[Uncle Rico]

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Fri Aug 11, 2017 3:16 pm  

Superted wrote:

That is absolutely my thought too - this Leeds team is pretty woeful most of the time (though they can play very well on the odd occasions). There's no way this standard of Leeds team would have been challenging in years gone by. The fact they're second, and in with a very realistic chance of being crowned champions is an embarrassment to the game over here. No disrespect to any of the teams, but the same can probably be said for the 2016 and 2017 Grqnd Final winners - both teams who were pretty rank average most of the year, but still easilygood enough to be crowned champions.

The standard over here is an absolute mess!

The 2017 Grand Final Winners might just surprise you or maybe not? Mystic Ted

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Fri Aug 11, 2017 4:35 pm  

bren2k wrote:

When a team that is perceived as one of the "big ones" loses, out come the complaints about the standard of SL; surely this is about the standard of the two teams who played? Leeds have an ageing group of players who are way past their best - Ablett, JJB, Delaney and Maguire all look shot to pieces - and some young players who are nothing like the quality they're used to; that's nothing to do with the standard of SL, and everything to do with Leeds' failure to execute proper succession planning. Their position in the league is a bit incongruous - but Wire, Les Cats and Shudds have had difficult seasons, which has mixed things up a bit - as has the emergence of Salford as an actual team.

Full credit to the Wakey side - we nullified what little threat Leeds had and bashed them in defence; and the slow, old, much maligned Liam Finn controlled the game superbly. Lovely stuff!

My post wasn't supposed to be a dig at any club, or defence of Leeds - for the record, Wakey played really well last night, and are having a good season for them - but that Wakey squad would have been happy to not be part of a relegation battle less in Super League less than 10 years ago.
Leeds are still 2nd, and I won't be surprised if they turn it on for 2 games and win the Comp, which I'll be very happy with as a Leeds fan, but that is a sorry reflection on the state of the game. Yes the worst teams in SuperLeague are slightly better than the worst of yesteryear, but the standard of the best teams in the League (regardless of which clubs they are) are massively inferior of the top teams from not that long ago. There's been an alarming drop back to the pack from the better teams. Yes, makes the league more unprectable (which is good), but at the serious expense of quality (which is a terrible thing). Nothing to do with club bias; just the way it is in my opinion.

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Fri Aug 11, 2017 4:41 pm  

Uncle Rico wrote:

The 2017 Grand Final Winners might just surprise you or maybe not? Mystic Ted

Glad you spotted my deliberate mistake

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Sat Aug 12, 2017 6:04 am  

Seth wrote:

Cas are great no doubt, hull very inconsistent. Unfortunately though there should be another 5-6 teams playing around that level or higher. Put it this way, 5-10 years ago Leeds, Wigan, Saints and Bradford at the time were way ahead of where they are now and were the top sides, have the likes of salford, hull, Wakefield replicated or bettered the levels of those teams and therefore its just a powershift and no overall drop? I cannot fault those teams for the strides theyve made but speaking as a fan of the game first and foremost the standard of the majority of the games is a real concern.

Incidentally leeds replaced segeyaro with a much better all round player in Parcell, their one major success this year.

If you talk about 5- 10 years ago, there were only 4/5 contenders for the top prize and it was shared around, with none of the other clubs anywhere near contention.
Warrington broke into the "cartel" and to a lesser extent, so did Hull but, the emergence of Cas has really shaken things up and the arrogance of clubs like Wigan and Leeds, thinking that they only have to find form in the last few weeks of the season has seen them come unstuck a little.
Remember, those sides dominated because there was little competition below them but, there does appear to have been a change.
Maybe its the effect of the cap, maybe "quality" has dropped a little but, the fact that some of the "stars" of a few years ago look ordinary, would suggest that perhaps the quality hasn't dipped at all and that maybe, the "big" clubs will have to take the weekly rounds a little more seriously.
Assuming Wakefield dont get to the GF (and I dont think they will), a Cas v Hull final would be excellent and if Hull have their talisman, Ellis, fit, they would be my pick.

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Sun Aug 13, 2017 2:50 pm  

Yeah, I just think its a bit bogus to suggest the standard has dropped by any significant margin.
I'm sure the top clubs of yesteryear find a little solace in that as an explanation.
The truth is, some clubs have missed the boat a little, some clubs have imploded, and some have upped their game, it happens in a capped sport with a more even distribution of advantage across the league.
To see previously low end clubs swap places with the top has been a breath of fresh air, its what the game needed, it was stagnant with the same old same old names at the top challenging year in year out boring the pants off the whole comp.
Yeah, some noses are gonna be put out of joint, they've had it too good for too long, they need to get over it, stop trying to blame anything but themselves and play the f****** game, god knows everyone else has had to swallow it for decades.

