Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:06 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

What I want to know is what has happened to St Helens ‘best in class’ medical and conditioning department?! I was told early this season that a lack of injuries between the Holbrook and Woolf years wasn’t down to luck, it was down to them doing things better than other clubs.

Some Saints fans want to build these 3 confirmed absences in to a situation where if they win the Grand Final it’ll be billed as the best achievement in the history of Rugby League but in truth I still have them as favourites and they should be able to cope with 3 injuries. The pack is still class, Dodd is a young kid they’ve coped without all season and Bennison isn’t much of a downgrade on Grace.

Bizarre statement. What is a medical department supposed to do about a ruptured Achilles- Dodd and Grace?

Walmsley is a broken bone

Lomax ruptured his bicep and you’d have to say we’ve done superbly to manage him the way we have, he hasn’t missed a game through injury since.

It’s not like we are suffering soft tissue injuries or the same type of injury is it?

I’m also confident there’s not a medical department in the world of sport that can do anything about Hopoate. He’s a lost cause

We are still the fittest and most conditioned team in the comp.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:09 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

What I want to know is what has happened to St Helens ‘best in class’ medical and conditioning department?! I was told early this season that a lack of injuries between the Holbrook and Woolf years wasn’t down to luck, it was down to them doing things better than other clubs.

Some Saints fans want to build these 3 confirmed absences in to a situation where if they win the Grand Final it’ll be billed as the best achievement in the history of Rugby League but in truth I still have them as favourites and they should be able to cope with 3 injuries. The pack is still class, Dodd is a young kid they’ve coped without all season and Bennison isn’t much of a downgrade on Grace.

Pretty much nailed it.

They love the "never write the Saints off" crap that Eddie came out with don't they? They're the only side to ever win against the odds or to ever come from behind and steal a win (the playoff win not being as good a comeback as ours against Bradford a few weeks earlier BTW) when it happens.

Was talking with a friend the other day about the last few years. If we had won the two COVID season titles, do you think we'd be given the same credit or would there be **** everywhere?

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:10 pm  

Stu M wrote:

Bizarre statement. What is a medical department supposed to do about a ruptured Achilles- Dodd and Grace?

Walmsley is a broken bone

Lomax ruptured his bicep and you’d have to say we’ve done superbly to manage him the way we have, he hasn’t missed a game through injury since.

It’s not like we are suffering soft tissue injuries or the same type of injury is it?

I’m also confident there’s not a medical department in the world of sport that can do anything about Hopoate. He’s a lost cause

We are still the fittest and most conditioned team in the comp.

Or you could say injuries that are unlucky that you've been lucky not to pick up the last few years?

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:22 pm  

Egg Chasing wrote:

Or you could say injuries that are unlucky that you've been lucky not to pick up the last few years?

This place is schizophrenic - when we’re not being told Saints have no injury problems and three is nothing on the back of years of no issues (ie the medical and conditioning team continue to do a good job), we’re being told we’ve got injuries therefore the medical and conditioning team can’t be performing better than others.

And when we’re not being told we’d be the same as everyone else without a freak like Walmsley, we’re being told our pack is still great without him.

Not to mention the irony of pointing out Saints fans playing down chances due to injury as some sort of advance coping mechanism whilst at the same time minimising the impact of Saints missing players and saying how strong saints still are as some sort of advance coping mechanism in case we go on to win it!

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:23 pm  

FearTheVee wrote:

By the same token we’ve spent a lot of time listening to people say how Walmsley is the difference and we aren’t the same without him, but now our pack is class without him

If it’s just the three you mention out (Walmsley, Dodd, Grace) I’ll be very confident indeed. It won’t be though, I’d imagine it will also be Hopoate and then we have Percival (who knows when he last played) and Sione who Woolf seems confident on but who need to get through another session to prove themselves plus some rumours around Lees.

I’m looking forward to it and irrespective of what anyone might think, if we follow the LLS with a GF win it will be a tremendous achievement after a pretty difficult season. To me it would be the best achievement out of the four if we do it.

I’m not sure I’m the person who said Walmsley was the difference was I?! I’ve banged the drum of guys like Knowles and Paasi all season on here. The Saints pack will include Lees, Paasi, LMS, Knowles, Sironen, Mautautia, Roby, Lussick etc, so as I say it’s absolute class. I’ve had you favourites before the season, during the season and I still do now.

A team once won a Grand Final with 6 or 7 injured players and had a few of them limping on to the field on crutches at the end to celebrate, so 3 guys is childs play in comparison. I honestly do expect Saints to win the thing but I won’t be buying in to the narrative that some Saints fans will push about how it’s a minor miracle.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:27 pm  

Stu M wrote:

Bizarre statement. What is a medical department supposed to do about a ruptured Achilles- Dodd and Grace?

Walmsley is a broken bone

Lomax ruptured his bicep and you’d have to say we’ve done superbly to manage him the way we have, he hasn’t missed a game through injury since.

It’s not like we are suffering soft tissue injuries or the same type of injury is it?

I’m also confident there’s not a medical department in the world of sport that can do anything about Hopoate. He’s a lost cause

We are still the fittest and most conditioned team in the comp.

It was a bizarre line being thrown about by Saints fans, you’re right. We comment that you’ve been lucky with injuries and get told it’s because of a class leading medical and conditioning team. A few injuries happen and now it is down to luck after all.

In summary we agree. You’ve had 3 or 4 unbelievably lucky seasons with injuries and this season you’ve been ‘relatively’ unlucky (but still had it much better than many other clubs).

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:29 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

In summary we agree. You’ve had 3 or 4 unbelievably lucky seasons with injuries and this season you’ve been ‘relatively’ unlucky (but still had it much better than many other clubs).

So what, five season of looking better conditioned and being lucky with injuries now? How many until it might havesomething to do with conditioning?

Don’t know why Saints bothered whipping the squad to St George’s Park this week for better facilities for prep and recovery, should have just given them all a rabbit’s foot like they have done since 2018.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 7:10 pm  

FearTheVee wrote:

So what, five season of looking better conditioned and being lucky with injuries now? How many until it might havesomething to do with conditioning?

Don’t know why Saints bothered whipping the squad to St George’s Park this week for better facilities for prep and recovery, should have just given them all a rabbit’s foot like they have done since 2018.

Make your minds up. Stu's post basically says.....

You don't get injuries because your conditioning is the best. (Fine, I can buy into that)

This year you get injuries but it's nothing to do with conditioning because they're broken bones. (Injuries you could have got any time of course but didn't whereas every other club did)

You weren't lucky with injuries when you got none but are unlucky now you get some.

And we're the schizophrenic ones.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 8:22 pm  

In the words of Jackie Gleason

'Get in the car Junior, We are surrounded by a mental case'

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Tue Sep 13, 2022 8:51 pm  

Got to remember Walmsley missed the magic game which saints won so they can win without him.

Is Hopoate injured ?