Here's an idea to make SL better IL. Stop voting to preserve the CC, get your hand in your pocket and get some Marquee players back into the game.

It's this kind of player that used to get us excited at Wigan. No-one want's to watch mediocrity, no matter how much the "average" player may or may not have improved.

It's players like Boston (who, let's be honest would probably get picked up and dumped on his arris by someone like Hall, as wingers have changed since "his day". This is exactly the point I am making though, for in "his day" he was exceptional, a player who would bring in supporters and excite the crowd. It doesn't matter that in absolute terms he would now be playing for Leigh, in his time he was standout). It's exactly this relative argument that holds today. Supporters want to see stars, stars relative to their contemporaries. A better standard of player leads to a very dull game if every player is at "that" standard.

This holds as much for any sport as it does RL, and is one of the prime reasons why the CC is flawed, but that's another story.

I'm not actually sure of the point that IL is making (if indeed there was one at all) in that article.

What a waste of two days.

Let's have a meting to discuss the last meeting.

What a waste of two days. Let's have a meting to discuss the last meeting. www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/100 ... _s_future/

What a waste of two days. Let's have a meting to discuss the last meeting. www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/100 ... _s_future/

Quote ="Rogues Gallery"What a waste of two days. Let's have a meting to discuss the last meeting. www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/100 ... _s_future/'" All clubs with reps on four different working groups? So four fourteen man (at least) committees with each clubs rep no doubt trying to look after the interest of their club? Isn't this just four times worse than it is now? The clubs need to agree with the RFL to a structure and the qualifications to be in SL and then completely back off and agree to be governed by it. The clubs need to be dictated to. Instead with reps on all four committees this is just another way of ensuring their continued involvement and they need to realise unless their clubs are up to snuff their clubs continued involvement does not mean this is what is best for the game as a whole. This is just another way to see things like a salary cap increase voted down.

Quote ="Rogues Gallery"What a waste of two days. Let's have a meting to discuss the last meeting. www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/100 ... _s_future/'" All clubs with reps on four different working groups? So four fourteen man (at least) committees with each clubs rep no doubt trying to look after the interest of their club? Isn't this just four times worse than it is now? The clubs need to agree with the RFL to a structure and the qualifications to be in SL and then completely back off and agree to be governed by it. The clubs need to be dictated to. Instead with reps on all four committees this is just another way of ensuring their continued involvement and they need to realise unless their clubs are up to snuff their clubs continued involvement does not mean this is what is best for the game as a whole. This is just another way to see things like a salary cap increase voted down.

That is, without doubt, the biggest load of garbage I have ever read on this forum. You obviously never saw Billy play. He was world-class then and would have been world-class today. An all-time great of the game, who would not be "dumped on his arris" by anybody from any era.

Quote ="Rogues Gallery"What a waste of two days. Let's have a meting to discuss the last meeting. www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/100 ... _s_future/'" The most worrrying part of the non-event is this: Quote No firm decisions were taken on future policy but RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood said the discussions with the clubs were a fruitful and positive contribution to the ongoing Policy Review [uthat he is leading[/u.'" I wouldn't let Nigel Wood run a bath.

Quote ="Rogues Gallery"What a waste of two days. Let's have a meting to discuss the last meeting. www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/100 ... _s_future/'" The most worrrying part of the non-event is this: Quote No firm decisions were taken on future policy but RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood said the discussions with the clubs were a fruitful and positive contribution to the ongoing Policy Review [uthat he is leading[/u.'" I wouldn't let Nigel Wood run a bath.

We need strong leadership (almost dictatorship) in the game right now. Sadly it's not going to happen.

I actually think we need someone from outside the game to take on that role.

Richard Lewis?

Quote ="MattyB"Didn't want to create a new thread on the same lines but Hull FC had a fans forum last night and a few snippets regards the future of SL were released: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=540005&tsmp=1352366818&start=60 viewtopic.php?f=2&t=540019&tsmp=1352367241&start=20 Interesting! '" Also, the bit about the only way England can improve is by having more players in the NRL? What a lazy and short sighted thing to say that is. Surly, the long term goal has to be to improve the standards in SL and for the clubs to produce a higher quantity and better quality of English players, and to improve junior competitions?

Quote ="MattyB"Didn't want to create a new thread on the same lines but Hull FC had a fans forum last night and a few snippets regards the future of SL were released: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=540005&tsmp=1352366818&start=60 viewtopic.php?f=2&t=540019&tsmp=1352367241&start=20 Interesting! '" Also, the bit about the only way England can improve is by having more players in the NRL? What a lazy and short sighted thing to say that is. Surly, the long term goal has to be to improve the standards in SL and for the clubs to produce a higher quantity and better quality of English players, and to improve junior competitions?

That might make sense to most people on here but this is the RFL we are talking about! The things you mention are perfectly sensible but would mean changes and (say this quietly) spending money on the game.

Or just send the best of out talent to the NRL and let them improve them - a much cheaper option! Job done.

Uncle Mo didn't go down well as a dictator, boy do we need someone like him (or him 30 years younger) now.

To be fair its not just the RFL involved in these decsions. Its the people running the clubs as well.

I spotted that bit as well. Wood is part of the problem!

having Wood normaly gives me problems

Billy Boston in my eyes was the greatest ever without doubt,most of Halls trys are walk ins,I could score them, he has never faced a player as good as Boston. there was no ten yard rule then there wasn't even a five yard rule, If you look at Jonah Lamu at his best Boston was better ,his defence and tackling was fearsum and other opposing wingers were scared of facing him. I have never seen Boston dumped on hia arris by anyone Hall, Charnley or any other winger couldn't lace his boots.

