James Rahme - Sea Eagles Head Physiotherapist

[Ryan]

First of all, I preface this with I'm not having a go at anyone. I have 0 idea about injury, rehabilitation, fitness and all that.

Just seems to me, that as a club, year on year, we are grossly beaten up with all types of injuries, strains, conditions, breaks, tears etc etc. Understand that's part of football, but it also feels as though our club struggles through these areas much more than most other clubs (and we tend to not fare too well as a result, due a lack of depth).

It also seems we "generally & overall" have delays in the return of our players, "some" players return on time, and it's very rare to get a surprise return. As an example, Curtis Sironen's return date has been pushed out a further week for the past three weeks.

Surely there are more accurate measures? Why are we always so busted? Why are our dates so inaccurate? Is James Rahme conservative (which could actually be a good thing)? Does anyone know what his background is? What were his results?

Manly Sea Eagles​

• Taniela Paseka (head knock, TBC)
• Martin Taupau (head knock, round 10)
• Curtis Sironen (knee, round 10) - obviously not
• Dylan Walker (hamstring, round 10-12) - obviously not
• Karl Lawton (Achilles, round 11-12)
• Jack Gosiewski (foot, round 17)
• Josh Aloiai (wrist, round 20)
• Andrew Davey (knee, season)
• Morgan Boyle (shoulder, season)
• Manase Fainu (stood down, indefinite)

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

It's a fair question, why we have so many injuries, seemingly each year. Because there is actually dollars and cents at stake, I assume we don't skimp in the area of player preparation and injury prevention.
However it's a stark contrast with Storm for example.
I actually find it reassuring (in a perverse way) that the billionaire-owned Chooks have also had a bad year with injuries.
edit in other words, its just a violent and dangerous sport!

 

[Ryan]

I do know he worked for The Bulldogs for around 9 years (from around 2010), and in the later years, they also had a horrendous injury list (especially in the later years), with players also having very delayed return dates.

A lot of people blamed this on their more recent down turn. Maybe just bad luck I suppose.

But as you said @SeaEagleRock8 not sure if it's a thing you can control in this sport. I just kind of hope it's a thing you can "mitigate' when it comes to time spent off field (or reducing non active days played). I hope this is a KRA for James (as long as it doesn't interfere with duty of care).

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Storm are leaders in this area without shadow of a doubt. Whether by science or corruption, (sorry shouldn't even have raised that possibility just because of their record of deliberate cheating, it's coincidence I'm sure, almost sure)

 

[Shnorky]

I mentioned in another thread that wrong way Sirro had a niggle in opposite hammy to his injured leg from compensating for the injury. Hell be back next week or for marks sake @next week. That doesn't answer the rest of the question though

 

[Will on the hill]

In a full contact sport injury can be managed but not prevented. Luck is a huge part of it. Look at the roosters, uncle Nick ensures they have all the resources money can buy and it doesn't help them in the face of a few injuries to key players.

As far as the clubs that have fewer injuries and are winning consistently, it is a Chicken/Egg situation. Do they get fewer injuries because they are good or are they good because they were lucky enough to have fewer injuries?

 

[grassy]

To avoid injury you have to play smart at the very least. Lets admit though, the last few years our players have not exactly been the sharpest in the brains department no matter how we look at it. Your career outlook has to be the starting point and by geez some of our players have made a balls up of that. If Cameron Smith can go through his career with limited injuries then why cant we. As far as returning on time, there can be a number of issues also due to giving some other player a run and an opportunity to play first grade. Politics of the game or simply not recovering quick enough. Risk of further injury. God only knows.

 

[Loobs]

We have signed guys that aren’t as durable, Siro is a classic example. He was getting injured a lot before he came and when he gets injured now, they might slap on a recovery time that is standard but everyone heals at different rates.

Some players are just genetically superior to others and can withstand the grind of the game just fine. Flip side is some are weaker. Same for pain tolerance.

The physio is down the pecking order in blame. They are the person you go to once your injury has been diagnosed and graded for severity etc. What they do is pretty standard, not cutting edge kind of stuff unless they’re getting into the peptide or SARM’s side…

 

[HK_Eagle]

I mentioned in another thread that wrong way Sirro had a niggle in opposite hammy to his injured leg from compensating for the injury. Hell be back next week or for marks sake @next week. That doesn't answer the rest of the question though

Hmm, fascinating. I see Sirro had to compensate while out injured and healing. What do all the other injured players do?

