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Australia have used Mitchell Starcs imminent selection for the second Test against South Africa in Hobart - in contradiction of medical data indicating he will be at high injury risk - as proof the tail isnt wagging the dog in terms of selection decisions around the national team.Responding to various strains of criticism about the way the nations fast bowlers are managed, the team physio David Beakley, the strength and conditioning coach Aaron Kellett and the doctor Peter Brukner spoke alongside the coach Darren Lehmann about the theories behind fast bowling workload management and how much influence the high performance arm of Cricket Australia, led by Pat Howard, has on selection.Beakley described Starcs recovery from a serious leg wound to play in Perth as amazing, and admitted that CA had stretched their own conventions around fast bowling to allow him to play. Medical staff work back up to six weeks from the start of a Test match to figure out a steady rise in a bowlers workload to ensure he is ready for the Test, but Starc had only two weeks of bowling before taking part at the WACA Ground.Its well known we had two fast bowlers going into that Test who were underdone, Beakley said. Starcy played the Shield match about five and a half weeks post his knee injury, which is amazing he got back that quickly. Three weeks immobilised in a knee brace, a couple of weeks bowling preparation under his belt to play in the Shield match.Its pretty rare in Test cricket to bowl 50 overs in a Test match and weve had two guys do it in this Test match. Theres some pretty good research around that showing you are at increased risk of injury after that. The fact hes got through that amount of bowling is testament to him and his resilience.Lehmann stated that despite heightened injury risk associated with Starcs heavy lifting in Perth, he would be playing in Hobart. That decision follows on from the calculated gamble taken on the fitness of Peter Siddle, who has withdrawn from the second Test squad due to a flare-up of his recently healed back stress fracture.We make the final call at the end when were selecting them, but obviously we take all the info into account for that, Lehmann said. Weve just got to make sure we do the best we can. We just try to pick the best side each and every time.Youre speaking to the bowler first and foremost as well, if the players uncomfortable theyll tell us, tell the medical staff first and then the selectors. Thats how open we are. Both players were really comfortable getting through the Test match, obviously that didnt happen. Thats not an ideal scenario but were all happy to take that risk.Its always a challenge. But its about knowing your players, speaking to the medical staff and making a call from there. Also its whats the wicket going to do, is it going to rain, will it be a flat wicket, youve got to take it all into consideration. If we were going to do that [rest Starc] I wouldnt have thought he wouldve bowled today.Lehmann said he was careful in working with the medical staff to ensure that injury minimisation did not preclude players from spending enough time working on their skills. I would only have a problem if our blokes arent bowling and their skill levels not good enough, he said.So thats the biggest thing, their skill level is very good, obviously missing some high profile players at the moment, but the skill level and making sure our batters get to face our bowlers so they can improve. Obviously they probably need to bowl more now. But skill level is very important for me, so in terms of structuring skill sessions we dont miss out.He also underlined a commitment to put the national team ahead of the interests of the states, after criticism that neither Starc nor Josh Hazlewood bowled enough in their lone Sheffield Shield match before the WACA Test. I totally understand that [criticism], but we need Australia to win though, thats first and foremost and we dont get the chance to have a pre-season, he said. So weve got to find one somewhere, wherever we get it. State medical staff and coaches are great, and they understand.Beakley, who replaced Alex Kountouris as the teams prime touring physio last year, explained the rationale behind managing fast bowler workloads. The notion that bowling workload monitoring is about restricting bowlers from bowling is certainly not the case from our perspective, he said. Its about building up their loads in a smart way so theyre adequately prepared for what theyre going to face in the match. Thats the basis behind it.How we do that is usually based around some of the evidence thats come out of research that bowlers are far more likely to get injured through workload spikes. If you double your workload from one week to the next, youre far more likely to get injured the following week. We know on average theyre going to bowl about 120 balls an innings, about 240 balls a Test match. We work back from that in the preceding weeks to build them up so theyve got that amount of workload under their belts so they dont spike too much in a Test.The body responds to a dose of exercise by increasing the resilience to the structures that are going to be put under load. Whether thats bone, soft tissues, tendon, ligaments, whatever. This is a process that takes weeks, months or years in some cases to develop. Its not something where you can say