Why are there so many injuries?

[The Who]

This season seems worse than ever. All teams are suffering, particularly Manly, Cronulla, Souffs and the 'Riff.
Let's consider why, and some possible solutions to reducing the injury toll....
IMO there are several reasons for the widespread injuries:
1. Players are bigger, stronger and faster yet the football field has remained the same size. A possible solution would be to drop teams to 12 players (getting rid of the lock), thus providing a little more space and opening the chances of the speed men, and reducing the number of collisions and the three-man tackles/wrestles.
2. The growing number of Polynesians in the sport who, generally speaking, prefer to crash through than sidestep around. These guys love collisions and it is reeking havoc. The solution (as above) is to have one less forward in the team, and also reduce the number of interchanges to four.
3. Professional players are being trained with a mindset of a professional soldier. Never give in. Never show fear. Put your body on the line. Follow orders. Don't think too much, just do what your coach has trained you to do. The result is that their bodies can't maintain their 'go hard at all times' brainwashing.
4. Players are obviously being rushed back from injuries before they have fully recovered, such is the pressure on winning matches. A possible help with this would be to increase the number of players in a squad to, say, 35, so that there are more reserves to call in as replacements. It would mean increasing the salary cap.

Thoughts?

 

[Simonmyers11]

It would help if state of origin was a stand alone fixture. A few extra bye rds would help.

 

[ricardo]

It's because we had a guy with a beard as fitness trainer last year

 

[The '47ers]

Nah, kids these days are just soft

 

[HappilyManly]

Gang tackle known as the wrestle 😡

The size and speed also causes these broken bone injuries every round now.

Reynold's knee injury yesterday was due to his leg getting caught between 2 other players' legs.

1 on 1 tackles are but a memory 🙁

 

[The Wheel]

Brookie Oval turf is the main contributor if you ask Slothful, Kunt and Pooper!

Like look at at the ACLs that have occurred in recent games thee even Parker’s broken jaw was caused by a Brookvale Blade of Grass

 

[Woodsie]

Nah, kids these days are just soft

Spot on! .... we didn't even have Cinymoses or pecktorals back in the day ..... wee Jessies all of them ....

.. and the fact that they are piling 100kg's of muscle on 60 kg frames .... their own power is ripping their skeletons and bodies apart ...while 4 other muscle bound behemoths are trying to rip them in 4 diffrent directions ... and don't worry ... if they get tired doing it we will send another fresh 4 out to do it agaain ....

 

[pt73]

Gang tackle known as the wrestle 😡

The size and speed also causes these broken bone injuries every round now.

Reynold's knee injury yesterday was due to his leg getting caught between 2 other players' legs.

1 on 1 tackles are but a memory 🙁

I’m surprised there aren’t more knee and leg injuries from the NRL allowing two tacklers up top with a third coming in later around the knees/legs, so much for player safety.

Added to that the almost non existent policing of blatant flops like the one Fifita Floparelli did on Dylan last week.

 

[The better Robbo]

This season seems worse than ever. All teams are suffering, particularly Manly, Cronulla, Souffs and the 'Riff.
Let's consider why, and some possible solutions to reducing the injury toll....
IMO there are several reasons for the widespread injuries:
1. Players are bigger, stronger and faster yet the football field has remained the same size. A possible solution would be to drop teams to 12 players (getting rid of the lock), thus providing a little more space and opening the chances of the speed men, and reducing the number of collisions and the three-man tackles/wrestles.
2. The growing number of Polynesians in the sport who, generally speaking, prefer to crash through than sidestep around. These guys love collisions and it is reeking havoc. The solution (as above) is to have one less forward in the team, and also reduce the number of interchanges to four.
3. Professional players are being trained with a mindset of a professional soldier. Never give in. Never show fear. Put your body on the line. Follow orders. Don't think too much, just do what your coach has trained you to do. The result is that their bodies can't maintain their 'go hard at all times' brainwashing.
4. Players are obviously being rushed back from injuries before they have fully recovered, such is the pressure on winning matches. A possible help with this would be to increase the number of players in a squad to, say, 35, so that there are more reserves to call in as replacements. It would mean increasing the salary cap.

Thoughts?

A bit of everything.
*note. We already have 6 development players we can use so technically already have 36. players
*Gang tackles
*The way they are coached.
*They are alot more physically fit and strong nowadays

 

[Scorpio]

Thoughts?

- Turning men who in another life might only be 75kg into 105kg athletes who run through brick walls for a living is bound to cause physical issues. In many cases they are still growing when this process happens.

- Said athletes then get wrestled and landed on by several other 105kg (sometimes heavier) dudes, add in a few twists and pulls and that will do it.

Having said that, I know people whose kids (who play sport but not rugby league) have torn their ACL at age 10 requiring surgery. This is increasingly common so I am not sure what you can attribute it to.

