POST GAME [Round 17, 2026] - Broncos vs Roosters

[LittleDavey]

There's three clubs that have had more players/games lost due to injury then the Broncos. Storm, Rabbitohs and Eels. Warriors are only one game behind.

It's not an excuse anymore.

Yes and no. What's the detail behind those stats, is it top 30 or top 17/19 or starting 13?

Long-term injuries like BWalters lead to a high missed game count over the season but without all that much impact on the team. For example, I'd rather have 2x players out for the entire season rather than 10 players out for 5 weeks each during the season - leads to far more chopping and changing, guys coming and going, not staying match fit through the year etc.

Similarly, injuries to fringe/depth/backup top 30 players who wouldn't be getting a jersey regularly, has little to no impact on the main team (assuming they can stay fit themselves). A Walsh going down is far more impactful than a Perham.

I would bet my left nut that we have, by far, the most injury-affected top 18 regular team out of the comp and by some margin. Just going off "games missed" only tells part of the story.

A large number of our depth guys are being asked to play huge chunks of the season and they are just not up to that level - they are depth, not top 13/19 every week. Add to that I don't know if we have run out the same starting 13 in two consecutive weeks all year? The chopping and changing makes it incredibly difficult to build any consistency or momentum.

It is most certainly an excuse. But we also should have done a lot better in a lot of games this year; lastnight isn't really one of them tbf, think we played pretty much to our capacity as a team with those players, and it probably shouldn't even have been as close as it was.

 

[Foordy]

Yes and no. What's the detail behind those stats, is it top 30 or top 17/19 or starting 13?

Long-term injuries like BWalters lead to a high missed game count over the season but without all that much impact on the team. For example, I'd rather have 2x players out for the entire season rather than 10 players out for 5 weeks each during the season - leads to far more chopping and changing, guys coming and going, not staying match fit through the year etc.

Similarly, injuries to fringe/depth/backup top 30 players who wouldn't be getting a jersey regularly, has little to no impact on the main team (assuming they can stay fit themselves). A Walsh going down is far more impactful than a Perham.

I would bet my left nut that we have, by far, the most injury-affected top 18 regular team out of the comp and by some margin. Just going off "games missed" only tells part of the story.

A large number of our depth guys are being asked to play huge chunks of the season and they are just not up to that level - they are depth, not top 13/19 every week. Add to that I don't know if we have run out the same starting 13 in two consecutive weeks all year? The chopping and changing makes it incredibly difficult to build any consistency or momentum.

It is most certainly an excuse. But we also should have done a lot better in a lot of games this year; lastnight isn't really one of them tbf, think we played pretty much to our capacity as a team with those players, and it probably shouldn't even have been as close as it was.

there is one other effect that mass injuries can have on a team.

Sometimes you have no viable alternative but to stick with under performing players. either because the depth in that position is already min the team or because the only player left would be worse than what you've got