Wrote this for the 18th Man, for which I've been called bitter, childish, on drugs, embarrassing and god knows what else ha ha: the18thman.com/2017/04/11/opinio ... in-crisis/ Thought you might want to read it. Really didn't think it was that negative.

Wrote this for the 18th Man, for which I've been called bitter, childish, on drugs, embarrassing and god knows what else ha ha: the18thman.com/2017/04/11/opinio ... in-crisis/ Thought you might want to read it. Really didn't think it was that negative.

This is a theory I haven't seen advanced before. Anyon played close enough to a senior level to comment? Do you really expose your own players to more injury by encouraging them to be over-agressive?

It's only my opinion, which could be complete rubbish, but they'll go all out on Friday to smash St Helens to bits, which surely creates more risk. If they just held back a bit, they'd probably win anyway and set themselves up for another win next week.

It'll be interesting to se what happens over Easter. They'll probably win both games and blow my theory out of the water.

I can't remember every injury but

"Lewis Tierney, Joe Burgess, Dom Manfredi, Oliver Gildart, Sam Tomkins, Jake Shorrocks, Connor Farrell, Liam Farrell, Micky McIlorum, John Bateman, Ryan Sutton, Jack Wells and Sean O’Loughlin."

Tierny - landed awkwardly after putting a kick through
Manfredi - ACL after awkward landing after chase tackle
Gildart - All on ferres that one
tomkins - foot injury (rumours off the pitch but even on the pitch hardly something you put down to being overly aggressive)
burges + gelling + faz - lockers - slight leg muscle injuries (i think) same as above
shorrocks - recurring knee injury done during training
micky - freak accident
bateman - shoulder injury (maybe put his body about too much in contact so maybe one so far you have a solid point...also could just be awkward contact)
Sutton - Eye injury

As you can see most are accidents and also most in the backs, usually the least aggressive of the players on any team (lasy year it was the pack we never had). On top of this Wane has come out and said they have done full investigations running over a long period of time with their medical staff and can find no common causes.

Also have you seen Widnes Vikings injury list, just as bad but no accusations of over aggression. What about Leeds and their injury list last year?

As for you not thinking it was negative
"Wane, it’s him, he’s the problem." - Yes he won us the GF, were you there? Yes hes gets the young lads up for the game and we win, do you? What would you have him do?

"Being more aggressive and physical than the opposition is a very basic ‘Plan A’ from the games highest profile club. ‘Plan B’ seems to be complaining about all the injuries resulting from ‘Plan A’. Shaun Wane, as head coach, should take full responsibility. He owes the fans a little more sophistication" - Did you see the way we were playing before the injuries? As for blaming injuries, he is asked about them in every press conference post past 3 games and every time he has said "we have them but it's not an excuse, we need to win these"

"Sam Tomkins is the highest profile victim, Super League’s only ‘marquee player’, who’s sadly yet to make an appearance. It’s the wrong environment for him to be in. Will he ever be the same player again, it’s increasingly unlikely. It’s more likely that he’ll make a comeback at some point, but then break down with injury again due to Wigan’s style of play." - A foot injury, complicated by the fact he the plates feel uncomfortable (again probs done off the pitch but yes lets blame Wane and Wigan) If you want to blame someone look at the NZwarriors perhaps? Where he suffered and was poorly treated for his knee injury.

"Recent years have been a very successful period for Wigan Warriors, but it’s resulted in the demise of a number of the country’s best players, though injury. George Williams should take note and make his way to the NRL, to avoid the same fate." - Who has demised? And the comment on Williams... please!

The whole article is a hatchet job mate. Your research was poor and evidence non existent.
Oh and please list these players whose careers you claim we have ruined as that is one hell of an allegation.

Also may I add that Wane has been training Williams since he was in the youth team... basically his whole career. As well as many if not all of the other home grown talents we have in the squad but quick, run, before he "ruins" their careers.

