When we suffer a humiliating loss, we all look for answers as to how that could have occurred.
Was it lack of run, lack of pressure, coaching inadequacies or lack of depth?
Sometimes the right answer is the most obvious one.
It’s injuries!!
Every aspect of the loss can be traced back to injuries.
When you lose a player to injury you don‘t just lose that player.
You lose a part of every other player who has to sacrifice a part of their contribution to cover that absence.
The “one soldier out, one soldier in.” is another bit of nonsense. The replacement player is nearly always a lesser player. The injured player is ahead of them and in the side, either in terms of ability or what they offer in terms of team structure.
If everyone else has to step up, especially with ‘in-game’ injuries –
You lose 'run' through fatigue.
Your ability to get to contests and to apply pressure is affected by fatigue
Coaching options are less.
Your depth is challenged.
…and all that presents mental and physical challenges for the players not directly affected by injury.
That’s with one injury.
Now multiply that by a dozen, either injured pre-match or during the game…and then add in the players playing injured for weeks on end... and you’re in strife.
We’re in deep strife, for no other reason than we are decimated.
Was it lack of run, lack of pressure, coaching inadequacies or lack of depth?
Sometimes the right answer is the most obvious one.
It’s injuries!!
Every aspect of the loss can be traced back to injuries.
When you lose a player to injury you don‘t just lose that player.
You lose a part of every other player who has to sacrifice a part of their contribution to cover that absence.
The “one soldier out, one soldier in.” is another bit of nonsense. The replacement player is nearly always a lesser player. The injured player is ahead of them and in the side, either in terms of ability or what they offer in terms of team structure.
If everyone else has to step up, especially with ‘in-game’ injuries –
You lose 'run' through fatigue.
Your ability to get to contests and to apply pressure is affected by fatigue
Coaching options are less.
Your depth is challenged.
…and all that presents mental and physical challenges for the players not directly affected by injury.
That’s with one injury.
Now multiply that by a dozen, either injured pre-match or during the game…and then add in the players playing injured for weeks on end... and you’re in strife.
We’re in deep strife, for no other reason than we are decimated.