Phil Rothfield: We must stop cruel practise of expecting players to back up from State of Origin
IF rugby league players were animals, you would report NRL administrators to the RSPCA. It’s downright cruelty. BLOG WITH BUZZ
IF rugby league players were animals, you would report NRL administrators to the RSPCA.
The fact that a number of State of Origin stars had to back up and play for their clubs over the weekend was downright cruelty.
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The human body was never designed to cope with the physical punishment of Origin football, let alone being asked to play another NRL game 48 or 72 hours later while the body is still in a recovery stage.
This is a serious workplace health and safety issue that no elite athlete should be subjected to. The fact some of them are earning up to $800,000 a season doesn’t matter because no amount of money compensates players for this sort of workload.
Any sports medico will tell you that nothing beats rest to recover from hard sporting activity. A lot of NRL coaches now do a recovery session the morning after a game then send the players home for two days.
There is a sports medicine term known as DOMS — delayed onset muscle soreness — that coaches use as a guide.
This is scientific proof that muscles take 48 to 72 hours to fully recover from a normal game, let alone a State of Origin match.
Delayed onset muscle soreness is the result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibres. The amount of tearing and soreness depends on how hard or how demanding the event is. I don’t imagine there is anything more severe or punishing on the body in any sport on this planet than 80 minutes of State of Origin.
This was no ordinary game of rugby league. In fact, it was probably the most brutal, fierce and ferocious in intensity I have ever seen on a football field. Yet over the weekend many of the players were forced to back up and play for their clubs.
The Roosters used Michael Jennings, Daniel Tupou and Aiden Guerra against the Raiders, while Josh Papalii played for Canberra.
In Townsville, Ryan Hoffman and Cameron Smith, with the help of painkilling injections, played for the Storm.
The Cowboys had Johnathan Thurston, Brent Tate, Matt Scott and James Tamou backing up.
For backs, it’s almost acceptable, but asking front-rowers to go around again is wrong.
Yes, they all survived and Tupou even got three tries.
That’s not the point.
Let’s see how they are travelling in September. They are likely to be mentally and physically stuffed.
At least Parramatta coach Brad Arthur did the right thing and stood down his superstar Jarryd Hayne on the advice of his medical staff.
To play when below 100 per cent only increases the risk of further injury.
Some prominent figures in the game, including seven-time premiership coach Wayne Bennett, are gravely concerned about the wear and tear on elite players.
Bennett has already spoken to the NRL’s head of football Todd Greenberg about the situation.
There is a thought that Origin players should not be allowed back on to the field for a minimum of a week. A mandatory rest period.
This is a debate we have every season about player welfare but nothing gets done about it.
Surely it’s now time to take it more seriously. If the NRL won’t do anything about it, the Players’ Association should.
Panthers right in title race
Penrith’s much publicised five-year plan has suddenly become a three-year plan.
This side is capable of making the top four this season and anything can happen from there.
Ivan Cleary’s biggest advantage is that the club has not one State of Origin player, just like the Warriors.
It makes a huge difference to have a settled and steady football side while Origin is knocking their rivals around for eight weeks.
The victory over Parramatta, engineered by Peter Wallace and Jamie Soward, was an outstanding performance.
HIGHLIGHT
Daniel Tupou’s hat-trick of tries against the Canberra Raiders. This guy could easily be playing next door to the Roosters at the Sydney Swans. He is freakishly talented in the air.
LOWLIGHT
Parramatta’s dismal effort against the Panthers. The senior players who should have stepped up in the absence of Jarryd Hayne took the night off with him.
SPOTTED
Dumped Dragons coach Steve Price at Eagle Farm races on Saturday.
BENJI WATCH
All eyes will be on Benji Marshall when he steps out against Adam Reynolds and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium on Monday night.
His disappointing first-up performance was forgivable considering the rushed preparation but Dragons fans will be looking for a bigger impact this time.
S.O.S JAMIE LYON
With Josh Morris sadly sidelined for the remainder of the Origin series we’re wondering if coach Blues Laurie Daley will be phoning Manly’s reluctant superstar Jamie Lyon.
NOT COACH SMITH
I was starting to think Mick Potter’s Wests Tigers were an outside chance of making the semi-finals until I read the Sunday Telegraph story that washed-up coach Brian Smith was now working at the club as a coaching consultant. That’ll do me.
SALLY M POINTS
3 ABC radio: An appalling overreaction to suspend veteran broadcaster David Morrow.
2 NRL schedule: Another Sunday afternoon with no footy in Sydney.
1 Roosters fans: Just 11,000 to watch the premiers.
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