Are injuries an excuse?

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  • NMWBloods
    Taking Refuge!!
    • Jan 2003
    • 15819

    Are injuries an excuse?

    Injuries to key players have been used an excuse for the Swans underperforming slightly this year.

    However, looking at the injury table in the Herald Sun today it doesn't seem like a very good excuse.



    The table (which doesn't seem to be online) is the list of games lost to injury and suspension by each team's 12 best players and their position on the ladder.

    Code:
    Port Adelaide   54     3rd
    Adelaide        49    12th
    Hawthorn        43    16th
    Collingwood     39    13th
    Carlton         34    11th
    Geelong         32     5th
    West Coast      29    10th
    Brisbane        28     2nd
    Melbourne       25     4th
    Richmond        25    15th
    Essendon        22     6th
    St Kilda        16     1st
    Sydney          12     7th
    Kangaroos       10     8th
    Fremantle        7     9th
    W Bulldogs       5    14th
    Just as a check, who are our 12 best players and what have their games lost been:
    Code:
    Hall         0
    Goodes       1*
    Williams     0
    Kirk         0
    Ball         1
    Barry        1
    Schauble    14
    J Bolton     0
    O'Loughlin   6
    Davis        8
    Maxfield     0
    C Bolton     0
    Shows how stupid journos can be - Schauble has missed himself more than the total figure they have put in for the Swans.

    The Swans should probably have an injury games figure of 31.

    It's also arguable that Schneider should perhaps be in there, maybe at the expense of C Bolton, which would add an extra 8 games to the total. This would place us equal 4th in terms of games lost.
    Captain Logic is not steering this tugboat.

    "[T]here are things that matter more and he's reading and thinking about them: heaven, reincarnation. Life and death are the only things that are truly a matter of life and death. Not football."
  • swansrock4eva
    On the Rookie List
    • Jan 2003
    • 1352

    #2
    Quite interesting, but did the journos make the actual distinction of who they classified in the top 12 - how easy would it be to exclude player #12 and replace him with #13 just to make a point?

    The other thing I'd like to see is the effects of injuries on the "generation next" types who would have been pushing to make the 22 during the season but who were injured at inopportune times e.g. sundqvist. Imagine if a team had players 30-38 injured vs a team that had players 23-30 injured - the differences would be huge once the top 22 needed to be changed, and would definitely have an impact over a few games imo.

    Comment

    • midaro
      On the Rookie List
      • Jan 2003
      • 1042

      #3
      Absolutely. Injuries have been the main factor in our poor performance this year.

      Yes, Schauble and Schneider would certainly be in our top 12 IMO, but I think basing this sort of list on the best starting 22--rather than 12--would make more sense, anyway.

      It is also more than just the actual games missed, that hurt. Goodes hasn't missed any but he's hampered by injury--Williams too--and earlier on in the season I'd suggest Maxfield and Kennelly weren't 100%.

      ..and what about the constant IN-and-OUT of Davis, Micky & Schnides, they've never had long enough in the team to get form.

      IMO minimising injuries ranks No. 2 (after personnel) as the requirment for a successful season.

      Comment

      • Bart
        CHHHOMMMMMPPP!!!!
        • Feb 2003
        • 1360

        #4
        Re: Are injuries an excuse?

        This analysis is completly flawed. You are all correct in that they obviuolsy have very different views as to who our top 12 are, but another issue is that it doesn't allow for how many of those players were missing at the same time. One top player IMO can be covered, however, when several are out as per our match against Port, you simply can't cover for that. God we were really on a hiding to nothing heading into that match.

        Comment

        • Ert
          Back
          • Jan 2003
          • 490

          #5
          My Top 12

          Hall - 0
          Goodes - 0*
          Williams - 0*
          Kirk - 0
          Barry - 1
          Ball - 1
          O'Loughlin - 6
          J. Bolton - 0
          Schauble - 14
          Davis - 8*
          Maxfield - 0
          Crouch - 0

          Makes my tally 30
          Also - while Goodes technically hasn't missed a game - he effectively didn't play against the Eagles
          Plus Williams and Davis shouldn't have played against Port Adelaide

          Comment

          • NMWBloods
            Taking Refuge!!
            • Jan 2003
            • 15819

            #6
            Yep - I agree with all of this.

            The article didn't say who was in the top 12 or on what basis they made their choices.

            Whatever way it is done, the Swans would have to be in the top half dozen in terms of injury problems this year.
            Captain Logic is not steering this tugboat.

            "[T]here are things that matter more and he's reading and thinking about them: heaven, reincarnation. Life and death are the only things that are truly a matter of life and death. Not football."

            Comment

            • Wil
              On the Rookie List
              • Jun 2004
              • 619

              #7
              Originally posted by swansrock4eva

              The other thing I'd like to see is the effects of injuries on the "generation next" types who would have been pushing to make the 22 during the season but who were injured at inopportune times e.g. sundqvist.
              I think this point is crucial. It is one thing to have some key injuries but worse when their potential replacements are injured as well i.e. Schneider and Monty, Saddo and LRT. Thats bad not just for this season but for future seasons.

              Of course, the Swans are not developed enough yet to have enough depth at all positions - we really need to minimize injuries (and giving away free kicks) to be really competitive week in, week out.

              Comment

              • Charlie
                On the Rookie List
                • Jan 2003
                • 4101

                #8
                12 is an arbitrary, useless number.

                Realistically, it is a club's top 30 players who decide whether they will win the premiership. That 30 includes all injured players, and it is injuries to those 30 players that should have been counted.

                Do that, and I suspect that you'd see us float to the upper section of the table.
                We hate Anthony Rocca
                We hate Shannon Grant too
                We hate scumbag Gaspar
                But Leo WE LOVE YOU!

                Comment

                • Snowy
                  On the Rookie List
                  • Jun 2003
                  • 1244

                  #9
                  No disagree Charlie, you can't replace the top blokes but you can rotate bottom depth. Brisbane is the only team who can win without a few topliners.
                  LIFE GOES ON

                  Comment

                  • hemsleys
                    It's Goodes to cheer!!
                    • Sep 2003
                    • 23665

                    #10
                    Call me Stupid, but I didn't understand the point of the article or the stats presented and the relevance of the stats to compare of the last x years. If it was done per season it would make more sense.

                    Comment

                    • swansrule100
                      The quarterback
                      • May 2004
                      • 4538

                      #11
                      we have a lot play with injuries though....
                      Theres not much left to say

                      Comment

                      • j0lly
                        On the Rookie List
                        • Jun 2004
                        • 122

                        #12
                        i feel sorry for fixter!!!!!!

                        hope his leg fixes itself up soon!!

                        Comment

                        • sharp9
                          Senior Player
                          • Jan 2003
                          • 2508

                          #13
                          We have had the worst run of ANYONE this year. I made my calculations based on top 25 players.

                          Now, it seems, it may be turning around. As long as no one says out loud that our injury crisis is behind us.....
                          "I'll acknowledge there are more talented teams in the competition but I won't acknowledge that there is a better team in the competition" Paul Roos March 2005

                          Comment

                          • Thunder Shaker
                            Aut vincere aut mori
                            • Apr 2004
                            • 4205

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Charlie
                            12 is an arbitrary, useless number.
                            I completely agree. Teams have 22 players, not 12.
                            "Unbelievable!" -- Nick Davis leaves his mark on the 2005 semi final

                            Comment

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