Are they an absolutely given in our game or can something be done? That’s what I ponder about in this week’s damo bit - leeds.rlfans.com/readarticle.php?article_id=1606 I want our game to be rough and tough – but not at the expense of injuries. What do you think?

Are they an absolutely given in our game or can something be done? That’s what I ponder about in this week’s damo bit - leeds.rlfans.com/readarticle.php?article_id=1606 I want our game to be rough and tough – but not at the expense of injuries. What do you think?

It's sport!
Injuries are part of all sport, that's what happens when a human body is pushed to the limit.

I swam to a good internatonal level. It's a non contact sport but as a result dislocated my shoulder, tore a hamstring, have a tiny bit of cartlige left in one knee have tendinitis in both shoulders and dislocated and broke a few fingers. In a non contact sport.

It's just part of having to get your body ready for high level sport.

Likehigh peformace cars. Right at the edge of ultimate performace and breaking

My body certainly wasn’t right for rugby league as I am a lax exerciser. I agree that wear and tear is a part of playing sport. But they must be something to prevent the most serious of injuries. Obviously I never want sport to become another extreme health and safety victim to the point where we are playing tag rugby. I even acknowledge that measures are put in place to prevent pressure on ligaments – but is this been taken seriously?

Obviously I’m not an expert and just going on experiences. But I do think that some things can be prevented if measures are put into place. We’ll have to phase these measures into the game overtime in order not to decline the game in the short term through over trying.

Surely you can't be serious about this?? The split second between a player getting the ball and opposition lining up the tackle make it impossible for them to decide "oh, i'll be gentle with this man in the tackle because he has a weak spot from an injury"

going easy on someone will result in you getting hurt yourself. Play hard or lose

Bad tackles ie chicken wing undue pressure on joints etc should be punished harder to make sure they are pretty much erradicated but you can't "go easy" on some players.
Outlaw and punish severly dirty challenges the rest of injuries just through playing you just have to live with

I've long since stopped caring what motivates Damo to write such drivel and just choose to embrace it.

Always though provoking, always challenging, always bonkers. I remain a huge fan of his work.

I have never read so much drivel in my life! He'll want 'touch & pass' next.

LOL, I know people who have broken bones playing that....

I have yet to play a game of touch and pass that hasn't ended in full contact!!

Bit of exercise, and your body would change. Then you would be able to play. Just think of the extra insight into the game that would give you.

often wonder how good some of the old greats would have been in todays game with all the added sports science diet etc...

I remember when all props were fat but the played all game and looking back were suprisingly nimble!!'

I think it’s about mentality more than anything. Back in the day you had to rely on your own will to get you through the game. These days sports science is supposed to see you through the game.

It's all relative - how fast/fit/strong/skillful you are to your opponent.

That's a fair point I hadn't considered. Like Damo said aswell there is a eliment of mental toughness. Some modern props get through 80mins as well as can be seen in jp from time to time

Injuries have become a frustrating by-product of the summer game.

The advent of full time professionalism has seen a huge leap in both physical & mental approach to the game, added to strict nutrition & diet plans enabling players to become faster, stronger & physically bigger than ever before. Something will have to give (just not sure what) as it is becoming a detriment to the game having so many players on the treatment table at any one time. It could almost be argued now that the team with the least injuries in a season is the team most likely to become champions. The only possible change I can think of is reverting to the 5m rule at the ptb, I certainly wouldn't want to see any less intensity though - that (for me) is what makes the game so appealing

I was reading an eminent physiologists paper on this a while back. That eminent I forget his name, but he had an impressive array of letters after his name anyhow.

It all comes down to physics and one fact, you can't train tendons and ligaments.

The physics of Karl Harrison and Kelvin Skerrett hitting each other and the physics of Mark O'Meley and Tony Puletua hitting each other are the same only the mass and acceleration figures in the latter are higher. The percentage body fat into which Harrison and Skerrett could disipate shock just are not present in the modern player. So the shock is born by the muscles of the athlete, which puts strain on the ligaments that anchor them to bones. And they can come off, not to mention tear to bits.

Damo makes a good point. Are injuries part of the game, yes they are, but ones as serious as we see nowadays? Not necessarily so. I don't know what the answer is but the game gettting faster and more intense coupled with better training and diet not just for the pro player but across the board, means that the collision is now akin to a car crash at times. This concept of "resting" your big lads might have more to do with common sense than we might think.