Absolutely it's fair to say the lad is injury prone. I am saying exactly that most of those injuries are just bad luck though, yes. It happens.

Maybe made worse by the fact he plays so hard and puts himself through it.

If Stevie decides enough is enough, of course that's a decision for him, he's free to do that. It's ironic, if you don't mind me saying, that you cite mental health issues when there are plenty calling for the poor lad to be effectively sacked because he suffered an impact-type injury again while spilling his guts for the club. That is pressure isn't it?

The whole problem is unfortunate, the player doesn't want to be injured, he wants to be playing, does the club have a duty of care to the player do they have loyalty to the player the answer is yes they should, however there are two sides to every story and while I would hope Leeds do support Ward, they also have to realise that the club is a business, and that the business only succeeds when they are playing well. It was Sinfield who said last season that there was a lot of the salary cap sat in the stand, its the same again with the same players including Ward. Are the demands of SL too much for him, not everyone can choose to retire when they want to, they all cant make it to age 35, and what is the best for SW, on the other side of the coin the club needs to be successful we owe a load of money to the bank, in effect the bank owns us, they need a packed stadium they need a successful team what they cannot afford it to serve up dross like on Friday and expect the stadium to be full every week. What will happen to SW will be made as a financial decision for the club. They will support him but decisions will have to be made for the long term future for Ward and the short term future of the club.
Does anyone know if the club insure the payers income against long term injury.

If we do we lost our no claims bonus on this one some time ago!

I do understand that players need to be playing, I’m sure the club and the players themselves feel the same. I don’t think we win the 2017 GF without Ward’s superhuman efforts - unless the lad physically can’t go on he’d have a place in the team for me.

Winning cultures for me are hard-earned and long-term, not transactional. Wire have tried buying success and it hasn’t really worked yet. Ward is home-grown, and is one of the few genuine quality players we have. Sport shouldn’t just be about the dollars and the results alone; controversial I know.

I wouldn’t like to be an employee of some you hard geezers!

On the subject of Ward being a 6.I have said before he should have been and had some good games there at first team level.I don't remember Harris,Kemp,Holmes,Schofield(in his stand off days)Sinfield being blessed with blinding pace

If moving Ward to 6 is the answer, I'm not sure what the question is. He is more of a defensive rock for mine, with some punch in attack and good hands. Backrower all day long IMO.

That's not to say he wouldn't do a job there but moving him is creating other problems to try to solve another (and I don't think it would solve it anyway)…

I hope Ward can come back strong and fit for the second half of the season and have a good run-in.

There's a difference between Ward getting different bad injuries than say a Creasser who kept popping his shoulder time and again.

Ward's been with the club through thick and thin and will rightly see out his current contract. When it comes up for renewal is when this will all be discussed. Anything earlier is ridiculous unless he decides to pull the pin.

It's not a matter of moving him to 6, that ship has sailed. He should have been brought through as a 6, where he was outstanding as a youth. Instead the coaching staff tried to turn him into Brett Delaney, and if you play like Brett Delaney your body will get bashed up, even if you're Brett Delaney.

I guess at the time you've got Sinfield and/or Danny Mags at 6, so that spot was filled. I still don't think Ward is dynamic enough going forward for 6, and I've not really seen his kicking game.

There is no guarantee that playing at 6 would have protected Ward; Danny Mags had quite a few injuries during his time. Plenty of backs get knee injuries. Shoulder injuries maybe tend to happen more in the middle.

Blaming the coaches for Stevie's injuries isn't on the right track IMO. Leeds won titles with Stevie at second row, under McDermott, and had international caps there. Was it the wrong call?

Apart from looking prettier now, there is zero evidence that Leeds post-McDermott has improved one bit in terms of results, I think some need to SUMO. You need a Brett Delaney, JJB, Marc Glanville or two in your side to do the hard work and that's the role Stevie plays very well. Injuries are either a conditioning issue or a luck issue, who knows which - but there's no safe place out on the field either way.

Or you might compare him with John Bateman who's of similar size and plays just as hard and who's got away with it comparatively unscathed.

One thing that is a factor for Ward now is the accumulation of injuries - you get to the point where you're always compensating for an injury, meaning you can be more likely to damage something else, and you end up in a vicious circle. I just don't buy the argument that if only McDermott hadn't played Stevie in such a direct role, he wouldn't be injured now. It is what it is - our issue is more the thin depth of quality we have right now, so that we miss Stevie quite a bit when he is out.

some players are just soft as in brittle not in heart or bravery but just their bodies are not up to it, its just the way it is sometimes, i don't think it is anything to do with were he plays or what role he has, i reckon he would be just as injury prone still. Ii have compared Stevie ward in the past to Nigel wright the worlds most expensive teenager , fantastic talent but like ward used to break down every 4-5 games. he had to retire early, i just cant see ward or the club keep going like this, played 3 1/2 games then out for 14, its just not good, the club may stick by him but clubs will have it in contracts that they can terminate contracts after so long out of the game, just the same as any employer can terminate an employee who is off sick more than they are fit. I just think this may be the last straw.

I do wonder whether it will have crossed Ward’s mind this time. Must be soul destroying for him. At the moment he is due to come back and take part in the second half of the season, if he gets badly injured again before year end maybe that will be the time to consider things.

He is only 25 and could have 5 of his best years ahead of him yet.

Stevie played as a dynamic back rower in his junior amateur career and was signed on that basis. He was played at 6 in the academy "to develop his handling skills" same as Jack Walker and Cameron Smith were subsequently. I recall an interview where he said that he saw himself as a back rower first and foremost.

Did Stevie Ward not play some of his earlier games at hooker, or is my memory playing tricks.
Good luck to the kid with this latest injury, he’s young enough to recover, stand by the lad Leeds he’s a class act.

Stevie Ward has a set-back and needs a further op, says Agar in today's YEP!