injuryupdate
03-12-2004, 01:04 PM
Australia suffered two serious injuries on the tour of the USA (which really was a single half-paced exhibition game). Wayne Bennett has defended the decision to play the game, whilst Steve Folkes, the coach of the Bulldogs (who had O'Meley and Mason injured) has slammed it.
What do you think?
Original article on www.injuryupdate.com.au:
The Australian Kangaroos, whilst on an end-of-season wind up to their tour in the USA, will embrace the philosophy of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" by playing a match on artificial turf. It is impossible to make an assessment of whether this will constitute an increased injury risk, as so few rugby league games have previously been played on anything else but natural grass. The controversy of turf and injuries has raged in the USA for decades, with a new generation of artificial turf surfaces now being installed, led by Field Turf, that are softer than the original Astroturf variety. A recent article in the Am J Sports Med has shown similar injury rates between Field Turf and natural grass for High School American Football. Read a .pdf of the full text article http://journal.ajsm.org/cgi/rapidpdf/0363546504266978v1.pdf . Despite the enthusiasm for the newer generation artificials, they aren't yet seen as a panacea by all. Read a story about the rate of injuries in the NFL this season. http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3042306 In general there has been a trend towards further use of natural grass in stadiums in the USA, including Reliant Stadium in Houston, which has involved Australian company StrathAyr. Read an article about the grass at Reliant. http://www.turfmagazine.com/articles/realturf.html After the major controversy over the surface at Suncorp Stadium in its opening season, the ARL and NRL will be hoping a trivial end of season match in the USA (outcome-wise) does not lead to a major injury to a valuable player.
What do you think?
Original article on www.injuryupdate.com.au:
The Australian Kangaroos, whilst on an end-of-season wind up to their tour in the USA, will embrace the philosophy of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" by playing a match on artificial turf. It is impossible to make an assessment of whether this will constitute an increased injury risk, as so few rugby league games have previously been played on anything else but natural grass. The controversy of turf and injuries has raged in the USA for decades, with a new generation of artificial turf surfaces now being installed, led by Field Turf, that are softer than the original Astroturf variety. A recent article in the Am J Sports Med has shown similar injury rates between Field Turf and natural grass for High School American Football. Read a .pdf of the full text article http://journal.ajsm.org/cgi/rapidpdf/0363546504266978v1.pdf . Despite the enthusiasm for the newer generation artificials, they aren't yet seen as a panacea by all. Read a story about the rate of injuries in the NFL this season. http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3042306 In general there has been a trend towards further use of natural grass in stadiums in the USA, including Reliant Stadium in Houston, which has involved Australian company StrathAyr. Read an article about the grass at Reliant. http://www.turfmagazine.com/articles/realturf.html After the major controversy over the surface at Suncorp Stadium in its opening season, the ARL and NRL will be hoping a trivial end of season match in the USA (outcome-wise) does not lead to a major injury to a valuable player.