bowl this week so youre hardened next week for a Shield match, it doesnt work like that. It takes a minimum of six weeks for that hardening to occur. So we work back through what the bowlers achieved over the previous four weeks to see what will adequately prepare them for the following week.Sports science studies in the early 1980s showed that fast bowler injury rates were troublingly high - around 50% in Perth grade cricket. Over the past decade these have been reduced to between 15-25%, peaking in 2011 when one in every four fast bowlers in Australian first-class cricket were injured.Through a greater emphasis on sports science to reduce injury rates, the figure came down to 17% in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Beakley reckoned that had increased somewhat in the past year, though CA figures for 2015-16 arent yet available. Cheap Custom Jerseys . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. Custom Football Jerseys . 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METAIRIE, La. -- Saints quarterback Drew Brees decided against holding out for the lengthy contract extension he coveted and took one for the team.Brees agreed to new contract that keeps him in New Orleans through the 2017 season, and a person familiar with the deal says it guarantees the record-setting QB $44.3 million the next two years.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Wednesday because financial details of the extension had not been announced.The deal also provides the Saints with nearly $13 million in additional spending flexibility under the 2016 salary cap as the team continues to shuffle the roster in advance of Sundays regular season opener at home against Oakland.Earlier this summer, Brees had stated that he believes he can play at an elite level at least another five years.I wanted the contract to reflect that, naturally, and have it be the last contract that I signed, Brees said. But it was in the best interest of the team to make it a little bit shorter. And I think that just made everyone a bit more comfortable and it still put us in a very good position to go out and do the things we need to do to continue to build the team and put us in the best position to succeed.And that to me was the most important thing.The contract runs for five years, starting this season, and includes a $30 million bonus that, for now, can be prorated over that period, reducing the $30 million that Brees old contract would have counted against the Saints salary cap this season down to a little more than $17 million. The deal also has a no-trade clause, but the final three seasons are voidable, meaning the Saints and Brees, who turns 38 in January, will have to revisit the possibility of another extension next year.This allows me to be around here for a bit longer, and Ill be here as long as theyll have me, Brees said. My mindset is always everything happens for a reason and everything will happen the way its supposed to.The Saints should have more flexibility to make moves with Brees extension.Last week, the Saints brought in defensive end Paul Kruger, a pass rushing specialist who was recently released by Cleveland.Then on Wednesday, the Saints agreed to bring back veteran right guard Jahri Evans, who had been released by tthe Saints last winter and signed with Seattle, but did not make the Seahawks final cut.ddddddddddddOn Tuesday, the Saints cut kicker Kai Forbath and brought in rookie Wil Lutz.Brees owns Saints franchise records in virtually every passing category, having thrown for 48,555 yards and 348 touchdowns in 10 seasons with the club, which signed him as a free agent after San Diego decided not to offer Brees an extension and elevate Philip Rivers to starter. He also was named Super Bowl MVP when the Saints 2009 squad won New Orleans only NFL championship.His yards passing total with New Orleans is the most by any NFL quarterback in a 10-year span in league history.Brees had stated this summer that, in an effort to prevent his contract talks from becoming a distraction, that he would break off negotiations before the first game of the regular season. That meant the Saints had to reach an agreement with their star quarterback by this week to lock down Brees beyond this season while gaining the financial flexibility they sought.Brees was about to enter the final season of a five-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2012, one season after setting a then NFL-record with 5,476 yards passing. He also threw for 46 touchdowns in 2011, when the offense he ran piled up an NFL-record 7,474 yards.The Saints prolific QB again led the league in passing last season, but ultimately did not hold out for a contract that would pay him like the NFLs younger, top-tier QBs. In June, for example, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck agreed to an extension worth up to $140 million for the next six seasons, which averages out to about $23.3 million per year.Brees deal comes about six months after coach Sean Payton, who designed the offense that Brees has run, agreed to an extension in New Orleans through 2020. Now the coach and QB tandem will try to make a run at another Super Bowl.Game notes The Saints released third-string QB Garrett Grayson, a 2015 third-round draft choice, but could potentially bring him back as a practice squad player if he clears waivers.---Online: AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '