19-Man Squad: Vs Salford

[TrueBlueWarrior]

I agree TBW that all teams are going to have injuries and periods of the season in which the injury list is longer, i think weve tipped the balance into "crisis" two seasons in a row now. I know leeds and saints have had crisis seasons in recent years but coming through it and being back to normal the following season (a regular amount of injuries)

I think the sport in general has an issue with injuries especially when you consider the youngsters, how many players now are having serious amounts of surgery before the age of 25, player welfare has to come into it and its another reason the cap needs looking at, we need more money in the sport because too many of the young lads coming through now will be in a very poor state by their early 30's and when you consider people are living longer and longer we need to make sure that these players are compensated enough for the wellbeing they give up to play our sport

Totally agree and I also think the fixture list could be more friendly to the well being of our RL players.

[Wigan_forever1985]

I agree TBW that all teams are going to have injuries and periods of the season in which the injury list is longer, i think weve tipped the balance into "crisis" two seasons in a row now. I know leeds and saints have had crisis seasons in recent years but coming through it and being back to normal the following season (a regular amount of injuries)

I think the sport in general has an issue with injuries especially when you consider the youngsters, how many players now are having serious amounts of surgery before the age of 25, player welfare has to come into it and its another reason the cap needs looking at, we need more money in the sport because too many of the young lads coming through now will be in a very poor state by their early 30's and when you consider people are living longer and longer we need to make sure that these players are compensated enough for the wellbeing they give up to play our sport

Totally agree and I also think the fixture list could be more friendly to the well being of our RL players.

Yes a condensed fixture list would benefit both the game and the players

[Exiled Wiganer]

A lot of good points on here, and a spectrum of views. My point about Bateman was the timing of his operations, and whether they suit Wigan's as opposed to the player's self interest rather than how he got injured. There is also the question of recovery times.
In any walk of life, luck can play a part. There must come a point at which the evidence speaks for itself, and we look to replace the existing people with luckier ones.

[SJ]

All the arguments put forward seem credible. Bad luck ? Possibly. Training methods ? Possibly but moving the discussion forward. Could it possibly be the intense physicality of the game itself on these young men's bodies be a factor. Where the welfare of players is or should be paramount perhaps a more stringent investigation of the game as a whole is called for?

[Wigan_forever1985]

All the arguments put forward seem credible. Bad luck ? Possibly. Training methods ? Possibly but moving the discussion forward. Could it possibly be the intense physicality of the game itself on these young men's bodies be a factor. Where the welfare of players is or should be paramount perhaps a more stringent investigation of the game as a whole is called for?

theres one more element here too - weve seen with Wigan in both "crisis" seasons now how most of the players seems to end up fully fit and uninjured at the business end of the season. How much has the complete drain of importance on the regular rounds effected coaches perspective, how many times are they actually injured or just nursing things they would normally play through if the game were important.

Theres certainly a lot less damage done fielding weaker teams now with the structure so forgiving

[Exiled Wiganer]

Yes, it could. It could also be linked to the natural size of many of the team. We have a lot of bulked up second rowers or indeed backs in the squad.

[SJ]

I recall a post asking "was our game getting too.fast. I think it originated from Australia where the poster argued that if the rules of the game ere properly adhered to as opposed to the emphasis on speeding the game up for spectator enjoyment less injuries would accrue. I must say at the time I paid minimal attention to his claims being a strong adherent to a fast game. However the appearance of this present topic has given me cause)1)to recall this post and(2) to give some consideration to the issues now under consideration

[Wigan_forever1985]

I recall a post asking "was our game getting too.fast. I think it originated from Australia where the poster argued that if the rules of the game ere properly adhered to as opposed to the emphasis on speeding the game up for spectator enjoyment less injuries would accrue. I must say at the time I paid minimal attention to his claims being a strong adherent to a fast game. However the appearance of this present topic has given me cause)1)to recall this post and(2) to give some consideration to the issues now under consideration

Think Brian Nobles Bradford team changed the way our sport worked, it was no longer about having little nippy wingers and big cumbersome props, athleticism now is key, weve sort of ended up with teams full of 2nd rowers with the key driver being fast and powerful