All these injuries

[stevethegas]

The League Express reported last week that we had 68 injured first team super league players, when at the same time last year it was 45, and that was before McIlorum was sidelined. 45 is too many, but why are we getting so many more?
The only thing that seems different this season is that effectively we have an 11 metre gap at PTB because of the pedantic rule application. Is it just too much? Are the high speed impacts too much too often? Would 8 metres give us a good game with less damage to the athletes who perform for us?
I don't know the answers but the injury problem is not going away and we all need to think about it.

[turf]

Maybe because the athletes are tougher and the games are tougher.

Only a guess though. Sorry.

[nathan_rugby]

players are getting bigger and stronger and developing better techniques.

[turf]

See, said my post was just a guess!!

[shawcross da warrior]

the players are getting bigger and bigger year in year out...

and like it says on a previous post techniques are being altered to perfection so more people ar ebeing hit alot harder....

[turf]

the players are getting bigger and bigger year in year out...

and like it says on a previous post techniques are being altered to perfection so more people ar ebeing hit alot harder....

Meaning???

[mike binder]

the wet pitches are not helping are they and cold weather ,i personally think we are getting to many subs in volved and players getting hot and cold

[GeoffN]

And too many games, perhaps?

http://www.wigantoday.net/warriors/Nobl ... 3985566.jp

Brian Noble believes the rugby league season is too long - Warriors' coach has called for the winter break to be extended to allow more time for players to recover from the physical demands taking an ever-increasing toll on their bodies.

Wigan are not alone on the injury front.
There are 76 Super League players currently sidelined, and the increasing number of fixtures is being blamed.

At the start of Super League in 1996, clubs played 22 games with no play-offs, while the Challenge Cup was a stand-alone pre-season tournament.

Now there are 27 Super League fixtures with the Challenge Cup and a Grand Final run-in chucked into the mix.

Last season, Warriors played 34 games Noble added: "We don't have enough time to prepare players for internationals, especially those regularly called up at Test level.

[butt monkey]

And too many games, perhaps?

http://www.wigantoday.net/warriors/Nobl ... 3985566.jp

Brian Noble believes the rugby league season is too long - Warriors' coach has called for the winter break to be extended....

Blah blah blah, so why play pre-season friendlies and testimonials? This all smacks of the same hypocrisy that is continually extolled from so-called top football managers.

Perhaps Noble et all would like to withdraw from the Challenge Cup in order to "save and freshen" the players for the league? Not likely!

All the club's moaned about not having enough home fixtures to pay wages etc. Now a few injuries later and the clubs are complaining again!

They will not be happy until Wigan only play Stains 24 times a year (home and away Bulls V Leeds etc) with fans paying Chelsea priced entrance fees .

[GeoffN]

All the club's moaned about not having enough home fixtures to pay wages etc. Now a few injuries later and the clubs are complaining again!

Fair point, but two different sets of people complaining. The Club Chairmen are the ones who want more games to get more income; the club coaches are more worried about their players' health.

There's no easy answer, of course, but I can see both points of view.