If the SL is getting progressively weaker, how come warrington after finishing 2nd in 2016, can't get out the bottom 4 in 2017 with the same squad.
How come Shudds a top 4 finish 2015 couldn't hit a barn door in 2016 and only just scrape the 8 in 2017.
Catalans, 5th last season, wthell happened to them ?

They've all pretty much got the same squads that did the business one year yet collapsed the next, they're the same players doing the same 5h1t yet failing in a "progressively weaker" SL, you'd have though a weaker league would favour them.

nah...s'all a crock of crap

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Mon Aug 14, 2017 3:49 pm  

Seth wrote:

Cas are great no doubt, hull very inconsistent. Unfortunately though there should be another 5-6 teams playing around that level or higher. Put it this way, 5-10 years ago Leeds, Wigan, Saints and Bradford at the time were way ahead of where they are now and were the top sides, have the likes of salford, hull, Wakefield replicated or bettered the levels of those teams and therefore its just a powershift and no overall drop? I cannot fault those teams for the strides theyve made but speaking as a fan of the game first and foremost the standard of the majority of the games is a real concern.

Incidentally leeds replaced segeyaro with a much better all round player in Parcell, their one major success this year.

And the tosh goes on - give it a rest.

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Mon Aug 14, 2017 3:58 pm  

bren2k wrote:

When a team that is perceived as one of the "big ones" loses, out come the complaints about the standard of SL; surely this is about the standard of the two teams who played? Leeds have an ageing group of players who are way past their best - Ablett, JJB, Delaney and Maguire all look shot to pieces - and some young players who are nothing like the quality they're used to; that's nothing to do with the standard of SL, and everything to do with Leeds' failure to execute proper succession planning. Their position in the league is a bit incongruous - but Wire, Les Cats and Shudds have had difficult seasons, which has mixed things up a bit - as has the emergence of Salford as an actual team.

Full credit to the Wakey side - we nullified what little threat Leeds had and bashed them in defence; and the slow, old, much maligned Liam Finn controlled the game superbly. Lovely stuff!

Some people on here can't bare it when it doesn't go to script and their lame pre-season predictions are proved wrong. It's called sour grapes and Leeds fans are the masters at at it.

I totally under estimated Cas this season. I'm not glad they are playing so well, I can't stand them. However I'm not petty enough to make out they are where they are by default because the other SL clubs are no good. This is a very good a SL, as good as any I've seen, standards are high games are generally good, not even a real whipping boy. Cas are there by merit and if you look at their points difference they are one of the strongest SL teams ever. Not because others are weak but because they are good.

If they win SL I will be gutted but I'll have words with anyone who suggests they won it for any other reason than they are a fine team.

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Mon Aug 14, 2017 4:02 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

Both have been superb to watch and if Cas had been playing in Blue and Amber, the pundits would be shaking uncontrollably and frothing at the mouth.

What are you on about? The pundits have been frothing and shaking over Cas all season.

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Mon Aug 14, 2017 4:20 pm  

The standard is clearly lower than it was ten years ago. Leeds are still second despite the fact that a lot of their squad is the same as it was then, only now they're all old and knackered. Pick a season from ten or so years ago and just directly compare the quality of the players in the top few sides. Wakey even had a current NZ international when we were almost relegated in 2006.

Re: GAME ON : Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos - 20:00:00 : Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:18 am  

jakeyg95 wrote:

The standard is clearly lower than it was ten years ago. Leeds are still second despite the fact that a lot of their squad is the same as it was then, only now they're all old and knackered. Pick a season from ten or so years ago and just directly compare the quality of the players in the top few sides. Wakey even had a current NZ international when we were almost relegated in 2006.

Standards are not lower than ten years ago imho, quite the opposite.

As for basing it on how many ex NRL players there are in a side I did quite astonishing. The whole point of SL is to promote British players not provide pensions for Aussies.

Solomon was a once in a decade signing for us and SL who slipped through the net, the vast majority of imports in 2007 were no more spectacular than they are now even taking the exchange rate into account.

Solomona as far as I recall wasn't a current international the year we signed him. Also if I recall correctly he was playing reserve grade for Parramatta. He was a player who most thought was on the way down at the time. Great potential but not performing regular. We were exceptionally lucky as he was a risk at the time.

I was hoping Sam Williams might be another but he isn't.