Re: Gildart : Tue Nov 26, 2019 12:55 pm  

Are trying to turn RL into a game of Blood Bowl???

Re: Gildart : Tue Nov 26, 2019 12:57 pm  

I can just image Steve Ganson being the ref in this futuristic sport whereby his brain is in a bionic body ala Robocop

Roboref if you will

Re: Gildart : Tue Nov 26, 2019 2:41 pm  

The_Enforcer wrote:

I dont know, Ben Flowers best years were when he was built like a body builder. Id even go as far as to say at around the time of his sending off in the GF he was one of if not the best prop in the UK.

It got me thinking about the future. Could it be possible that future RL players may go in for silicone implants to increase size? It might sound a bit daft but so did many technological breakthroughs before they became mainstream. Implants around the chest and shoulder would act like a layer of cushioning but also increase size and could be manufactured to add extra weight using additives to the silicone. A club could then make a player as big as they wanted. Who knows, in the future there could be valves on implants that can be pumped up before games. I know it seems unthinkable right now but technology moves on.

Does this go alongside your 'arm wrestle to determine who kicks off' proposition? If so, do they pump themselves up before or after? Will the robots concede the WCC and Final Elimator too, or do they just self destruct?

Re: Gildart : Tue Nov 26, 2019 2:44 pm  

The_Enforcer wrote:

I dont know, Ben Flowers best years were when he was built like a body builder. Id even go as far as to say at around the time of his sending off in the GF he was one of if not the best prop in the UK.

It got me thinking about the future. Could it be possible that future RL players may go in for silicone implants to increase size? It might sound a bit daft but so did many technological breakthroughs before they became mainstream. Implants around the chest and shoulder would act like a layer of cushioning but also increase size and could be manufactured to add extra weight using additives to the silicone. A club could then make a player as big as they wanted. Who knows, in the future there could be valves on implants that can be pumped up before games. I know it seems unthinkable right now but technology moves on.

There's a good reason why this hasn't been done and anabolics have.

They might aswell put a weighted puffer jacket on under their shirt, it will be just as useful, avoid surgical procedures and carries no danger of ruptures.

Re: Gildart : Tue Nov 26, 2019 9:22 pm  

I dont know why you are all so surprised. In a age where more and more people are having breast and buttock implants, there is no reason to believe that in the future it could not catch on in sport to increase size in desired areas. With technology, implants will get better and become puncture proof. As i said, who knows what the future could hold, players could even be pumped up by trained technicians via a valve.

50 years ago, if id of told you people would be able to have fully functioning artificial limbs, you would of all reacted in the same way. All technology seemed impossible and even sometimes crazy before it became a reality

Re: Gildart : Tue Nov 26, 2019 11:07 pm  

[Gareth] wrote:

I can just image Steve Ganson being the ref in this futuristic sport whereby his brain is in a bionic body ala Robocop

Roboref if you will

True fact - the character name of the injured Police Officer who went on to become Robocop was....

Alex Murphy.

So maybe there is something in it.

Re: Gildart : Wed Nov 27, 2019 12:31 am  

I must say I'm pleased that the club has gone down the road of making Gildart have an operation rather than just rest and recuperation,i remember Bryan Robson back in the 80's when he kept dislocating his shoulder,in the end the only way to fix a dislocated shoulder is to have it pinned with surgery otherwise it will keep going

Re: Gildart : Wed Nov 27, 2019 6:43 pm  

The_Enforcer wrote:

I dont know why you are all so surprised. In a age where more and more people are having breast and buttock implants, there is no reason to believe that in the future it could not catch on in sport to increase size in desired areas. With technology, implants will get better and become puncture proof. As i said, who knows what the future could hold, players could even be pumped up by trained technicians via a valve.

50 years ago, if id of told you people would be able to have fully functioning artificial limbs, you would of all reacted in the same way. All technology seemed impossible and even sometimes crazy before it became a reality

It won't catch on because you clearly don't know what "size" means from an athletic perspective. It means muscle mass. More muscle fibres that are capable of moving under a higher load; stronger. It also means an athlete can throw their weight around because the tissues supporting the muscles also get stronger and can support the frame and the loads placed on it. That's why "size" is valuable because of the things that come with it; more weight on a stronger frame. It may help with minimising the force of impacts, but as we've seen in American Football, often times protection leads to more injuries.

