Who are the most injury prone athletes?

Jacob Oram, Colin Slade and Mark Paston could all have ACC on speed-dial. Photo / Getty Images

With Warriors star Jerome Ropati confirmed for another long stint on the sidelines, we look at athletes who tend to spend more time off the field than on.

Jerome Ropati - League

After dislocating his left knee against the Roosters on Saturday it was yesterday revealed the centre-made-fullback is out for the rest of the season. That follows a serious knee injury that restricted him to just three games last year, and a shoulder infection that ended his 2010 season. That means Ropati will have played 11 matches over the past two seasons including missing out on the Warriors' grand final run last year. That's gotta hurt.

Colin Slade - Rugby

Going by Slade's luck, it's no surprise that he's currently resting up a broken leg. The latest injury was suffered in the Highlanders' loss to the Brumbies in March, which could see him spend 12 months off the field. It adds to a horrid run that has included two broken jaws. The first came during last year's Super 15 pre-season, then the second only three matches into his return - which ruled him out of the competition. Once again he fought his way to full fitness and then made the Rugby World Cup squad, only to suffer more injury woes. After Dan Carter went down with a groin injury Slade stepped up to put on the number 10 jersey in the quarterfinal win over Argentina before also being struck with a groin tear. Add an offseason hernia operation to the list, and you start thinking maybe Slade is cursed.

Jacob Oram - Cricket

A calf injury ruled the Black Caps all-rounder out of the summer's Twenty20s and ODIs against South Africa adding to a shopping list of injuries over the past decade. A knee injury forced him home from Sri Lanka in 2010 with a patella tendon tear ruling him out of the Hadlee-Chappell series earlier that season. He left the 2009 Champions Trophy in South Africa with a hamstring injury on the eve of the opening match while missing India's tour to New Zealand with an Achilles tendon injury, also in 2009.

2008 wasn't any better. He missed a string of tests late in the year after a calf injury - following a hip problem leading to missed matches on the tour of England. After breaking his finger on the eve of the 2007 World Cup, Oram said if needs be he would cut the finger off so he could play. He did play at the World Cup, with finger attached, before breaking another finger at the following T20 World Cup. There are more injuries to list but 'Jacob Oram + injuries' broke Google.

Since his test debut in 2002, until his retirement seven years later, Oram played in 33 tests while missing 21. It's even worse reading in ODIs where he's made 145 appearances of the Black Caps' 257 matches since his debut in 2001 - that's a playing rate of just 56 percent. Meanwhile fellow injury prone all-rounder Chris Cairns played 62 of a possible 117 tests.

Greg Oden - Basketball

The 2007 number one draft pick has been one of the biggest busts in NBA history missing 338 games over the past five seasons due to three microfracture knee surgeries. The Portland Trail Blazers axed the young centre this season following his latest injury blow leaving him without a team for when or if he ever returns to the court. Meanwhile, the number two pick in the 2007 draft Kevin Durant is currently leading the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA playoffs after picking up his third straight scoring title.

Steve Price - League

The league great missed Canterbury-Bankstown's 2004 premiership win because of a medial ligament tear - meaning he didn't end his Doggies career on the field. Zip forward a few years, and he didn't end his Warriors career on the field either, missing the entire 2010 season because of a heel injury. In 2008 he tore his calf before the rugby league world cup final. Also spent the end stages of the third Origin match of 2009 - and another series victory for Queensland - asleep like a baby after being knocked out by Brett White. If there was a big occasion on the rugby league field, Price was sure to miss it.

Michael Owen - Soccer

The England striker's injury woes began at the 2006 World Cup when he damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during the opening minute of England's final pool match against Sweden. It took a year to recover and created a long battle between the English FA and Owen's new club side Newcastle - as the club demanded compensation. Owen only made 14 league appearances in his first two seasons at Newcastle with a tally of seven goals - equally to around 2.4 million pounds for every goal. After returning back to action too soon the injury hampered Owen's performance and notably reduced his speed on the pitch which was always one of his best attributes.

Good news for Owen - he's been fit as a fiddle the last three years. Bad news is that he's been playing for Manchester United who gave him just four appearances this season. After playing more than 38 games in seven of his first eight seasons he's cracked the 30 mark just three times in his last seven years.

Brett Seymour - League

Seymour's 2008 season was ruined when he did his knee while playing a game of soccer with teammates. Then broke his thumb against Gold Coast in his first NRL match for the Warriors in 2010, and missed seven matches. By May he was on the shelf again after he fractured his leg against Wests, and missed another five games. Hand and cheekbone fractures followed in 2011.

Mark Paston - Soccer

To be fair the All Whites' keeper has only contracted injury proneness in the later stages of this career. Midway through the 2009 A-League season the Phoenix goalie suffered a tibia fracture that sidelined him for the rest of the season missing the team's run to the preliminary final. Then almost a year to the day he suffered the same injury after a collision with Gold Coast striker Bruce Djite missing the playoffs yet again. He then missed the start of last season due to a ribs injury before getting back to full fitness - only to sit on the bench and watch backup keeper Tony Warner start 14 games.

Honourable mentions - Chris Cairns, Shane Bond, Ken Griffey Jr, Yao Ming, Michael Jones, and Julian Dean

- HERALD ONLINE