As always, the start of the NRL season has been filled with an endless amount of reactions and opinions.
Comments such as "This coach needs to be sacked", "The new rules have ruined the game", and "The Brisbane Broncos are broken" have all been circling.
Some reactions hold merit, whilst others are simply overreaching.
Here's a look at six of the claims that have fuelled the start of the season and whether the fanfare—or panic—is warranted.
6. There is an injury crisis in the NRL
Yes. Player welfare is under serious pressure.
ACLs, MCLs, and other injuries have already sidelined key players, and the pace of modern rugby league is only compounding the issue.
Lee Addison summarised it perfectly earlier in the week on the Zero Tackles Loose Carry podcast.
“Injuries below the neck have a mental impact on players. When you can't walk, and you can't use a limb properly,” Addison shared how physical injuries below the neck are just as dangerous to a player's well-being.
“J'maine Hopgood is going to be basically disabled for quite a long time.
“It has an impact on you mentally, so inadvertently it goes back to the head.
“We are treating our players like cattle, and I will not stop going on about this.
“All we do all the time is try and make the game faster and faster and faster.”
With multiple injuries occurring in each round and the likelihood that at least one player per game will be sidelined for weeks, concern is not alarmist—it's essential.
Player health must be a priority amid the push for faster, more exciting rugby league.
