Quote Sal Paradise="Sal Paradise"The players are only playing once a week - are we seriously suggesting the players are not fit enough to play once a week?
Good job these guys don't play in the NRL - one in three games in SL are a coasting exercise - are we seriously suggesting the likes of Sinfield - who has just had two games off - needs resting, same can be said of Moon, Burrow who has had 10 weeks off?'"
Some weeks they're fit enough, others not. It's not about fitness in the sense as we usually think of it, as in can they run enough etc. Its the physical toll a game takes on the players body. That toll gets greater and greater each season as teams improve and sports science/conditioners/modern coaching gets players to play faster, harder and smarter.
Taking a Friday to Friday game schedule, the players are usually in recovery training up until Wednesday. Obviously that's an average, some weeks they can do more earlier in the week, some weeks less. And obviously some players recover quicker than others and some players have higher game workloads than others. It's actually a coaching objective/guidance for Peacock to reduce his game workload.
The players, especially the forwards, take huge stresses on their bodies during games. In the Wire game at home this year Peacock took 30 impacts each equivalent to a 30 mph car crash. And that wasn't an unheard of figure.
Michael Monaghan is retiring because of too many blows to the head, another aspect to the fitness issue too.
Is it any wonder some need resting after a tough game? Especially those in their 30's?
I'm sure some of them could have played, but surely we want them in as good a physical condition for Wembley as possible?
As for the NRL, it's not an equal comparison as they have bigger squads, a reserves comp, fewer games and bye weeks plus it's a different style of play. And there haven't been many games this season in which Leeds could cruise. As I said on another thread not long ago, there are roughly just as many blowout scorelines in the NRL as in SL.
Add in the cumulative effect of several seasons of large amounts of games, the cumulative effect of games within a season, minor injuries not given chance to recover from and I'm not suprised we have times in the season where 8/9/10 players are injured.
As I said, I'm sure some could have played today, but do we want them to or do they benefit more from a week off and be in much, much better physical condition than they would have been for the final.
Some people see it as disrespecting SL to play a weakened team in that game, well you could also see it as disrespecting the Cup to play a strong team in the London game.