Alluding to the title of this thread versus the game this morning with the Roosters v Rabbitohs, No comparison.

That depends what you're comparing. Klien had no control over the game neither. Sounds similar to Friday.

Sadly all 4 finals games this weekend were ahead of anything I’ve seen in SL this year in terms of pace, power, skill and entertainment.

I’m not sure the NRL is a sensible benchmark anymore.

What we have needs to be improved but it should be judged on its own terms, not something that isn’t realistically attainable.

The need is clear and urgent, which should focus minds and hopefully stop the clubs fudging it up. I probably won’t like IMG’s plan, personally - but it has got to be better than more indecisiveness and half measures.

Tell her she's got Leeds & Arsenal the wrong way round.



I think I speak for most Utd fans in saying it's in this order....

1) Liverpool
2) (dirty) Leeds
3) Citeh
4) Arsenal/Chelsea (cockney Wayne Kerr's

)

I guess it depends on age etc as well. Some older fans will have a dislike for the likes of Bolton as they've got an unhealthy obsession with Utd despite having barely played us in 20 or so years. They're still living in the 50's/60's that lot though.



Even City were barely on the radar until the Sheikh rolled into town and then suddenly overnight they changed their tune about rich football clubs.

Surely it should be the sensible benchmark though, it’s literally the same sport. We should be learning from them and we can surely learn more from the NRL than soccer, Union and other sports.

Learn what exactly? Hey guys, be one of the most popular sports and then you'll get the lions share of talented athletes, and massive advertising and tv rights money.

You can't undo a century worth of sports culture. Rugby league is popular (the sport of choice) in a few, economically deprived areas of the country. That's not to say the governing body and some clubs do a good job with the marketing and running of the game, they don't. But there are limitations, and the context over there is totally different and not relevant.

Besides, stuff like that isn't the biggest issue at the moment anyway. The product on the field is crap, and the outcomes are predictable.

Association football is the same in Australia as it is in England, but I doubt fans of the A-League worry massively about the quality of the games they watch vs those in the EPL. That’s maybe a slightly extreme example… but only slightly. We can learn without comparing ourselves to the teacher/example.

Well I’ll certainly agree on that last paragraph.

Agree nrl doesn't have football to compete with like we do over here

Nrl should be a lot more popular than it is given its one or the"bigger" sports in aus

The salary cap difference every aussie team should beat every super league by 80 or 90 points

But we all know when the WWC comes around the aussie team will scrape another 6/10 point win !

The Australia's learnt the game from us and now they do the game much better than us. Maybe it's time for us to learn from them now?

It's not a case of their players are born better, we can produce as good talented players as them yet we haven't beaten them in a rugby war for 52 years.

We have a competition platform to play on with Super league just as they do with their league. So where is it going wrong?

Is it grass roots?
Is it coaching?
Is it standard of refereeing?
Is it money?
Is it leadership?
Is it lack of competativeness in games?

It can't be lack of talented players because you look at recent British players that have gone down there to ply their trade. Sam Burgess and James Graham both big stars down their who became captains of their clubs. Gareth Ellis was his clubs player of the season on more than 1 occasion. John Bateman was awarded their competitions back rower of the season. Josh Hodgson was just a decent hooker in Super League, he went down there and people were putting him on the level of best hooker in their competition alongside the immortal Cameron Smith.

5 years ago we played Australia on their home soil in the World Cup final and lost a very tight game by 6 points. There's no way it should be 52 years since we last beat them in a war.

It’s lifestyle and professionalism. The vast minority of nrl players are dedicated, eat and train right. The vast majority of SL players can be found stumbling around with a kebab in their hand on a Saturday night. Especially around Leeds and Wigan

Who do you support mate?

I agree I hate it when Stains players visit King St in Wigan

They have not been in Wigoons town centre for quite a few years now since John Bateman bottled a fellow rugby player.

Your not missing much.

Sometimes the most obvious answer is the asnwer. They have a better competition and a better pool of players. That's why. Rugby league doesn't lend itself to one-off upsets. You can't park the bus and hit a team on the break.They are just better because they have the best athletes, more of them, playing in a better competition. Of course over that period we've had little periods where we just happened to have a number of top players come through at the same time, and so have come close. But we have so little depth in comparison that one injury or loss of form dramatically weakens us, and there#s nearly always liable to be ''something'' that isn't quite perfect. Walmesley is out for the world cup now, isn't he? There you go.

Learn what from them exactly??

Here's how it probably goes. Whatever infrastructure or 'things' they have implemented, we learn about it and then:

A - ''Ok great, let's start implementing these right away''
B - ''Well it's going to cost xxxx to implement this''
A - ''Damn, we can't afford that, let's just raise more money''
B - ''Well xxxx is given based on how lucrative xxxx is, and rugby league only generates xxxx, so it's not possible''
A - ''Can't we just raise money like Austrailia do?''
B - ''The game isn't popular enough to generate that kind of income''

Or something like that. I don't know the inner workings of these things behind the scenes,hence ''xxxx'', but it's down to money.

No you are right they would sooner stay in Stains Town and get Tw*tted of a bouncer.

Your joking,fantastic in late 70s and 80s.Loved it then.
Unlike Stains Town where it has always been s*hit.

I agree not now though.

Staines is decent to stay in for access to London and cheaper hotel rates

Prob yes,but I am yet again replying to a nobody who at every chance slags Wigan off .
Stains Town = St Helens town.

Wigan used to be a decent night out. It’s just full of crackheads and scrubbers now

This is prob the only time I will agree,much like all town centres now.

Wonder why LeBron left St Helens off his list off Town/City centres?

Because nothing goes on in St Helens.