The casualty toll has been horrendous, as evidenced by hapless Melbourne Storm hooker Brandon Smith in Thursday night's loss to Parramatta.

Smith, who of course was wearing the No.9 jersey only because Cameron Smith was already injured, went down late in the game with what appeared a serious ankle problem.

A minute or so later, the tough little Kiwi bounced back to his feet and ran into a crunching tackle that forced him from the field, nursing what has since been confirmed as a broken jaw.

Another one bites the dust.

At least Smith won't be lonely during his convalescence.

The Storm have been as hard hit as any team when it comes to wounded troops. Seven of their regulars missed the loss to Parramatta, and stand-in skipper Kenny Bromwich finished the game with a calf strain.

To put it all in context, just consider the following hypothetical team, which comprises injured stars from across the NRL: Tom Trbojevic, Suliasi Vunivalu, Bradman Best, James Roberts, Valentine Holmes, Cameron Munster, Luke Keary, Dale Finucane, Boyd Cordner, Sione Mata'utia, Daniel Saifiti, Josh Hodgson, Addin Fonua-Blake. Reserves: Jai Arrow, Victor Radley, Connor Watson, Andrew Fifita.

Very few clubs have escaped the carnage, although I was interested to note that the Eels fielded what was effectively their first-choice 13 on Thursday night, as has been the case for most of the season.

Not surprisingly, they are flying high in equal second on the ladder with Melbourne.

Competition front-runners Penrith have also negotiated the first 14 rounds relatively unscathed.

Various theories have emerged to explain the alarming body count.

Coaches such as Melbourne's Craig Bellamy have pointed to the new six-again rule, which has increased the speed of the game and the amount of the time the ball is in play, and hence exacerbated player fatigue.

Weary players are more likely to be slightly out of position as they attempt to make a tackle, leaving heads and other body parts in dangerous positions.

The eight-week shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic has also been identified as a contributing factor.

I can remember talking to Knights coach Adam O'Brien during the hiatus and he said it would be "cutting it fine" for players to resume games with any less than four weeks' preparation.

O'Brien estimated three weeks of full-contact training was the "bare minimum" players would need to prepare themselves for the brutality of games.

"Once it gets less than that, the duty of care you have to the players starts to become a talking point," he said at the time.

As it transpired, all teams had basically a fortnight of full contact before the season re-started on May 28.

Underdone as the players may have been, they got stuck back into it without complaint, largely because they had already been forced to accept across-the-board pay cuts. They were happy just to be back on the field, earning a living.

Yet with no byes in the re-structured season, there has been no respite and the duress players are under intensifies on a weekly basis.

Injuries, of course, are part and parcel of rugby league, and have been since the code's 1908 foundation season. But perhaps more than any other campaign in the game's history, this one will be a war of attrition. Survival of the fittest. Indeed, it would be no surprise to see a Steven Bradbury-style finish to the season.

With regards to the Knights, they have suffered more than their fair share of body blows, from early in the piece.

Jayden Brailey, Connor Watson and Andrew McCullough won't play again this year, and Tim Glasby is pondering a concussion-enforced retirement.

When, or if, Mata'utia, Best and Edrick Lee become available remains to be seen. Daniel Saifiti faces another week or two on the sidelines after re-injuring his left knee.

Newcastle have done well, in the circumstances, to sit as high as they do on the competition ladder. But if injuries have hindered them, they have also been fortunate.

Key playmakers Mitchell Pearce, Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann have missed one game between them.

David Klemmer and Jacob Saifiti have played in every game, providing the grunt up front. Aidan Guerra has been on deck each week, as has Hymel Hunt, while Enari Tuala has played in all but one game.

Meanwhile, the rookies who have come in - Phoenix Crossland, Tex Hoy, Starford Toa, Pasami Saulo, Brodie Jones and Chris Randall - have all done a job.

In addition, the 11th-hour decision to recruit veteran Blake Green has been a potential masterstroke.

Some teams are already licking their wounds, looking towards next year.

The Knights, in contrast, have espoused a "next man up" mentality since Mata'utia was injured in a pre-season trial.

They're still going strong, regardless of how tough the going has been. Fans can only hope it continues for a couple more months.