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Saints will win the grand final and challenge cup, just like last year, and the year before (title)...and the year before (title). People can squawk about how allegedly unpredictable the competition is but the end results are more predictable and telegraphed than ever before, and basically saints are decent and everyone else is crap. It's basically almost back to the 80's and 90's where wigan just won everything.
Rapidly losing interest.
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Guess it depends on your point of view.
I'm sure when Leeds were winning each year others found that boring if only winning the entire competition is what matters.
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For the first 10 minutes, Wigan tried to play the Saints way with fast line speed. After that St. Helens forwards absolutely mullered the Wigan forwards because Wigan just ran out of energy. To me, peet has set Wigan up to try and play the saints way this game instead of playing the Wigan way and this is a lack of experience.
The score line flattered Wigan. How many sets did they have in saints ten? One? Two?
Saints were in absolute control all game against the second best team in super league despite being decimated by injuries
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| Quote ="TheWarringtonWolve69"For the first 10 minutes, Wigan tried to play the Saints way with fast line speed. After that St. Helens forwards absolutely mullered the Wigan forwards because Wigan just ran out of energy. To me, peet has set Wigan up to try and play the saints way this game instead of playing the Wigan way and this is a lack of experience.
The score line flattered Wigan. How many sets did they have in saints ten? One? Two?
Saints were in absolute control all game against the second best team in super league despite being decimated by injuries'"
Saints given 1 try that should've been disallowed.
Wigan bombed a try and scored a legitimate one not even referred to the screen.
Saints final try was scrappy and lucky.
Game easily could've gone the other way despite Saints 'mullering' Wigan  |
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| Quote ="Wigg'n"Saints given 1 try that should've been disallowed.
Wigan bombed a try and scored a legitimate one not even referred to the screen.
Saints final try was scrappy and lucky.
Game easily could've gone the other way despite Saints 'mullering' Wigan
'"
Comedy gold .... |
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| Quote ="bewareshadows"Guess it depends on your point of view.
I'm sure when Leeds were winning each year others found that boring if only winning the entire competition is what matters.'"
Circa a decade ago there were better challengers. Tony Smith's Warrington in their pomp, Michael Maguire's wigan innovating how the game was played over here (for better or worse can be debated, but it was an innovation), it wasn't as plainly obvious or easy to predict which of the top teams would win trophies. Now, everyone is basically crap apart from saints. To the extent it's already easy to predict they will win the Challenge cup and grand final, for the second year on the trot.
This really isn't a healthy competition, at all. |
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Agree it's very dull at the moment.
Saints are out for in front by some distance, Catalans and Wigan can be sort of competent most games then after that it's a rag tag bunch of teams who'd be getting hammered by some of the Super League teams from the past
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| Quote ="Wigg'n"Saints given 1 try that should've been disallowed.
Wigan bombed a try and scored a legitimate one not even referred to the screen.
Saints final try was scrappy and lucky.
Game easily could've gone the other way despite Saints 'mullering' Wigan
'"
I love the fact you don’t state the 2 tries saints bombed.
Men against boys.
Wigan spent about 5 minutes all game in saints half |
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Totally agree with the OP. Twenty odd years of SL and only 4 clubs winning the title. The competition is stale.
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| Quote ="Wigg'n"Saints given 1 try that should've been disallowed.
Wigan bombed a try and scored a legitimate one not even referred to the screen.
Saints final try was scrappy and lucky.
Game easily could've gone the other way despite Saints 'mullering' Wigan
'"
Swings and roundabouts Saints were hard done by in similar circumstances. That grub Powell should have seen red with that crusher tackle.
I thought Wigoon played very well in the first quarter then Saints upped the tempo down the middle which Wigoon struggled with, thought Lulu played very well but we cut down most of the opportunities for Field to run into space.
The nilling in the second half was an indicator that they couldn't handle pressure and pace and lost a lot of composure, Hurrell monstered Bibby. |
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| Quote ="Tigerade"Totally agree with the OP. Twenty odd years of SL and only 4 clubs winning the title. The competition is stale.'"
And one of those clubs is now in the Championship!