 

[castle eagle]

Storm are leaders in this area without shadow of a doubt. Whether by science or corruption, (sorry shouldn't even have raised that possibility just because of their record of deliberate cheating, it's coincidence I'm sure, almost sure)

storm don't have the amount of injuries because they are the team renowned for causing injuries to their opposition through questionable tactics

 

[Bearfax]

Noted also Penrith seem to have few injuries this year.

 

[47MVEagle]

I reckon a major part of it's luck, combined with other reasons like recruiting injury-prone players.

We're also much more aware of our players' injuries as we're fans of the team.

As also mentioned, some players are just genetically superior & either rarely get injured or recover faster from injuries than other players.

 

[Waz13]

storm don't have the amount of injuries because they are the team renowned for causing injuries to their opposition through questionable tactics

Tgey are starting to get them now. Pap, grant, Lee probs some others I can’t think of. It’s just in the past their stars never got injured. We have had a few terrible years in a row now. Seems to be the same guys too Tom, Walker, Siro, Jetski. Jake, dce Marty always seem to play tho. Marty a few head knocks tho. All teams get them, it’s a matter of when not if these days. Look at warriors, knights and sone other sides. We are faring ok on the table given who we’ve had out. I’d hope we are fit when it matters because it doesn’t take much to derail even the top teams. Take 5 or 6 out of that starting Penrith or Storm side and see how they fair. Us at full strength vs Penrith without Cleary, fisher Harris, Yeo, Crichton and Too is a very different ball game.

 

[TagMonster]

Honestly, with a number of the guys coming back, would they automatically slot in? You dropping Harper for an 80% Walker right now? I'd suggest they are being conservative because they can be right now.

One stat that stood out I saw recently, injuries are up something like 115% this year. In increase in game speed is affecting across the board. Teams like Penrith that have something like the youngest average age are obviously less hurt because of this.

Honestly, so long as Turbo stays healthy we have a fighting chance. Without him...........

 

[globaleagle]

First of all, I preface this with I'm not having a go at anyone. I have 0 idea about injury, rehabilitation, fitness and all that.

Just seems to me, that as a club, year on year, we are grossly beaten up with all types of injuries, strains, conditions, breaks, tears etc etc. Understand that's part of football, but it also feels as though our club struggles through these areas much more than most other clubs (and we tend to not fare too well as a result, due a lack of depth).

It also seems we "generally & overall" have delays in the return of our players, "some" players return on time, and it's very rare to get a surprise return. As an example, Curtis Sironen's return date has been pushed out a further week for the past three weeks.

Surely there are more accurate measures? Why are we always so busted? Why are our dates so inaccurate? Is James Rahme conservative (which could actually be a good thing)? Does anyone know what his background is? What were his results?

Manly Sea Eagles​

• Taniela Paseka (head knock, TBC)
• Martin Taupau (head knock, round 10)
• Curtis Sironen (knee, round 10) - obviously not
• Dylan Walker (hamstring, round 10-12) - obviously not
• Karl Lawton (Achilles, round 11-12)
• Jack Gosiewski (foot, round 17)
• Josh Aloiai (wrist, round 20)
• Andrew Davey (knee, season)
• Morgan Boyle (shoulder, season)
• Manase Fainu (stood down, indefinite)

I'm not discounting your question but I see you put "obviously not" next to only 2 players who were 'obv not' James fault, but surely the list should actually read....

• Taniela Paseka (head knock, TBC) - obviously not
• Martin Taupau (head knock, round 10)- obviously not
• Curtis Sironen (knee, round 10) - obviously not
• Dylan Walker (hamstring, round 10-12) - obviously not
• Karl Lawton (Achilles, round 11-12)- obviously not
• Jack Gosiewski (foot, round 17)
• Josh Aloiai (wrist, round 20)
• Andrew Davey (knee, season)
• Morgan Boyle (shoulder, season)
• Manase Fainu (stood down, indefinite)- obviously not

Surely we're not saying it was James' fault for Fainu (though he did need shoulder surgery), Lawton who Manly bought injured (unless your questioning a slow re-hab), Paseka who copped a footy in the noggin (and is yet to be ruled out) and Marty who copped a high shot?

