Watching the HKR vs Catalan game, and the injuries that KR are picking up. Phil Clarke mentioned that the physios aren't allowed to be mic'd up and have to shout to the bench for what they need.

Surely this is a massive health risk? Wouldn't it be safer and better if they were in direct contact with the medical staff at the ground so they can get immediate attention for serious injuries?

I think it is more to do with the paranoia that the coaches are passing messages to the players. I think a Wolves physio got sent off (it may be a coach now I think about it) about 5 years ago for passing messages to the players. Either way messages will get to the players from coaches hook or by crook, as Stevo says every 10 minutes "he needs to get the message out". And it won't change until someone is seriously injured because of a physio not being wired up.

I agree to some extent, I am not a physio but....

How many different messages need to be sent out? Stretcher, gas, player out the game. Its a couple of signs.

If they haven't sorted that then it is their fault.

After the Fabrice Muamba incident, I thought clubs would have woken up to how vital a fast response could be. Getting a defib to a heart-attack victim is measured in seconds, not minutes.

Silverwood and the touchies are wired, they would get a message to the bench almost immediately if there was an urgent situation.

I can fill you in on how it works in NRL.

Blue jersey - runs messages. Only allowed on when your team has the ball. Is Meant to go on, give message, get off.

Orange - main medical man, often a physio. Can go on at any point in the game to tend to an injury. Obviously as he's the medic, he can run on, give a message, whilst making sure a player is ok by asking him so (cough cough).

Yellow - Allowed on only in a break in play for water or if there is a second injury and the Orange is already out there.


Every time the Orange goes out, the yellow looks at him for hand signals if there is an injured player. They don't watch the game! If the injury may be serious they will run to the nearest touchie and inform him of a head or neck injury and he will tell the ref via comms and the game will get stopped. A doc can also be called on at any time.

I don't see it as an issue, physios can generally tell by the reaction of either the injured player or players around him as to how serious it is. As mentioned, all the officials are wired up and there are specific hand signals too. I don't see a risk to players, in fact I think we are one of the best sports in the world at getting quick and high quality treatment to injured players.

Does anyone know why it was so dark at Hull KR? It looked like they only had floodlights on one side.

It looked to me on telly like the floodlight in the South East corner had gone out, but the other 3 were working, which is why the game was still played.

The goon squad kept banging on about how the floodlights aren't in situ because of the ground improvements that are taking place.

Eddie was obsessed with the possibility that a video ref decision might be impaired by the lack of adequate lighting; surprisingly, it wasn't.

In typical Rovers style we seem to be making an embarrassing cock up of this.

Both of the floodlights at the North end have gone, we've got two temporary lights on the West side, this might not have been so bad but for some bizarre reason the two existing floodlights at the South (Zeebrugge) end weren't on.

As soon as I arrived at the ground last night I thought, "well it's going to be a bit dark in the North East corner", no, it's going to be dark along the whole East side.

It's actually quite annoying as a fan at the game because the temporary lights are quite low and really bright, so for the entire second half you've got massive spot lights glaring through the rain straight into your fizzog.

I blame Mike Smith.

Couldn't all the KR fans just bring a lighter, and hold it up? Or a mobile?

This is my view on it as well.

That would be my view as well, but I cannot see. It's too dark.