The number of different teams in the Grand Final isn't too bad though, as you can add Wire, Cas, Salford, Hull and Catalans to the list it's just getting a new winner that seems elusive. |
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Don’t blame the top clubs like saints, Wigan and Leeds. Blame your own clubs for being so poor
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| Quote ="FlexWheeler"Saints will win the grand final and challenge cup, just like last year, and the year before (title)...and the year before (title). People can squawk about how allegedly unpredictable the competition is but the end results are more predictable and telegraphed than ever before, and basically saints are decent and everyone else is crap. It's basically almost back to the 80's and 90's where wigan just won everything.
Rapidly losing interest.'"
Saints are playing like an NRL side, I reckon Catalans are still the closest challengers and Hull K R look promising. Saints are above everyone else because they have a good coach a good club structure and good recruitment balance they are salary capped not like the 80's and 90's. |
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| Quote ="Judder Man"Saints are playing like an NRL side, I reckon Catalans are still the closest challengers and Hull K R look promising. Saints are above everyone else because they have a good coach a good club structure and good recruitment balance they are salary capped not like the 80's and 90's.'"
Saints have a culture. No other team in SL do. Wigan are trying and will get it right within a couple of years but that’s why saints are so successful. No other team in SL has a culture and that’s why they will never win SL |
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Does the Rugby League always stand in solidarity with countries engaged in war and virtue signal that to let everyone know where they stand? I can't remember it happening before.
Is it just the TV games that stand in solidarity with Ukraine or do the non TV games stand in solidarity too?
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| Quote ="Judder Man"Saints are playing like an NRL side, I reckon Catalans are still the closest challengers and Hull K R look promising. Saints are above everyone else because they have a good coach a good club structure and good recruitment balance they are salary capped not like the 80's and 90's.'"
It's a reflection of how utterly hopeless the competition is when saints, who simply have good structures and a good coach, will win 4 titles on the trot and back to back doubles (at least). In normal circumstances, if a competition is what it says on the tin, a team pulling those kind of numbers would be a seminal team, with generational players.
Super league is absolute rubbish, and I'm turning my back on it. |
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Isn't the best super league ever
But only like man city/Liverpool been top last 4 or 5 years
When you see a video off a man City player rolling around on Facebook 6 or 7 times you realise rugby league isn't near as embarrassing as that
Teams dominate in all sports end of
Super league needs to scrap the salary cap as all it does is keep the ambition down and no money to be made
Players don't dream of earning £80,000 a year playing RL
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| Quote ="Thetalentboy"Super league needs to scrap the salary cap as all it does is keep the ambition down and no money to be made
Players don't dream of earning £80,000 a year playing RL'"
Nor do parents dream of that for their child, they are so important in taking to training and games etc. If they have the choice between league n Union money or even football we just don't compete ! |
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| Quote ="Wigg'n"Saints given 1 try that should've been disallowed.
Wigan bombed a try and scored a legitimate one not even referred to the screen.
Saints final try was scrappy and lucky.
Game easily could've gone the other way despite Saints 'mullering' Wigan
'"
I'll have what you're drinking!!! |
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While it is tempting and it’d be easy to make jokes about feeling sympathy for Leeds fans who have not seen their team win a trophy since 2020, I think it does illustrate another issue will the same clubs dominating a sport for a prolonged period… the withdrawal symptoms and lack of tolerance for disappointment among some (not all!) of their fans when they have to endure a period of the mediocrity so familiar to the clubs fulfilling the role of opponent, year in and year out, are so used to. We take our happiness were we can and have learned to treasure it.
McManus has invested heavily at Saints to make them what they are today, and yes they also have a good culture. Kind of admirable, but yeah kind of boring too from the outside. But not massively more so than the previous 37 years since (probably not entirely coincidentally) my own club had a ‘good culture’ and won major trophies.
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The gap between saints and the rest of SL is evident when you consider there isn’t one player from the rest of SL that would get in saints first 13. Wigan fans will shout “jai field” but there is no way he is anywhere near the class of Welsby. He’s just a sprinter playing rugby league who is only decent in broken play.
