The other problem, and one that would be hard to quantify with statistics, was that we always seemed to get more injuries just as key players were coming back. As soon as it seemed that our injury woes were over, we got another couple of key players crocked

That meant there was never any kind of consistency, or ability to be people to pick the same team two weeks running. With so many new players coming into the club at the start of 2011 that must have had an effect

Elima's season ending injury meant he missed two games!!
donaldson was unavilable at start, addy has had time injured, whitehead's 5 weeks out due to concussion

not statistics, but analysis does show. I trawled through the news and squad announcements to see who was injured, and then compared the numbers each round with our league position up till round 24. We were 7th and climbing up the table at one point, and during that time we had just a few injuries. then they did really pile up, to about 7 or 8 of that list, to the point that Tom had to play and Elliot was playing centre, and for a few weeks. And as you say there was no consistency. Down we went. the last game just epitomises the problem: Addy, a loose forward playing hooker as Heath and Matt were crocked, gets crocked, and O'Brien as well. What team can perform to their best without two hookers? So we may not have made the top 4, but the early signs were we would get in the play offs. and I for one do point to the injuries for a major factor (no not the only one) as to why we didnt. The thing that is wrong with my statistic, flat earthers, is that it does not show who is back from injury but not fully fit, Diskin has been referred to, Langley I suspect was well short, etc. As Martin Johnson said, sportsmen are in a grey zone between injured and fit. So for next season along with the new players the most important thing is to avoid the same sort of injury problems.

At some point during the year, we've had:

Paul Wellens
Ade Gardner
Michael Shenton
Sia Soliola
Francis Meli
Leon Pryce
Kyle Eastmond
Josh Perry
James Graham
Tony Puletua
Jon Wilkin
Chris Flannery
Scott Moore
LMS
Paul Clough
Gary Wheeler
Jonny Lomax
Shaun Magennis
Jamie Foster

There's been other injuries to younger players but I wouldn't count them as first team players.

It does seem as though there have been a huge amount of injuries for all squads this year and some significantly serious and debilitating ones too.

As I've repeatedly said the RFL should as a priority be looking at a player injury audit within SL and the Championship initially. That they are more obsessed with this State of Mind campaign stuff at present is disappointing given it is in no way as serious/important as the physical injury levels suffered by top line pro's. It has it's place but surely an injury audit should be absolutely paramount.

But then that would be too bloody obvious for the lemons who reside at Sod Hall.

I have sent a question about injuries for Thursday night.

There seem to be an awful lot more injuries nowadays when compared with the 80s and 90s. I wonder if the 10m rule has increased the liklihood of injuries as it's increased the intensity of collisions? Someone could get a good PhD researching something like this. As GB says the RFL ought to be monitoring it, they could fund the research.

Two years ago I was attending an Osteopath who tended for both Bradford and Leeds. He spoke about a conference of related health workers (physios, doctors, osteopaths etc) to discuss the increasing severity of injury in the game. Got to admit, don't recall hearing anything about this in the press.

A lot of the injuries are increasingly spinal in nature which is a definite worry. I remember a report of Andy lynch getting pins and needles and numbness down one side. His response was to play through it, hope he got it fixed and hasn't exposed himself to too much long term damage.

Would be interesting to know if that conference went ahead and what the outcomes were.

Not all were missing at the same time, at different points throughout the season. The worst it got was 10/11 of them out at the same time. At one point we ran out of forwards and had two 19 year old backs on the bench.

This type of thread doesn't really lead anywhere. A team with a squad of 25 world beaters will cope well, a team with a really strong 17 but weak replacements will suffer when hit by injuries, a team with a mediocre 25 will not see a particular down turn in resultd when hit by injuries. So to summarise you need a deep squad of quality players. Who'd have thought?

The point I was trying to make as despite the likes of wigan and wire have very good squad they have also had little injuries compare to us and others allowing them to have a more settled side.

not saying that is there fault before people jump on my back but it certianly helps you perform better and increase the chances of pickig up more points.

Back when we were successful we had very few injuries... speaks for its self really. Im not sure if this is down to our trainers, fitness levels or poor choice in recruitment but if and when we can get a more settled side that is when we will see some improvement.

Was it 2010 or 2009 when we got upto 4th and then went on the 12 game losing run when injuries struck?? there is an element of luck....

The injuries that I think were most relevant were where we needed to get a new 6,7 and 9 combination playing together. The difference with Saint's, who have suffered with injuries, is they didn't sign 11 new players and introduce entirely new offensive and defensive structures through all age groups. As hard as it is to believe our academy teams apparently played a different structure to the first team which cannot help players slot in in case of injuries.
Credit to St's over a number of years with the apparent ease with which their young players slot seamlessly in when required.

Nor did they get a new half back in part way through the season who though an ex bull would not know Potters structures.

and GB, Potter in his radio leeds wakefield preview commented on the season review and that part of it would be to look at all the injuries and in particular see which ones were avoidable so they can take the appropriate action.

Which is prudent and sensible, as you would expect of a coach who clearly has some grey matter.

My concern comes that the central body haven't undertaken this to compare, contrast and alleviate the problem of time intensity from individual clubs. They also have the financial means to do so, more so than many clubs who are squeezed on both time, resources and budgets.

Again, this should be a central issue for the RFL as part of it's tambourine bashing player welfare policy. Less of the State of Mind, LGBT, equity and diversity stuff and more on actual physical welfare of our prime athletes, who are treated shabbily at the best of times.

Surely our esteemed national coach should be heavily angling at this given the injuries to key international players this season. But then....