I totally understand you're not having a go (I agree) yet that amended list shows 4 from 30 (not bad).

We've all felt the frustration of seemingly year after year of injuries. Drives me crazy as well.

Was it 2011 (or 2013) we didn't have many and made the GF?

I'm not sure if it is the Manly's physio's fault, or the game's rule changes, but like all good organisations, questions should be continuously asked and best practises implemented.....

So the question is a good one to ponder.

edit: As for his background, linkedIn will show his previous experience plus:
B App Sc Ex Sports Sc. Mst Physio seems to be his quals.

Other than that..I dunno

As for why are the dates always wrong (one of your actual questions, lol) - I dunno either!

Maybe it's just to throw other teams in 2 minds. Maybe the dates are accurate but the player does something stupid which sets him back a week or two, maybe when the player is ready the team is winning so they keep them out for that week under the guise of just to be sure, but in reality the stand in is player better than you...!

Though - I would like a milkshake for lunch.

 

[jamesie]

We have signed guys that aren’t as durable, Siro is a classic example. He was getting injured a lot before he came and when he gets injured now, they might slap on a recovery time that is standard but everyone heals at different rates.

Some players are just genetically superior to others and can withstand the grind of the game just fine. Flip side is some are weaker. Same for pain tolerance.

The physio is down the pecking order in blame. They are the person you go to once your injury has been diagnosed and graded for severity etc. What they do is pretty standard, not cutting edge kind of stuff unless they’re getting into the peptide or SARM’s side…

Totally agree Loobs. Apart from Siro I will give you 2 more examples, Jetski and Lance who were injured a lot with their previous clubs. We basically play with a 27 man squad the last few years. Lets see how Lawton fares over the next few years

 

[Loobs]

Totally agree Loobs. Apart from Siro I will give you 2 more examples, Jetski and Lance who were injured a lot with their previous clubs. We basically play with a 27 man squad the last few years. Lets see how Lawton fares over the next few years

And of course Foz this go around. It's part of the strategy I guess where the club looks to fill out roster spots on the cheap. Reason they are cheap is because they break down a lot. If you can get a lot of games out of them - you win. If you don't, it's less of a burden - unless you have too many of them and not enough depth, or those guys get injured along with your more expensive/quality signings...

 

[The Who]

One thing that I doubt many posters have considered is the durability of DCE. He never shirks his defence and is key to our attack. He also plays rep footy. Yet I doubt he has missed more than a handful of matches since he joined the club.
Is there something about his build? Scan Smith is the ultimate uninjured example, and he again is not a muscle-bound Amazon.
The possibility is that the more muscles you have the greater the chance one or more of them will get injured. Plus, the faster you run the greater likelihood that you will sustain leg injuries.

 

[maxta]

There's many so many other Injury various factors that can range from -

• Game plan - "Coaching"
• Training regime and recovery - "Coaching and Trainers"
• Habits - "Personal" - Eating/drinking and lifestyle (partying)
• Confidence - "Personal" - Far more chance of injury half hearted/unconfident
• New Rules - "Coaching and Trainers" - Adapting to the fast pace/endurance, body conditioning.
• Grounds - "NRL, Groundsmen, Clubs" - Some shocking grounds, loose turf, uneven ect
• Luck - "The Casino" - Injuries happen, it's close to the most brutal contact sport on earth.....as example the Roosters have had a Golden run and with the same coaches, trainers and medical staff , have had a wretched recent run.

 

[Kevinward777]

I do know he worked for The Bulldogs for around 9 years (from around 2010), and in the later years, they also had a horrendous injury list (especially in the later years), with players also having very delayed return dates.

A lot of people blamed this on their more recent down turn. Maybe just bad luck I suppose.

But as you said @SeaEagleRock8 not sure if it's a thing you can control in this sport. I just kind of hope it's a thing you can "mitigate' when it comes to time spent off field (or reducing non active days played). I hope this is a KRA for James (as long as it doesn't interfere with duty of care).

The seemingly continual delay in players returning can be annoying at times, particularly when it's a player like Turbo. I'm not sure whether other clubs go through a similar process.