Although superleague is a closer competition this year, my opinion is that its gone boring and is now nery similarly to the NRL from 5 years ago.

With the 5 "wrestle tackles" and then a kick, I,m not sure if we are going to see any skills developing sufficiently to compete at international level.

Also this season we have enormous pressure on the referees by the players and the subjective rule interpetration, which results in games that do not flow and appears to generally favours the weaker team.

4 years ago we saw some fantastic superleague, this season I,m struggling to think of any "truly classic games" so far.

So the question....is the level playing field the result of the salary cap working or has the game changed and becoming sterile.

Never mind Super League, top flight Rugby League's better than ever IMO. And the Championship sides are getting their acts together because they know the bar's been raised considerably. Sure, there's a really long way to go but I get the sense that whilst there'll always be those that moan about absolutely everything, the majority of true fans (and I guess you have to [ireally[/i ask yourself whether you're a fan of the game and not just your club) are forward-thinking enough to keep the momentum going and develop with the game.

I'm be no means on my own when I say I'd like to see a slight reduction in the number of SL games and some real priority investment in developing the home nations, but then that doesn't just magic itself out of nowhere. I think it's about time some 'fans' stopped putting everything down and gave the game a chance to fulfill it's true potential with their support.

Maybe I would say it as a Wigan fan but I think the quality in the league is dire and I think this is reflected by the standard of the national team.

Wigan have been average at best for the last two seasons in my view but yet FACT IS at the end of the play offs we have been nearest behind Saints and Leeds at winning the Grand Final. That says it all to me - if I think we have been average what does that make the rest of the league?

We still have far too many overseas players, most of which I think offer nothing bar the exceptions of rare gems like Michael Dobson and Matt Gidley and I agree with the post by "Judderman". I too cannot remember a classic game from this season that I've seen on Sky.

Maybe it's just me but the league seems to have gone more power and less skill and this does not make for as entertaining a game as say 5/6 years ago.

Of course Hull KR fans will think different, its a generation since they were top of the table but for me compared to 5/6 years a go the league the quality is not the same.

1st year of Licencing and we have seen a certain amount of "leveling". The CURRENT top 8 sees no Wigan, Wire or Bradford and I for one think this is a good thing. Last year at this stage, these teams were 5th 5th and 6th.
I am sure that at least 2 of these teams will be in the mix come the end of the season, but for now, I think the cap, together with the knowledge of no relegation is making for a more competative league.
As for the standard of play, this has more to do with coaches watching the RLWC and adapting the tackle technique used by the Anzacs and less to do with the cap.

I don't see why tou find it necessary to bracket Salford with Celtic. They're not doing too bad for a newly promoted side. They are 8 ponts above Celtic, a point above Bradford and only 4 points behind Hull FC who are in 6th place. Could it be a vain attempt to dilute the fact that Celtic are well adrift of the rest?

the entire contents of the Atlantic ocean couldn't dilute that fact


Celtic have been off the pace all year, but if they can keep the nucleus of their squad for next year and add a couple of decent marque players, they will be a different proposition next year.
As for Salford, I am delighted for them and they seem to be getting better with every game......

Its going to be Leeds and St Helens battling for the top two spots this year and it has been for the last two years and probably will be for year and years.

Just imagine what the score line would have been today if Greg Eastwood was over here playing. Hull KR turned out to be great pretenders.

Nope the state of SL is still bad for me!

Competitive my .

Don't know what the big deal is?
I think Super League is great this year.

If Leeds and Saints are the best then they should get to the Grand Final and I'll enjoy watching them again. If it's someone else I'll probably support the under dog (assuming Wakefield aren't the other team of course?!!!?!)

I wouldn't mind.

Just a question for those bemoaning the lack of 'good' games this year. What in your eyes constitutes a 'good' game? A free-scoring pointsfest? In other words, 2 teams with woeful defences?

Fact is the league has become more competitive, and coaches are having to earn their corn a hell of a lot more than they used to. If it has led to a supposed drop in quality, so be it. The long-term rewards will be of more comfort to supporters than hoping to see the occasional 42-38 scoreline.

And in response to the OP, yes. Even though my team don't seem to be doing all that well, i can live with it.

It's the competition you applied to join last spring





And in asnwer to Damo: yes

Leeds and Saints have took over Wigan for the last two years. In fact apart from Bradford Bulls one off in 2005 its been Leeds Rhinos and St Helens all the way!

there have been no classic super league games this season because of the top 8 play off system.it has watered down the competetiveness of super league.as a wigan poster stated earlier in the thread,they have had average seasons but have stepped up to the mark at the play off stage.
the super league season is just a long warm up to the play offs.for that reason i am not happy with sl at the moment.bring back the top 5

Happy with Super League ?

YES.

Ah, of course, SL started in 2004 when L***s finally got off their ar$es and won something.

Idiot

Were 2001 and 2003 one offs as well damo

In the sl era bradford have won the same number of grand finals as leeds and more challenge cups. So really its been saints and bradford with leeds coming in 3rd.

I've seen loads of great games this season, games that have been won or lost by 2, 4 or even 1 point, that have been end to end rugby.

Superleague is good this year.

Exciting, lots of teams stand a chance of getting in the top 8. The salary cap is working, the talent pool is spread out more evenly, meaning a slight drop in quality in some teams.

Some of the less high profile teams are producing, and the key point keeping, there own good young British players, the likes of Ferguson and Westerman.

Of course saints and Leeds are top teams, and that probably won't change for a long time, but that's not taken anything away from the league. Some one has to be the best teams, and they had an head start.

Of course, let's not forget Bradford won SL in it's last season of the league leader format in 1997.

Bulls 4 Rhinos 3

SL has been great this year- Plenty of competitive games- Leeds v Quins being a rarity- Cas/Huds was a captivating game for the neutral on Fri.

It can only go from strength to strength and good to see plenty of British youngster getting games.

SL will remain e until Wigan start winning things, should that ever happen.

Totally agree... I would go far as to say that this is probably one of the worst superleague seasons fo games with intensity.
Games are a lot closer now because the rules and the way the game is reffed, its down to 5 wrestle tackles and then a kick.

Thats the Whinos only way of play!

They have no other options and boy is it BORING!!!

dont forget successful

The standards now are clearly better than what they were in the early years of summer rugby. We don't get the amount of 40-30 tryfests that we seemed to get and this season they hasn't been many one sided games. Whilst the Huddersfield-Castleford game wasn't the greatest game by any means it was a tense affair which was only put beyond doubt by Chases drop goal at the end. I'll rather have a low scoring battle over a high scoring tryfest any day.