Force Injuries

[hatchie]

So I figured the situation is dire enough now that this topic deserves its own thread. What a nightmare.

Pretorius (hamstring, season)
Shepherd (thigh, 6 weeks)
Brown (shoulder, 6 weeks)
Pocock (finger, 6 weeks)
Cummins (foot, 4 weeks)
Bartholomeusz (neck, 2-3 weeks)
Dunning (concussion, test)
Sare (achilles, test)
Cross (achilles, test)

While much of our injury problems were amongst the backs, with Pocock and Brown both gone for six weeks, our dominance at the breakdown will now be non-existent. So much for the idea of playing 10-man rugby. Or perhaps it would have been 9-man rugby.

One positive is that it'll give the less experienced guys a geniune opportunity. Inman, McCalman, Rapana, Tatapu, Stanford, Haylett-Petty, Manu, Hunt, Hockings.

It is going to be a long season.

 

[Brumby Jack]

Have boots and mouth guard.

Will travel.

 

[Newb]

the force are nearly becoming an australia a team

maybe this was JO'N's idea all along

 

[aussie1st]

If Rapana is like his brother then get him in ASAP. Feel for the Force, never seen a team hit by injury so early in the season. They will struggle without their breakdown dominance, at least for the Wallabies Pocock will be back.

 

[Ash]

Reds-eque, this injury toll is. Anyone remember when the Reds had over a full team out injured a few years back?

All we can do is sympathise. These horror years happen, and the best thing the team can do is, unfortunately, try to remain competitive and get through it - even if that means playing to limit losses.

I think the worst thing the Force could do is to blood too many youngsters at once. You need the experience around them. If things go to shit, and your team is full of youngsters...it generally gets worse, and you could scar/severely dent the confidence your young players for a few seasons.

 

[Scotty]

Reds-eque, this injury toll is. Anyone remember when the Reds had over a full team out injured a few years back?

All we can do is sympathise. These horror years happen, and the best thing the team can do is, unfortunately, try to remain competitive and get through it - even if that means playing to limit losses.

I think the worst thing the Force could do is to blood too many youngsters at once. You need the experience around them. If things go to shit, and your team is full of youngsters...it generally gets worse, and you could scar/severely dent the confidence your young players for a few seasons.

Wasn't this only a year after the Force had raided our playing stocks? Do we really have to have to sympathise?
:

 

[Grandmaster Flash]

Cross now out with shoulder injury... Harris stays at 10.

Force: James O'Connor, Dane Haylett-Petty, Mitch Inman, Josh Tatupu, Haig Sare, Sam Harris, Brett Sheehan, Sam Wykes, Matt Hodgson, Ben McCalman, Nathan Sharpe (captain), Tom Hockings, Tim Fairbrother, Pek Cowan, Matt Dunning. Reserves: Ryan Tyrrell, Nic Henderson, Richard Stanford, Luke Jones, Chris O'Young, Stefano Hunt, Joelin Rapana

 

[Sandpit Fan]

Reds-eque, this injury toll is. Anyone remember when the Reds had over a full team out injured a few years back?

Remember it well. As has been pointed out, considering the way they decimated the Qld ranks when they started, sympathy is a bit thin on the ground. Still a bugger of a situation to be in.

 

[spectator]

They haven't played yet so I will reserve any sympathy until after the game.