I rate Sam, but I couldn't take him over Graham, do you think you're opinion would be different if Graham played for Bradford or another club perhaps?

Not really, Burgess last season was excellent, by his own standards he hasnt hit that this year so far.

Graham is a highly paid sportsman and if the RFL tell his club to play on the moon at 3am he should just put up or get a job like the rest of us.

He should keep his mouth shut. You would have thought one of his team mates has given the game enough negative publicity.

According to the quotes I've read in the Times blog, Graham has a pop at the number of fixtures (as have many other players) and he questioned whether the MM concept actually drew in that many people from the local area.

Sounds fair enough IMO.

Point is - why is he in the press saying the players don't like an event 5 days before it's due to start?

We have a hard enough job promoting the sport without our own players belittling the RFL's efforts to take the sport to new areas.

Plus his comments about the number of locals watching in Cardiff is a bit disingenuous when you consider that the RFL took the Magic Weekend away from Cardiff for that very reason.

Quote ="{Hogan}"Not really, Burgess last season was excellent, by his own standards he hasnt hit that this year so far.'" I really shouldn't rise to it go on then! Sam through injury played 20% less games that James, but still he was no where near as good www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2009 I dont think he should've spoke out though, it not his place.

Quote ="{Hogan}"Not really, Burgess last season was excellent, by his own standards he hasnt hit that this year so far.'" I really shouldn't rise to it go on then! Sam through injury played 20% less games that James, but still he was no where near as good www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2009 I dont think he should've spoke out though, it not his place.

Oh... I missed that great quote at the end. "A lot of players aren't too fussed with it."

I take your point and will never defend another St Helens player again. He's a b*****d like the rest of 'em...

I agree with him and it makes a change players coming out with the truth about how they really feel.

I think he is bang out of order. There are thousands of us heading up to Edinburgh to watch a great weekend of rugby and spend our hard earned cash when we are in the middle of a recession. We pay our players wages to play for our clubs for our entertainment. I know we live in a country of free speach but sometimes you need to think about what your saying. I would be p1ssed off if a Wigan player said anything like this to the press. As great a player as he is he has no brains.

FTV

You been 100% right with everything you have said on here, and saints board.. you seem a lone warrior (

) with your views against a saints players on your board. stick to your guns mate.

Spot on, exactly what I think.

Credit where its due, he's a great player. Silly comments though!

Another whinge straight out of the Wilkin School of Tantrums

There's every chance.

What a relief, then, that we know we can flog him to you mugs for a record breaking transfer fee when his time is up as a top player.

When you think of it he is right we do play to many games and it causes burn out in young players this is why the cap should be bigger so all clubs can have a larger squad so they can rotate players. The clubs can the rest the younger players especially props as they do take a lot of punishment on younger bodies which could cause long term injury to them.
rant over

Exactly.

Graham is a quality player.

Anyone who can't see that needs their eyes testing.



That said I bet the RFL are throwing darts into his photo atm!

Completely agree with him, I can't be bothered with it either.

Once again the fixture list is made uneven by an event of which I've no idea what is meant to achieve.

he has ginger hair therefore he has no opinion

It's the timing of what he's said thats the problem imo.

I think we should drop the Easter Monday games tbh as it's too tough a spot to play 2 games in 3 days and given the fact that the salary cap means your squad doesn't tend to have much depth anymore you can't even rotate your players.

The points he makes are valid but the timing of them are a disgrace.

I agree about the Easter weekend, just play 1-2 games a day (1 round of matches I mean) over the whole weekend and stick as many as possible on Sky.

Not so much on Easter Monday, but certainly the weekend after Easter there were lots of stupid scorelines as the players were butchered from the week before.

The idea he had to drop Easter Monday games and put them back to the magic weekend is right imo.

He doesn't want the Magic weekend at all which is something i don't agree with but i don't see the need for an extra game.

All teams play each other home and away apart from the game in the magic weekend where a side would obviously miss out on a home games gate taking which they would have to be overly compensated on in comparison to their competitiors of that day.

Just make sure that even with a draw system teams don't get placed against their local rivals.

Why not keep the easter monday round of fixtures but make it compulsory that each team can only field 5 players from the Good Fri starting line up. That way teams would need to consider their line ups on good fri, and the easter monday fixture would be a test of all the rest of the squad / youngsters across the round.

Coaches would have to give some youngsters their chance...ie/ instead of doing a noble and keeping them out, and the youngsters will all learn 10 times as much in one game playing with and against SL players than they would in the reserves. All the fans get the chance to see the young talent in the squad and the fans stil get the festival of easter RL, so it suits everyone and develops the game at the same time....one or two gems might be found in the same process and keep some of the more established players out, just as ainny and tompkins have taken their chance when selected due to injuries!

Tbh had you said

"He is black and therefore he has no opinion"


Then no doubt we wouldn't hear the end of it. Yet you make a comment about his genes and somehow it's "acceptable".

What a strange world we live in.


By the way I CAN actually say

"His command of grammar is terrible, therefore there is little point listening to his opinion", and I would have a very valid point. I am talking about you btw.......


Oh and my hair is brown before you ask..........