 

[MadMarcus]

It’s Craig Bellamy”s fault

 

[Briza]

Reduce the interchange, and take it back to 5m rule.

 

[Eagle thru 'n' thru]

This season seems worse than ever. All teams are suffering, particularly Manly, Cronulla, Souffs and the 'Riff.
Let's consider why, and some possible solutions to reducing the injury toll....
IMO there are several reasons for the widespread injuries:
1. Players are bigger, stronger and faster yet the football field has remained the same size. A possible solution would be to drop teams to 12 players (getting rid of the lock), thus providing a little more space and opening the chances of the speed men, and reducing the number of collisions and the three-man tackles/wrestles.
2. The growing number of Polynesians in the sport who, generally speaking, prefer to crash through than sidestep around. These guys love collisions and it is reeking havoc. The solution (as above) is to have one less forward in the team, and also reduce the number of interchanges to four.
3. Professional players are being trained with a mindset of a professional soldier. Never give in. Never show fear. Put your body on the line. Follow orders. Don't think too much, just do what your coach has trained you to do. The result is that their bodies can't maintain their 'go hard at all times' brainwashing.
4. Players are obviously being rushed back from injuries before they have fully recovered, such is the pressure on winning matches. A possible help with this would be to increase the number of players in a squad to, say, 35, so that there are more reserves to call in as replacements. It would mean increasing the salary cap.

Thoughts?

Point 1, I like. 12 aside with the lock being omitted. Increase the reserve from 4 to 5. I wouldn't mind the 5 metre rule aswell.

 

[Brissie Kid]

Calf roping & kit-kat tackles. Like the one that got DCE.

The tackler throws their full body weight on the ball carriers legs and then tries to pull them over their body. Jambs down on lower legs all the time. Snap!

Get rid of the 10m rule. Have both referees back 5m on defence AND attack. You still get the 10m space, but no need for the wrestle to slow down the play the ball.

 

[ManEagle]

All fair points I think the the major issue is as has been said, the bulk the players now carry and the gang tackles specially those where the 3rd player is gunning for the legs. The wrestle and twisting the frames during the tackle also.

When halfbacks are now as big as centers and wingers, and centers as big as forwards and forwards..... well as big Andre the Giant all on growing bodies and fresh as daises all match due to interchange, asking for trouble with injuries.

Reducing interchange is one way without any game changing controversial rules, but you are right they are bigger and faster so reducing the players to 12 may have merit.

 

[47MVEagle]

I think it's a combination of all of the above but mainly the size & strength of players these days.

Ever since RL players became fulltime professionals the benefits of technology & sports science have resulted in bigger, faster, stronger players.

Add to that the hunger (a mental strength/discipline) required to reach elite level & you've got a very potent combination of mental & physical strength.

I think we're reaching the point of critical mass & the NRL will have to start making adjustments to reduce injuries, along the lines of what you've already suggested (less players/larger playing field, less interchanges, deeper squad) as well as modifying tackling style (I thought they'd banned the prowler/cannonball tackle but you still see it happen albeit with less force than before).

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

I think it's a combination of all of the above but mainly the size & strength of players these days.

This. Rugby league has always been hard on a body, but players today are so big and so strong it's inevitable they're going to do more damage to each other.

 

[brad]

A bit of everything.
*note. We already have 6 development players we can use so technically already have 36. players
*Gang tackles
*The way they are coached.
*They are alot more physically fit and strong nowadays

Penrith also have some dramas after the other nite , Blake and Whare gone indefinitely.

 

[Narly]

This season seems worse than ever. All teams are suffering, particularly Manly, Cronulla, Souffs and the 'Riff.
Let's consider why, and some possible solutions to reducing the injury toll....
IMO there are several reasons for the widespread injuries:
1. Players are bigger, stronger and faster yet the football field has remained the same size. A possible solution would be to drop teams to 12 players (getting rid of the lock), thus providing a little more space and opening the chances of the speed men, and reducing the number of collisions and the three-man tackles/wrestles.
2. The growing number of Polynesians in the sport who, generally speaking, prefer to crash through than sidestep around. These guys love collisions and it is reeking havoc. The solution (as above) is to have one less forward in the team, and also reduce the number of interchanges to four.
3. Professional players are being trained with a mindset of a professional soldier. Never give in. Never show fear. Put your body on the line. Follow orders. Don't think too much, just do what your coach has trained you to do. The result is that their bodies can't maintain their 'go hard at all times' brainwashing.
4. Players are obviously being rushed back from injuries before they have fully recovered, such is the pressure on winning matches. A possible help with this would be to increase the number of players in a squad to, say, 35, so that there are more reserves to call in as replacements. It would mean increasing the salary cap.

Thoughts?

According to the Daily telecrap, its a Brookvale Oval hoodo that is spreading to all the grounds.

 

[Spartan Eagle]

Darius Boyd has worked out the solution..he just avoids putting his body on the line.