To reply to both Fumbles and pHyR3, being down the bottom of the NRL is still being within the most elite rugby league competition in the world. Similarly, our team might be the second worst in the NRL 2013, but that's still 15th best in the world's premier RL competition.
Sure nobody in the NRL can rival what Man U or the NFL clubs have going around, but all NRL clubs are elite-level for our sport.
To think that changing the rehab guy or doctor is gonna stop the injuries, is just so naive. Remember these are the same chaps who were also responsible for the years we didn't have such bad injury tolls, like 2005 and 2011.
Look, for example, at the Broncos who make more profit and spend more on football operations than any other club - they ended season 2013 with 5 season-ending first grade injuries. Raiders had 10, Titans had 7, Warriors had 7, Dragons had 8\. Tigers had… 7 (not including Mosese), about par with other clubs.
No, injuries are going to happen and you are going to get periodic runs of them. Even recurrences of injury aren't necessarily the fault of the club doctor. Sometimes you just have to accept that Hodges and Lawrence have dodgy hammies, Moltzen is prone to ACLs, Benny Barba has a shifty ankle, Benji had bung shoulders etc.
Staff changes 2013 are just part of the general club overhaul, of letting Potter make appointments that he works best with and to shake things up, bring in new ideas and new energy. It’s not as if Kuah and Leeds were the only folks moved on this year. It’s also not as if Kuah and Lees weren’t appropriately qualified.
The reason I get so annoyed by the type of comments seen in this thread, is that people seem to honestly believe that a bad injury toll is someone’s fault. They seem to think that NRL clubs employ amateurs who have no idea how to prevent and treat injuries. By corollary, there also appears the suggestion that injuries can be negated with just the right preparation and training and facilities.
No friends, this is a contact sport. The only way to stop players getting hurt is to stop sending them out onto the field. In some ways it is like war – if you commit to a battle, some soldiers are going to get hurt, regardless of their tech or training.
I mean, you do understand don’t you? The opposition are going out there to intentionally hurt our players. How many times can you withstand an opponent’s strike before you are damaged?
The last thing I wanted to note is that when it comes to player welfare and performance, the core ideas are still very basic, very fundamental components. When you get injured, you apply ice and elevate. When you get a cut, you sew it shut. When you suffer a break, you set it and wait. When you want someone to be good at running long distances, you make them practice long distances. When you want someone to be strong, you make them lift heavy things. Sure, a few bits of tech here and there can gain that extra few percent, but that isn’t going to stop the injuries.
Rant over.