The aggressive style of play from Wigan has become stereotyped, & opposition team coaches know in advance the game plan from Wigan.

Wigan have been successful in winning trophies with Wane`s tactics, but the down side is that every game that Wigan players participate in, is a bruising match, with the opposition teams employing similar style of play.

For other teams, there will be a lot of games that their players play,which aren`t anywhere as physical as the Wigan games.

Hence it stands to reason that Wigan players are more likely to collect injuries, owing to the intense nature of every game that they play

The problems you talk about would be manageable to a point if Wigan & every other club had reserve biff meisters to step into the breach when injuries started to bite,but we are a poor sport especially in terms of being able to afford big squads of players. Clubs then finish up playing reserves in SL games who are nowhere near ready for that environment & there is then a danger that it is too much for some of these young lads to play against the seasoned forwards of some of the clubs & some will fall by the wayside. Let's also not forget the fans who are paying to watch a SL quality side & not a reserve team most weeks. Our game ,though still not perfect, has come along way since the Warrington v Workington nil nil draw in the mid sixties. The game should live up to it's capabilities & create a spectacle every week for the supporters whether in stadia or for the hordes watching at home.Dragging RL back into the dark ages is short changing the spectators, the sport & the players & every manager should respect the welfare of not just his own players but opponents too & realise that fans want to watch good open rugby with as few injury enforced changes to their team as possible. Mr Wane would also find team selection easier if could pick his team from a fitter squad.

I agree ninearches, what I'd ultimately like to see, as a fan, is Wigan lining up against Warrington with a full strength team, at magic weekend. That's unlikely ever to happen as there's too much strain on the players.

I've also learnt never to say anything bad about SW, Wigan fans go mental!

Boss Hog agrees with me at least. And he's right, it's partly down to Wigan being the benchmark for everyone else, they're the team everyone wants to beat.

The most ridiculous thing I've ever read.

Basically, Don't be as aggressive and soften up slightly to avoid injury. Anyone who has played the game will know that by going in at half @*$d is what causes injury.

Injuries happen and more than likely will boil down to the strength, conditioning and rehabilitation of players or quite simply bad luck.

If every team played at the intensity Wigan played at then SL would be in a much better place.

First of all, Eddie Hemmings still reckons there is a Stains hoodoo over us.
Whenever there's a knock on the Wigan physio's door, it's a crisis, and that dreaded hoodoo word is used again.

Wigan don't need a physio, they need a witch doctor, to rid them of this dreadful curse.

The dark arts are at large in RL. Be afraid. Be very afraid

Most of the injuries were not as a result of over aggression, many not even in contact, and if your theory had any merit you would expect the majority of injuries amongst the forwards, whereas in fact the opposite is true.

Don't think that its as clear cut as that tho it's arguable that these accidental injuries to players may not have happened if their bodies were not put under so much strain and that as it's prop v prop they are or relatively equal size and strength so kind of nullify each other out second row and centre size and strengths vary who are hitting your centres n wingers who are hardly the biggest in SL as good as they are

I think its more than that Just like a f1 car or race car the more finely tuned it it the more prone they are to break down and it's the same with some players. One thing is for certain tho injuries are more widespread and frequent as the players become bigger faster and stronger which itself is to be expected but clubs inabilities to have adequate cover means that the quality in general drops we could probably get close to two starting teams sat in the stands injured most weekends !!

Maybe the players, during their rehab, look down at their winning medals and think it was all worth it.

For sure as I say injuries are to be expected as it's a contact sport but every clubs inabilitys to staff accordingly due to the cap is now hilighting the lack of depth in squads.

Im not a fan of some of the new trends of the third or fourth man in when the attacker is virtually tackled smashing into them happening too often and it's only real perpous is to cause harm which is unsporting imo the deliberate twisting and isolating joints again no reason to do it other than to cause injurie

Completely agree. Ratchford was very upset in the Widnes game when he thought his leg and knee were being twisted in the tackle. Don't often see him riled like that.