Well they just can't compete with Souths.

From what I hear they are thinking of scrapping the whole competition as it's not worth while even trying if another team are so far ahead at this point in the year.

If only Brisbane played in a more intense competition with meaningful games every week.

He is indeed.

He lives in New Zealand. He is a guttersnipe. Obviously he is Gutterfax.

Just like Canterbury Bulldogs really.

Souths have smashed the last 3 teams by 30 points whether that be at the start or end of a season.

All those early posts about SL being miles behind are beginning to look a little knee jerk.

What I will agree is that week in week out SL teams would struggle over the course of the year, even the top flight teams.

There is no point kidding ourselves, SL is behind the NRL, and its behind by a fair bit, by a noticeable amount but not by an unsurmountable amount

There are two ends of the spectrum here, and unfortunately they both lead to the same conclusion. Do nothing.

There are those burying their heads in the sand and would pretend the gap isn't that big and we will get there with slow and steady progress. We wont. For two reasons, firstly the gap is too big for us to think that success will come from tinkering at the edges, and more importantly the NRL aren't waiting for us to catch up. Whilst we are chipping away at a breakthrough for what they are doing now, they will be making that next big jump and where we slowly catch up in one area, they will have leaped ahead in another.

The others would say they are so far ahead there is no point worrying about it, no point playing them we will only lose, no point trying to catch up because its a waste of time and effort because they are too far ahead and too good.

either way, we end up doing next to nothing.

The truth lies somewhere in between. They are better than we are. Souths are comfortably better than any side in SL, they would probably be odds on to win SL this year. They would likely set records. They aren't guaranteed to win the NRL. There are 2 or 3 clubs who could. The results we saw aren't vastly different to what most would have expected. Their best are far better than ours, our best would probably be mid to lower NRL sides. Our mid to lower sides are acres behind. That's where we are. Lets get on with getting our best to the level of their best, and our mid to lower sides to the level of theirs, then lets over take them, and then look for the next innovation, and then the next, and then the next.

Where did Brisbane come in the NRL last year?
They are an average team at best, have been for a long long time.

Brisbane were bloody awful. They made shedloads of mistakes, but more worryingly their attack was dreadful. Even when they started to fall well behind they were playing mostly one man rugby. They were out on their feet with Souths running them around, but didn't even try to do the same - it was almost 30 degrees at kick off, and they should have been able to make Souths' big forwards suffer but they didn't come close.

Souths are playing pretty well, but against a better team could have been behind at half time. The only plus is that the Broncos will improve significantly on that performance. They had a number of new players and will miss Boyd until his return, but I can't see them doing much better than squeaking into the top 8 this year.

It's a mute argument. It's like saying why aren't San Marino as good in the World Cup as Germany or France? Or why aren't crench rl clubs as good as SL clubs?
Reality is with the money now in the nrl and the size of the playing numbers at jnr level it will always be a two tier situation. No shame in that, it's just how it is. In fact given the comparisons between the wealth and participation in the respective countries it is amazing we are as close to them as we are.

Our biggest threat is a second nz nrl club and increased funding to the nzrl. If that happens we could be a distant third in years to come.

I watched Brisbane and Souths last night. The Broncos were indeed terrible; Milford offered next to nothing in the halves (although he needs to be given time, of course), and it was a stroll in the park for the Bunnies. But like plenty of NRL games, I found it a very dull watch. I'd rather watch Leeds or Saints, let alone Wigan, even on scratchy form.

So you don't like to be entertained.

Each to their own

Of course I like to be entertained. And was tonight by the Eels, who were excellent in dismantling Manly. Doesn't alter the fact that the Souths game was dull, dull, dull.

Yeh it was a boring 5 drive and kick affair for the most part. Neither souths or Broncos have much creativity. Parra have sandow and manly have DCE/Foran and it certainly made a difference in the way the game was played. Melbourne set the trend for structured safety first and had great trophy success with it. Souths have followed their lead.

One NRL team that will not likely bore, but more likely dazzle this year is Sydney Roosters. With Mitchell Pearce in career best attacking form, and Michael Jennings and Blake Ferguson in the centres, plus Roger Tuivasa-Scheck at full back, it is likely to be razzle dazzle from the Bondi boys. Another exciting club is NZ Warriors with Shaun Johnson taking the lead. The only SL team capable of entertaining like those two clubs is the Todd Carney + Scott Dureau led Catalans Dragons.

Just cracked a tinnie to watch them v Cowboys. Should be the game of the round.