A couple of years ago, I read a retrospective analysis of the correlation between injuries and season's end ladder position at each club, over something like a five year period.

More specifically, the total accumulated games absent through injury, for the entire list (not just the best 22) were compared club to club over a season. The relationship between this and ladder position was remarkably linear. That is, the top teams had the fewest games lost to injury and vice versa, and there was virtually no interruption to that relationship, from top to bottom.

Now this is not an attempt at excuse making, but merely an academic observation, and obviously there are many factors that fit with the analysis. The most patent being that a young list will suffer more injuries because of less mature bodies, similarly an aging list suffer from fatigue and wear injuries. Put this alongside the reality that 23 to 28 year olds have more experience, honed skills, wiser heads, and it all points to a conspiring set of realities.

If you think deeper into it, as the injured players accumulate, you lose the insurance for out of form players that a fit list provides. If you have no pressure on players from underneath, then out of form players keep their spots.

Also, continuity is lost, and it is hard to maintain a situation where players know each others games when you have a heavily changing personnel.

Losses come, confidence ebbs, and it becomes a tough gig. This is the situation the MFC faces right now, and from a purely statistical viewpoint, our season will be very poor as a consequence.

The silver lining of course, is we get more than a glimpse at the fringe/new players, and what they might give us for the future.

A couple of years ago, I read a retrospective analysis of the correlation between injuries and season's end ladder position at each club, over something like a five year period.

More specifically, the total accumulated games absent through injury, for the entire list (not just the best 22) were compared club to club over a season. The relationship between this and ladder position was remarkably linear. That is, the top teams had the fewest games lost to injury and vice versa, and there was virtually no interruption to that relationship, from top to bottom.

Now this is not an attempt at excuse making, but merely an academic observation, and obviously there are many factors that fit with the analysis. The most patent being that a young list will suffer more injuries because of less mature bodies, similarly an aging list suffer from fatigue and wear injuries. Put this alongside the reality that 23 to 28 year olds have more experience, honed skills, wiser heads, and it all points to a conspiring set of realities.

If you think deeper into it, as the injured players accumulate, you lose the insurance for out of form players that a fit list provides. If you have no pressure on players from underneath, then out of form players keep their spots.

Also, continuity is lost, and it is hard to maintain a situation where players know each others games when you have a heavily changing personnel.

Losses come, confidence ebbs, and it becomes a tough gig. This is the situation the MFC faces right now, and from a purely statistical viewpoint, our season will be very poor as a consequence.

The silver lining of course, is we get more than a glimpse at the fringe/new players, and what they might give us for the future.

Still doesn't excuse lack of intensity or correct game plan.

Haha after reading the OP I knew some bright spark would miss the point completely.

Didn't have to wait long.