Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
THE NRL's playing schedule has pushed Cameron Smith to breaking point with the Maroons skipper to play four games and travel almost 10,000km in 22 days.
Smith's exhaustive workload is another reason why veteran NRL coach Wayne Bennett believes the NRL's current playing calendar is unsustainable.
Between Origin I and the return bout on Wednesday night, Smith will have visited three states, four cities and Queensland's outback to meet his playing and ambassadorial demands.
When Smith returns home after Origin II, he will have chalked up 9698km in air travel — effectively the equivalent of a one-way trip from Melbourne to India.
Smith's promotional duties saw him on the back of a bull in Longreach. Source: Getty Images
Bennett said the Test captain should never have been placed in the position of bravely backing-up for Melbourne, three days after hurting his ankle in Origin I.
Storm football manager Frank Ponissi agreed, saying Smith's travel and playing commitments in the past month illustrates why reform is needed to protect the code's elite.
"I support Wayne's concern for welfare," Ponissi said.
"It's something we need to look at.
"Cameron isn't the only one but as Melbourne, Queensland and Australian captain, he has media commitments and promotional responsibilities on top of playing.
Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
"Cameron has done a hell of a lot — it's pretty taxing on him. With Cam's ankle, being in the air constantly is not great for any injury.
"Like a lot of people, he has a family as well, so it's not just the physical side of things, it's the emotional side too.
"Cam won't whinge about it because he loves what he does, but we should never take our top stars for granted."
Storm skipper Smith also put in a shift for his decimated club side. Source: News Corp Australia
Smith's NRL Contiki tour began last month, when he left Melbourne to fly for Brisbane for Origin I on May 28.
The following day, he flew to Townsville to back-up injured against the Cowboys, before returning to Melbourne for an NRL clash against the Roosters on June 8.
Should State of Origin become a stand-alone competition?
Within 48 hours of facing the Roosters, Smith was back in the air last Tuesday, flying north for the Queensland team's visit to Longreach as part of their annual fan day.
On the same day, Smith flew back for Camp Maroon at Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast, before arriving in Sydney on Sunday to prepare for Origin II at ANZ Stadium.
Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
Bennett says the NRL must minimise air travel where possible in an age where player rehabilitation is vital.
"The modern day player is as much about recovery as anything else because of the intensity of the games," he said.
"For Cam Smith to have to fly to North Queensland three days after Origin with an ankle injury ... that is not the ideal recovery for any NRL player."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Smith racks up the air miles for Origin
Dengan url
http://sportlanhealty.blogspot.com/2014/06/smith-racks-up-air-miles-for-origin.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Smith racks up the air miles for Origin
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Smith racks up the air miles for Origin
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar