Number of games missed through injury (SL and CC):

Tony - 23
Calderwood - 7
Byrne - 26
Yeaman - 6
Raynor - 13
R Horne - 3
Dowes - 5
Berrigan - 6
Cussack - 16
Radford - 1
Whiting - 3
Washbrook - 12
Manu - 4
G Horne - 4
Thackray - 8
King - 5
Briscoe - 15
Burnett - 7
Lauaki - 5

TOTAL: 169 (Average of 6 injured per game).

Add to that the unavailability of Crocker for the full season, Lauaki for 18 games waiting for his visa and games were players have played having not been 100% on return from injury. We're definately due some luck in 2010.

Main stats for me were quoted by Phil Clark on Friday night. We have made the second most yards going forward in the league. Yet our half backs have created just 83 tries.

Now I have not seen these stats written down in black and white. But if these are true then it makes all of the people who feel that our halves have struggled behind a beaten pack need to re-think their arguements.

Clarky also stated our defence is similar to our 2006 season. Just shows how lateral we have been and so easy to defend against in the opposition half.

What about Thorman , have you erased him from your memory already?

Not sure he was injured, which is what the OP was on about

Lack of a game plan might have something to do with our lack of invention?

Another Stat

Since the lucky year of 2005 you've won feck all

I'd be worrying about your lot if I were you

Since winning the hubcap last year, neither have you, if you want to get stupid about it.

As I've been saying for the last 2 years, our go-forward has been fine, its getting over the line thats the problem.

Well I think his feelings have been hurt

Indeed.

Didn't we win the Carnegie thing a few weeks back?

And the fairplay index league thingymebob!

Succesful season if you ask me!

Lasty said on KCFM last night that we've had 15 combinations at 1,6,7 & 9 this year.

And our defence, which has been shocking in the last two years.

Whiting has only missed 3?

He's missed more, but that was down to not being selected as he wasn't match fit, rather than being injured. I tried to base it on their inavailability for selection.

How about this stat:
We need a proven quality coach to get the best out of the players at his disposal.

All of them have been garbage!!

While injuries have been a factor I still maintain that better coaches would have got more out of the available players, we still have some fine players in the squad.

In a lot of games our defence was fine but we had no idea with ball in hand, fair enough if we have to use makeshift HB's but how about some planned moves (and the inside ball to Danny Tickle on the burst doesn't count) ? We are all over Hudds at home for the first 20 minutes, other teams would have scored at least 3 tries, we got nowt. On most occasions when we get in the "red zone" we don't even manage to get a repeat set of six because we are so clueless and our tactical kickings so appalling. You have to ask yourself what they do at training all week.

Spot on, the 17 we have put out there for every single game has been good enough to win that game imo, with the correct coaching and tactical approach to the game.

Whilst I agree about the coaching issues I also think it doesnt necessarily matter how good the 17 players are if there is no continuity. To have 6 different full backs and a silly amount of half combinations couldnt possibly bring instant success because we have never had a settled team all season.

I cant remember a single game when our squad numbers 1-7 played together never mind for a sustained period!

Having said that a quality number 6 I still believe is needed for next season to work along side Long. If we are hoping for Long to lead the attack single handedly then we may be in for more disappointment.

I agree to some extent about continuity, but to counter argue that, what do the players do in training? Every game last year our 6 and 7 didnt even look like they knew each other. We didnt put 2 passes together. I dont blame continuity there, i blame a lack of basic skills and poor preperation/training.

I suppose its similar to when Leeds play without Sinfield or Saints are missing Long and Cunningham.The players that come in are still skillful and obviously train together but the team simply do not function as well together.

Its no surprise to me that the top 4-5 teams in super league also have the most settled pivotal postions over the season.

Saints? Theyve not had settled pivots all year. (but i agree in general)

The issue for me is when those clubs lose their pivots they still play to the same game plan and look like they know each other. They dont do things as slick but they can still pass the ball. We just lose all ability to do anything.