What the poster meant - I think - was that physiques and fitness have moved on, imagine Mohammad Ali at 15 stone facing Klitschko at 18 stones now, similar to Boston at say 12.5 stones facing Hall. Transposing Boston to the current day, full time fitness, nutrition, weights, he would have been an equally great player in the modern game.

I do think Brian Barwick would be a good choice to take the game towards the next phase and be on board when the RFL/SL start negotiations with the broadcasters.
BB has probably more experience with regard to this having done it with both the BBC and ITV he could give advice and he would be well worth listening too.
Not the youngest but a great deal of administrative experience in sport and better by miles than what we have right now!.

Won't go down well on here but Mick Hogan would have been my choice. He's currently playing a big role in the RU world cup that will be held in the UK in 2015. It's interesting to look at the targets they are setting for that comp. 26 million to be reinvested in grass roots RU including training new refs. [url[ news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8170488.stm /url Puts RL to shame. Get someone like Hogan who has HIGH level experience of truly international sports.

Won't go down well on here but Mick Hogan would have been my choice. He's currently playing a big role in the RU world cup that will be held in the UK in 2015. It's interesting to look at the targets they are setting for that comp. 26 million to be reinvested in grass roots RU including training new refs. [url[ news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8170488.stm /url Puts RL to shame. Get someone like Hogan who has HIGH level experience of truly international sports.

On one occasion, Brian Bevan the wire flyer, actually threw the ball into touch rather than have Boston tackle him at Wilderspool.

Boston was big for his time. Now players are much bigger in general.

I know its a bitter pill to swallow but what if Mo's vision of SL had come into place at the inception that is the Castleford ,Wakefield and Featherstone merger. Whitehaven ,Workington and Barrow to form Cumbria .Salford ,Swinton,Oldham,Leigh and Rochdale to form Manchester .
Catalans is a merger of French clubs and is widely watched witout malice they have built a strong team and financially viable.
15 years down the line the now 3 SL clubs from above Castleford,Wakefield and Salford are experiencing financial difficulties I know they were and still are contravercial changes but would SL and Rugby league be in a better position than it is now ??.I have watched Rugby league now for 60 years apart from 5 or 6 clubs the competetion is negative until we can get 14 clubs as strong as each other and more competeive games the game is going nowhere but heading for exctintion.
Changes are needed and soon as the club chairmen and the RFL directors wake up to this fact then we will always be a third rate sport .The game is not reported and promoted enough there is minimal write ups in the newspapers the only time we get publicity is bad press.
The standard of reffereeing is at all time low some of the glaring decisions made this year are atrocious .
I am 65 now and I love the game of Rugby league but feel fearfull of the game in the future yes changes are needed and we cant sit on the fence any more.Someone from RFL should grow some balls and tout the game to other TV companies other than SKY, ESPN is owned by Disney .Start a bidding war as the Football league did and sell out to the highest bidder we sell our game too cheaply as the viewing figures are through the roof. Its time to make our game more competetive and make every game world class our International game is a joke compared with RU there was once a statement out before RU went pro
RU a game played with ameteurs run by proffessionals
RL played by proffessionals run by ametuers .

Exactly.

The point I am making is that it's the ability of the player RELATIVE to the others on the pitch that dictates if that player is good or not, and whilst the overall standard of RL in the country may well have gone up, the amount of "stars" in the game by this definition has fallen.

Quote ="sergeant pepper"Won't go down well on here but Mick Hogan would have been my choice. He's currently playing a big role in the RU world cup that will be held in the UK in 2015. It's interesting to look at the targets they are setting for that comp. 26 million to be reinvested in grass roots RU including training new refs. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8170488.stm Puts RL to shame. Get someone like Hogan who has HIGH level experience of truly international sports.'" Didn't he leave our club under poor terms? Or am I thinking of someone else?

Quote ="sergeant pepper"Won't go down well on here but Mick Hogan would have been my choice. He's currently playing a big role in the RU world cup that will be held in the UK in 2015. It's interesting to look at the targets they are setting for that comp. 26 million to be reinvested in grass roots RU including training new refs. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8170488.stm Puts RL to shame. Get someone like Hogan who has HIGH level experience of truly international sports.'" Didn't he leave our club under poor terms? Or am I thinking of someone else?

I'd agree with virtually all of that. Mo's suggestion for mergers might have seemed like heresy and may well have resulted in teams no one wanted to watch but I think he could see the writing on the wall.

If no one [ihad[/i wanted to watch the merged teams that doesn't mean the retention of the separate teams as separate entities was a viable option. I reckon he already realised that wasn't the case.

He may have proposed a solution no one wanted but at least he could see the problem.

The lack of vision form those in charge since then and their head in the sand approach shows how poor they are in terms of their vision for the sport in comparison. Wood & Co fiddle while Rome burns.

I don't particularly like Mo, but I can appreciate he has done a lot for RL & was probably ahead of his time. I saw then, & do now, the sense in what he was putting forward, but I am not sure it would have improved the image of RL as a northern, working class sport, increased coverage or revenue, at a possible cost of destroying RL in some of its heartland.



I disagree totally. The referees in the 70s & 80s were not a patch physically or technically. The game has changed completely, it's not fat forwards trundling through the mud & then a deep attacking line. Aussie coaches, like Maguire, have brought in modern tackling, wrestling, attacking techniques that border on legality, so it is obvious there are going to be more contentious decisions. Coupled with a society that uses hysteria as a marketing tool, with muppets on Sky with more faux outrage, it's no wonder some fans think they are being wronged.



Do you think you are the first to think of this?

I actually think there is a lot in what you said there.