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| Quote ="TheWarringtonWolve69"The gap between saints and the rest of SL is evident when you consider there isn’t one player from the rest of SL that would get in saints first 13. Wigan fans will shout “jai field” but there is no way he is anywhere near the class of Welsby. He’s just a sprinter playing rugby league who is only decent in broken play.'"
Far too much hype if an attacking full back, for that position you need the attributes to be creative and have a good defence. Jai Field has neither he's just a broken field runner and thats about it. Can't defend either the last try by Percival he allowed Percival to juggle the ball to score can't defence read. |
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| Quote ="Judder Man"Far too much hype if an attacking full back, for that position you need the attributes to be creative and have a good defence. Jai Field has neither he's just a broken field runner and thats about it. Can't defend either the last try by Percival he allowed Percival to juggle the ball to score can't defence read.'"
Totally agree. He’s just another Adam Quinlan. The way the Wigan have been crowing about him, I thought he was the next Billy Slater. Wouldn’t get anywhere near Saints 17 |
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| Quote ="Mild Rover"While it is tempting and it’d be easy to make jokes about feeling sympathy for Leeds fans who have not seen their team win a trophy since 2020, I think it does illustrate another issue will the same clubs dominating a sport for a prolonged period… the withdrawal symptoms and lack of tolerance for disappointment among some (not all!) of their fans when they have to endure a period of the mediocrity so familiar to the clubs fulfilling the role of opponent, year in and year out, are so used to. We take our happiness were we can and have learned to treasure it.
McManus has invested heavily at Saints to make them what they are today, and yes they also have a good culture. Kind of admirable, but yeah kind of boring too from the outside. But not massively more so than the previous 37 years since (probably not entirely coincidentally) my own club had a ‘good culture’ and won major trophies.'"
It's all to do with the lack of diversity at the top, in terms of final outcomes. This could get to the point where saints win 4 or 5 back to back doubles, at the very least, like it's nothing. It's never been this bad. How hard is it for teams to simply be coached well, have good young players and make smart overseas signings? The competition is just so, so poor. |
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Quote ="FlexWheeler"It's all to do with the lack of diversity at the top, in terms of final outcomes. This could get to the point where saints win 4 or 5 back to back doubles, at the very least, like it's nothing. It's never been this bad. How hard is it for teams to simply be coached well, have good young players and make smart overseas signings? The competition is just so, so poor.'"
It could but we’re some way from that. Also, from my perspective this doesn’t feel different. My first post in this thread hasn’t aged well in a couple of ways…
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=637425&p=19274621#p19274621
However, the reason I share it is to show that Leeds, Wigan and Saints have essentially merged into one RL entity in my head, the one with the money that always wins. Which particular facet of that monolith lifts the trophy at the end of each season ceased to matter some time ago.
As for the lack of quality, fans of not-Wigan-Saints-or-Leeds twigged some time ago that being well coached, having good young players and making smart overseas signings helps, but without lots of money there’s a cap on what can realistically be achieved. One (or maybe even two) of the monolith’s facets might be poorly managed for a bit and have to slum it in mid-table for a couple of years but in some ways that adds interest for the rest of us. |
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Quote ="FlexWheeler"It's all to do with the lack of diversity at the top, in terms of final outcomes. This could get to the point where saints win 4 or 5 back to back doubles, at the very least, like it's nothing. It's never been this bad. How hard is it for teams to simply be coached well, have good young players and make smart overseas signings? The competition is just so, so poor.'"
It could but we’re some way from that. Also, from my perspective this doesn’t feel different. My first post in this thread hasn’t aged well in a couple of ways…
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=637425&p=19274621#p19274621
However, the reason I share it is to show that Leeds, Wigan and Saints have essentially merged into one RL entity in my head, the one with the money that always wins. Which particular facet of that monolith lifts the trophy at the end of each season ceased to matter some time ago.
As for the lack of quality, fans of not-Wigan-Saints-or-Leeds twigged some time ago that being well coached, having good young players and making smart overseas signings helps, but without lots of money there’s a cap on what can realistically be achieved. One (or maybe even two) of the monolith’s facets might be poorly managed for a bit and have to slum it in mid-table for a couple of years but in some ways that adds interest for the rest of us. | |
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