Quote: Phuzzy "Fair summary mate. I have nothing more than you to go on but I just have a feeling this will come back to bite you. I guess I'm being influenced by playing Harry Smith injured last season because we had no option here, but when you look at how it affected him, and by extension the team, compared to a fully fit one this year then the comparison is there to be made.
Lomax is a far more experienced player than Smith, of course, but there are elements where experience probably has no bearing. You mention an 80% Lomax still being up there with the best and I wouldn't disagree if we were discussing form alone. 80% because of injury, especially and arm injury for a halfback, is somewhat different. There are so many variables that come into play when it's an injury of this sort; wayward passes, needing to hide the player in defence, doubt and uncertainty both for the player himself and his teammates around him and, of course, the possibility that it will go during a game and the disruption that would cause, particularly if we're talking a crunch game like Saturdays semi or the playoffs.
I understand, perhaps, why the club are taking this option. I can't help thinking it's a mistake they'll come to regret.'"
Yeah I meant if he could play to 80% of his normal levels, not 80% fit as such. It's a difficult one to quantify really. I just know that with Dodd missing too we are struggling to find one replacement; I think two would be impossible.
The injuries to Hopoate really haven't helped either as I think it would be a no brainer to play him at 1 and Welsby in the halves.
I know we have joked many times on here, with NK too, about our injuries (or lack of) but I have never known us chop and change our 1-7 so much so early in a season. If I could be bothered I would have a look at how many different combinations we've had and I would be shocked if it we had used the same 1-7 more than twice.
I posted on redvee yesterday that I sort of feel like we just need to get through these next two games best we can. Two tough games, 4 points would be huge for us. Then use the week off to dust ourselves off and start again for the business end. We have 17 days I think between Warrington next Thursday and Toulouse on 4th June so it feels like a good opportunity for us, albeit a break we obviously didn't want! If we can get a good run going from June onwards with just Dodd missing then we will still be favourites in my eyes. But we need Hopoate and Grace to get fit and stay fit and Lomax to be on the field as much as possible too.