If you put implants in they will weigh hardly anything and contribute nothing to the strength of an athlete (hence why women with breast implants can't all of a sudden bench press 2x bodyweight) so it's empty size. Or as you suggested you could replace the silicone with a material that is heavy but then you're adding weight to a frame that isn't strong enough to support it. It would be no different to playing with a weight vest on.

Here's an idea to test your idea and to illustrate why it won't catch on. Deadlift or squat as much as you can at your current level. Then put a balloon suit on (all youre doing is having the bags over the skin as opposed to under it) and if you're right, you'll be able to lift more weight. Then fill those baloons with water, you've now got size and weight and to the same lifts, I expect you'll be 40-50% up on your 1 rep max surely?

I would not have been cynical over bionic limbs 50 years ago because the scientific principle underneath it was sound - find a way to have a computer be controlled by the nervous system. You're talking about something that doesn't make anatomical sense. The size has to come from the muscles themselves, by growing more tissue, hence the use of anabolics when an athlete needs to put on mass and can't for whatever reason (natural limits, time, attitude). If they can somehow miraculously find silicone implants that can increase the size and strength of an athlete it would be banned straight away and would never be favoured over anabolics or growth hormones.

Re: Gildart : Thu Nov 28, 2019 1:34 am  

secondstanza wrote:

It won't catch on because you clearly don't know what "size" means from an athletic perspective. It means muscle mass. More muscle fibres that are capable of moving under a higher load; stronger. It also means an athlete can throw their weight around because the tissues supporting the muscles also get stronger and can support the frame and the loads placed on it. That's why "size" is valuable because of the things that come with it; more weight on a stronger frame. It may help with minimising the force of impacts, but as we've seen in American Football, often times protection leads to more injuries.

If you put implants in they will weigh hardly anything and contribute nothing to the strength of an athlete (hence why women with breast implants can't all of a sudden bench press 2x bodyweight) so it's empty size. Or as you suggested you could replace the silicone with a material that is heavy but then you're adding weight to a frame that isn't strong enough to support it. It would be no different to playing with a weight vest on.

Here's an idea to test your idea and to illustrate why it won't catch on. Deadlift or squat as much as you can at your current level. Then put a balloon suit on (all youre doing is having the bags over the skin as opposed to under it) and if you're right, you'll be able to lift more weight. Then fill those baloons with water, you've now got size and weight and to the same lifts, I expect you'll be 40-50% up on your 1 rep max surely?

I would not have been cynical over bionic limbs 50 years ago because the scientific principle underneath it was sound - find a way to have a computer be controlled by the nervous system. You're talking about something that doesn't make anatomical sense. The size has to come from the muscles themselves, by growing more tissue, hence the use of anabolics when an athlete needs to put on mass and can't for whatever reason (natural limits, time, attitude). If they can somehow miraculously find silicone implants that can increase the size and strength of an athlete it would be banned straight away and would never be favoured over anabolics or growth hormones.

You're missing the point. If the implants could be manufactured from a substance that adds weight then a smaller guy that already runs well above his current weight could then play prop. Dan Sarginson is an example. If he was carrying and extra stone or two into a collision he would then be harder to stop and take more juice from defenders. I am not claiming the implants will add strength but who knows what the future could hold in that department. We could even see players be subbed, pumped up or deflated via a valve and then re-enter the game in a different position to cover for injury etc. After the game, a trained technician could deflate the implants so the player is not carrying the extra size and weight whilst going about their daily lives.

Re: Gildart : Thu Nov 28, 2019 7:30 am  

I like this idea
I mean Kelvin skerrett amongst others wore shoulder pads on the outside, is it so ridiculous that the modern day equivalent would wear them on the inside?

1987 Premiership final against Warrington pre match they tried something similar and the technology wasnt quite just ready and it turned into a bit of a farce.
But with 30 years advancement in technology who knows?