in applied collaborative research. These activities will build practical skills in working with real-world performance and injury surveillance datasets, communicating evidence to non-academic audiences, and understanding how applied sport and exercise science research is translated into operational decision-making and future HDR-ready research programs. 

Interactions of Physiological and Cognitive Fatigue on Occupational Task Performance in Tactical Settings

Established Supervisor: Dr Patrick Campbell (Established Supervisor SPRINT) <Patrick.Campbell@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Mr Michael Rigney (emerging supervisor not in an established research group 
Third Supervisor: Dr Daniel Chalkley (SPRINT affiliate member)

Project Description
This project examines how physiological and cognitive fatigue interact under operationally relevant stressors, including environmental extremes, carrying load, and behavioural demands; and how these combined effects influence task performance. Particular emphasis will be placed on cognitive fatigue and situation awareness, both of which underpin safe and effective task execution under fatigue. By applying innovative assessment methods to capture cognitive performance in context, the project seeks to better contextualise fatigue and task performance. The outcomes will inform strategies to mitigate fatigue-related errors, improve task readiness, and support the long-term health and wellbeing of tactical personnel.

Description of the research
In addition to their Honours thesis, students will have the opportunity to participate in an optional research internship aligned with the ACU National Centre for Veterans & Families. This experience is designed to enhance readiness for future HDR study and industry research engagement. Activities may include assisting in qualitative and quantitative data analysis on connected centre projects, supporting survey development and participant recruitment, or contributing to knowledge translation materials tailored for policymakers and community partners. Students may also help plan research network events, contribute to collaborative projects with defence and veteran organisations, or shadow researchers in project management activities.

Physical Performance Profiles Across the Queensland Rugby League Women’s Pathway

Established Supervisor: Dr Patrick Campbell <Patrick.Campbell@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Chris McCosker
Third Supervisor: Dr Matthew Jeffriess

Project Description
This project will analyse the improvement in physical performance qualities longitudinally as athletes progress across the QRL development pathways. Attributes such as speed, strength, power, and aerobic fitness will be considered alongside training history and competitive experience. By profiling athletes across stages of the pathway, the study will highlight performance trends and identify areas of improvement for training strategies. This research will provide insights into long-term athlete development within women’s rugby league. For QRL, the outcomes will support talent identification and athlete progression planning, clarifying which qualities are critical for advancement to higher competition levels.

Description of the research
In addition to their Honours thesis, students will have the opportunity to participate in an optional research internship aligned with QRL player & referee-affiliated programs. This experience is designed to enhance readiness for future HDR study and professional research engagement. Activities may include assisting with physical performance testing, collecting and analysing GPS and match data, supporting the coordination of on-field training sessions with QRL-affiliated players and referees, and engaging with project management tasks within the research team. Students may also contribute to translation materials for end-users, developing applied outputs that directly inform QRL practices. Participation is encouraged but not mandatory.

Validity of Athlete Tracking Microtechnology Proprietary Gait Metrics

Established Supervisor: Prof Stuart Cormack <Stuart.Cormack@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Mark Moresi

Project Description
Recent research conducted in the SPRINT Research Centre has demonstrated that microtechnology devices such as Global Navigation Satellite System Units (GNSS) with embed Inertial Measurement Units (IMU’s) commonly worn by team sport athletes can be used to derive valid and reliable gait variables such as contact time, flight time, step time and vertical ground reaction force. Furthermore, these units have been demonstrated to be able to detect fatigue related changes in running gait through variables such as vertical stiffness. These advances allow detailed gait analysis in the field although are not currently available in the software provided by microtechnology companies. However, the software provided by companies does report variables that are supposedly representations of gait such as number of footstrikes and a range of other metrics but the validity and reliability of these metrics is unclear. The aim of this work is to compare these proprietary metrics to validated gait measures during running.

Description of the research internship opportunity
A student undertaking this research would have the opportunity to assist/be exposed to other projects in the SPRINT Research Centre. This would include research involving a range of technologies used in High Performance Sport (e.g. force plates, accelerometers etc.) in addition to the potential for development of skills for data analysis such as coding in R.

Performance and Decision-Making in Elite Tennis Match Play

Established Supervisor: Dr Daniel Chalkley <Daniel.Chalkley@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Matthew Jeffriess

Project Description
This honours project will examine performance, tactical, and decision-making characteristics associated with success in elite tennis match play. Using applied sport science and performance analysis approaches, the project will investigate how players adapt their behaviour under varying match contexts, including pressure situations, serve conditions, and movement demands. Depending on the student’s interests, the project may explore topics such as differences between winning and losing performances, serve effectiveness, positional adjustments in response to shot characteristics, or movement patterns across match play.

The project will be embedded within a high-performance tennis environment, ensuring strong ecological validity and practical relevance. Data will be derived from existing performance datasets and match statistics commonly used within elite tennis settings. Outcomes from this research will contribute to evidence-based coaching practice and enhance understanding of performance demands in professional tennis, while also developing the student’s skills in applied sport science research and analysis.

Description of the research
This project uses an applied quantitative research design, combining performance analysis, notational data, and basic match statistics from elite tennis competitions. The student will work closely with the supervisory team to refine a specific research question and analytical approach appropriate for honours-level study. The project is embedded within a Tennis Australia high-performance context, allowing collaboration with industry practitioners and exposure to real-world performance environments, while maintaining appropriate academic rigour and ethical standards.

An optional research internship will be embedded within Tennis Australia, providing the student with hands-on experience in an elite sport environment. Under the guidance of Tennis Australia staff, including Dr Lyndon Krause and Dr Machar Reid, the student will have opportunities to engage in real-world data collection, management, and analysis aligned with high-performance tennis programs. This industry-linked experience will enhance the student’s applied research skills, professional networks, and understanding of how sport science evidence informs decision-making in elite tennis settings.