Playmaker’s Insight: Injury delay to benefit SC trio

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After what has felt like an eternity, the season is in touching distance of a return.

Since the season’s hiatus we have seen a few injuries to players throughout the competition, which I’m sure you are all on top of, but one of the major changes has been the rule alterations and most prominently the six again rule.

The change is designed to speed up the game and ensure fewer stoppages. So who will it benefit?

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Directly it will bring the more attacking hookers into the game, Damien Cook and Jake Granville are two ball-runners who it will open up for.

Along with them there’s Hodgo here in Canberra, who is arguably the most creative hooker in the comp, and will be given more opportunities.

I also believe the way the game is heading it is hoping to bring more fatigue in.

I won’t say back, because it’s always been in our game, but it will just bring more of an emphasis on your more mobile forward pack and players who can cover bigger space and longer minutes.

This is obviously a worry if you are a big man with the direction the NRL is taking.

Let’s look closer to home and how the break has affected the Raiders.

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We have welcomed back Rapa with open arms, one of the best people to have around a club as he is not only a great player but fun to have around. 

We are currently in a block of hard training getting the body back to where it needs to be and Raps is working hard to have himself available straight away.

I’m not sure if he will be rushed back as we started the season well and he is still adjusting his body to the differences in Rugby Union and League, but he is training well and will want a position even if that is off the bench.

For now it looks as though he may have to bide his time before returning to the 17.

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John Bateman is also a player who was expected to be ready once the season commences, and although it is progressing, the day-in day-out contact needs to be 100% before entering the arena.

If he is confident he can play there is always the option of easing him back into the season.

We won’t want to risk the chance of reinjury with a player of Bato’s calibre, so while I may be wrong, he looks unlikely to be available for Round 3.

If he isn’t ready next week the minutes of Taps (Tapine), Corey (Horsburgh) and Emre (Guler) will be important.

Taps was performing really well and playing his big minutes in the back-row with the other two both adjusting to the continued minutes needed to be a week-in week-out NRL player.

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I think they will continue to be playing decent minutes and having the ability and faith that they can play longer minutes if injuries arise can only be worked out on gameday.

What they have done over the start of the season will give Ricky confidence to continue to allow them to play more minutes with that practice.

There’s not far to go now and I hope all your SuperCoach teams are as ready as we are.