It can be argued that the entire Super League competition is going through an injury crisis, with every team across the division having a number of players sidelined through various different reasons.
The introduction of the faster ruck speed has certainly made the game quicker, more action-packed and entertaining, however it could be coming at a cost, with players potentially being unable to cope with the added pressure that comes with the faster game.
As a product, the on-field action is the competition’s biggest asset. With big hits, incredible tries and an ultra-competitive league, the 2026 campaign is looking to be one of the best ever, but with so many key players going down to injury,
When you analyse the extent of the injuries, it is quite astounding just how many players are sat in the medical room, and given the league is salary capped, having those star players out of action makes what is an already bad blow even more damaging.
The talk of late has been regarding the full-backs, with the majority of teams losing their first-choice number ones so early in the season.
In round four, eight of the fourteen clubs were without their full-back, all of which were through injury.
Super League injury crisis assessed
Serious About Rugby League have had a dig through the data to see just how bad the current spell of injuries is, and it has brought up some quite alarming stats.
Squad numbers, are obviously not the be all and end all, and do not determine squad selection, however at the start of a season head coaches will often give what they think is their best squad the ‘starting’ numbers, whilst the fringe and emerging players get allocated numbers that are on the higher end of the scale.
With that in mind, it’s fair to argue that the players with numbers 1-13 on their back are the ones that need to be on the field the most, given that they are the best at what they do, but in round four, a huge 28% of players with those numbers missed out, with the vast majority coming through injury.
Thirteen numbers multiplied by the 14 teams makes 182, and in round four, 51 players of that 182 were either out of action or picked up a confirmed injury over the weekend. Names such as Jack Welsby, Brodie Croft and Matty Lees are all superstars of the competition that missed out.
If you combine the 14-17 jerseys with those numbers, the statistic goes up even further, with 68 of the 238 players either all sidelined last week or set to be, including Saints’ forward duo Jacob Host and George Delaney and Wigan’s Abbas Miski.
A huge 29 of those 68 players take up quota spots, so you can really see just how depleted the competition is as it stands.
What this doesn’t include are players such as Bailey Hodgson, Oliver Wilson and George Flanagan Jr, all of whom are injured but aren’t in the top 17.
Full Super League injury list:
List includes players with numbers 1-17 who did not feature in round four of the competition, and those who did play but have been confirmed to pick up an injury.
*denotes quota player
Bradford Bulls (6): Jayden Okunbor*, Waqa Blake*, Jayden Nikorima*, Mitch Souter*, Ebon Scurr, Ed Chamberlain
Castleford Tigers (5): Blake Taaffe*, Semi Valemei*, Alex Mellor, Brock Greacen*, Chris Atkin
Catalans Dragons (6): Tommy Makinson, Manase Kaho*, Julien Bousquet, Franck Maria, Ben Garcia, Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui*
Huddersfield Giants (9): Niall Evalds, Adam Swift, Sam Halsall, Adam Clune*, Zac Woolford*, Sam Hewitt, Harry Rushton, Matty English, Joe Greenwood
Hull FC (6): Will Pryce, Harvey Barron, Herman Ese’ese*, Joe Batchelor, Jed Cartwright*, Liam Knight* (released from contract)
Hull KR (1): Arthur Mourgue
Leeds Rhinos (3): Brodie Croft*, Mikolaj Oledzki, James McDonnell
Leigh Leopards (6): David Armstrong*, Umyla Hanley, Joe Ofahengaue*, Edwin Ipape*, Aaron Pene*, Matt Davis
Toulouse Olympique (4): Paul Ulberg*, Paul Marcon*, Maxime Stefani, Calum Gahan*
St Helens (7): Jack Welsby, Mark Percival, Jonny Lomax, Alex Walmsley, Matty Lees, Jacob Host*, George Delaney
Wakefield Trinity (5): Max Jowitt, Tom Johnstone, Mason Lino*, Tyson Smoothy*, Matty Storton
Warrington Wolves (3): Matty Ashton, Adam Holroyd, Jordy Crowther
Wigan Warriors (3): Jai Field*, Jake Wardle, Abbas Miski*
York Knights (4): Jordan Lipp*, Scott Galeano*, Jordan Thompson, Kieran Hudson
