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Short turnarounds between games have no impact, says Phil Clarke

Warrington thank their fans for their support after defeating Leigh Centurions in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup Quarter final.
Image: Warrington: Play on Thursday after beating Leigh on Saturday

Phil Clarke has looked at the stats and found that quick turnarounds between games do not impact results...

Some people say that I like stats. Well, that's not true, I like facts. Lots of people make comments that aren't always correct when it comes to sport - you might say that's what pundits do - but I believe it's important to try to make comments that have some evidence behind them.

Of course, it's not always possible and opinions on players and coaches are the oxygen that fuels fan debate. However, some things are different.

I'm now getting a bit bored of hearing the line repeated by some coaches that a 'short turnaround', based on the number of rest and preparation days from one game to another, is the reason why their team played poorly and lost. I've even seen it where some coaches mention this in a post-match interview prior to their team playing a few days later.

It seems to me as if they are getting their excuses in early, just in case their teams lose. They plant a seed in the minds of their supporters and owners before the event. Should their team lose, they will again repeat that the 'short turnaround' was the reason they lost. But is this true?

In fact, the current champions St Helens have won five times and lost just once when they’ve had five days of preparation between games.
Phil Clarke

This Thursday's game gives me a great chance to demonstrate my point. Warrington played and won in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup last Saturday, which gives them five full days before their next match. Over the last 18 months, they've played a total of 46 games in Super League and have a winning ratio slightly below 60 per cent.

The Wolves have actually played in 11 games when they've had a five-day turnaround and won on eight of those occasions. On the other extreme, they've played in eight games in which, for one reason or another, they've had 10 or more days to prepare for a match, and they've won just four of these. In summary, Warrington have been more successful with the short turnarounds.

This just isn't a pattern that’s unique to the Wolves, who I know have had more of these short turnarounds than other teams. They've also had the most nine-day rest periods between games. When I looked at the records of say the other top four teams at present, I saw the same thing.

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Watch as Kevin Penny of Warrington Wolves scored a try of the year contender against Leigh in the Challenge Cup.

There wasn't much difference between win/loss records when you took into consideration the length of time that each team had had to rest, recover and prepare. In fact, the current champions St Helens have won five times and lost just once when they've had five days of preparation between games.

Warrington's opponents this Thursday, Wigan, have played in nine games with five days or less to prepare and won five of them, which is a similar winning percentage to their record across all 46 of their games since the start of 2014.

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In fact, when these two teams last met at the DW Stadium in April, Wigan had just four days prep time - one less than Warrington this week - and yet won 30-20. A quick look back at the game clearly showed that Wigan finished by far the stronger team.

This week has already seen Hull KR beat Salford when the Rovers had five days of rest and the Reds hadn't played a game in 11 days. Some may say that it's too early to jump to these conclusions but I don't agree. The facts, or results, don't support the theory that short turnarounds affect the game.

Players adapt and fundamentally like playing. They are competitive animals who need their juices flowing. There's no medical evidence to say that it's dangerous for the players to play with just four or five days' preparation and recovery.

Please, please, please - drop the excuse.

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