What ever anyone wants to defend, we have injuries mounting & players not fully fit with confidence returning from injuries ! Here we go again !
I love my club, the players & owner + the staff, but facts are facts we are now looking for forwards, says Chester ?
It's going to be painful again this season, our staff & team looks to be under a shadow !
Blind optimism is the only way to feel comfort now.

its terrible - we are in trouble

You must be thrilled though to have something else to moan about!!

I wouldn't say crisis, we're a bit short up top for the start of the season but nothing to get too upset about. Tangata, Miller and Ashurst all should be fit for the first game.

Aye we're doomed DOOOOMED I say DOOOOOMED

Not a crisis yet but it's certainly a worry.
From seemingly having a surplus of props for instance, we are in a bit of trouble, but it will give others a go to step up and we'll see how strong in depth our squad is.
I often think you can shuffle most of the back position, but you can't shuffle strength and experience needed to be a SL standard prop.

Hopefully Big Dave still being injured is just mind games!

Rather than casting doubt on the ability of all the first team squad and the reserves lets give the team a chance to start the SL season proper at HKR and have a chat after that.

You and your logical and supportive attitude!
It'll never catch on.

At some point in the season, we will have an injury crisis, because it is a tough sport and we don't have the depth of other squads. If there is one now, I'd rather have it now, when everyone is ring-rusty, than in June, which is what undid us last year.

something very similar was said at my place of gainful employment regarding some of my approaches to issues

The thing that's bothering me the most is the ongoing 'saga' as re. Fifita. He got the injury at Magic, last May, he's had an off season and an op to get it right, but no-one seems to know anything?! When you listen to Chester talk about him, it's almost tongue in cheek, almost sarcasm saying i'm sure Dave will tell me when he's fit to play etc.?! He is our talisman, the one who leads from the front, so is it unreasonable for me as a paying spectator to ask anyone who's listening, is he medically fit to play or not????!

As I said at the time of surgery on here, the fact that doctors could not quite get to the root of the injury was a big concern and would probably result in multiple surgeries to get right leading to a lengthy spell on the sideline - At the time I was quickly shot down by Fishermanscap for suggesting this as what he does not know is not worth knowing.

It's just a bit depressing with obviously the season starting in a week that there seems to be a carry over from last seasons' woes, CC already saying they probably got their planning wrong playing a game 48 hours after coming back from abroad?! Like someone else has said, I suppose it's better to have some injuries now than in a few months time, but like you say the Fifita situation is worrying.

This, Chester almost makes it sound like 'he'll play when he wants to'. No doubt gives his all on the field but I get the impression Fifita is cut a bit of slack in training etc. and somewhat a free reign - maybe one of the reasons why he decided to stay with us. Some of the other injured players didn't go to training camp, he still did. So what's the deal?

I’m not sure we have it in us to play catch up, from MW Last year we let everyone catch up with us.

YAWN!!!

It’s never a good time and I don’t think any time is better than others to have bodies on the treatment table. I’m sure their are various factors but some teams are far ‘luckier’ than others.

Fifita has explained all this in an interview.
It's a managing pain issue which is why Chester says it's up to him.
It isn't a flippant statement.

I said this on another thread, but anyone who follows him on instagram will know that when he flew back from Australia, his foot blew up like a balloon, which might have put him back a bit. Long flights can cause those problems sometimes. But he seems to be in and around the camp, and was on the pre-season jaunt to Alicante (I think), so he can't be far away.

Thankfully, he seems to be one of those players who isn't dependent on being at the very top of his fitness to be on form. A natural talent who has that bit of extra weight that gives him an edge.

We could certainly do with him being able to play, although, not if this means any long term or permanent damage to his foot.

I am not sure how this year will pan out but i have a bit of fear and intrepidation for us the bookies have us second or third favourite for the drop and theyre not usually far off the mark we need a forward and a half have heard kyle turner from rabbitohs and also a loan signing but anything we can do we need to do now so they can gel before season really gets in full flow

Said come early January recruitment been poor and our gaffer still doesn't know what to do in the the halves. Gonna be a tough season we are a prop light. Westerman looks 2 stone overweight.
V worrying.

For those that didn't get to Wednesday's match, Fifita and Arona walked along the terracing doing a bucket collection for Mose Masoe and I thought that Dave had lost a few pounds but looked to be walking perfectly well and certainly wasn't limping

Said it my self it's been poor recruitment got shot down for it not seen any thing from the new players to get me excited but my main worry is we are so slow at the basic skills