Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:16 am  

wigan pier wrote:

So you were not one of the female saints fans in front of me who cheered all night for the exiles (Meli in particular!) and booed every time sam got the ball (as did others) I went with two saints fans who were very embarrassed by the childish booing and comments if it was wigan playing fair enough but England sorry it was pathetic.

It was the same throughout the ground. I went with a St Helens fan and we were both embarassed. We had Leeds fans shouting "throw him into touch" every time Tomkins got the ball and laughing if he got tackled. Sts fans booing Hock and even had some shouting obscene things at him regarding drugs etc. I really don't understand why you would choose to go and watch England and then act like that.

We were also annoyed that somehow our seats had been double booked and a kid sat with his mum with genuine tickets were sat in our seats. Ok-ish concept, badly executed IMO.

Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:38 am  

Famous wrote:

I have said much the same in posts recently. England v England Knights, East v West etc. Whatever way you want to name it have a trial match between English players for England selection and it has a lot more mileage and potential than any doomed Exile concept.

The old method of helping to choose tour teams used to work very well,it was Probabales V Possibles and was over two matches.
The Probabales consisted of the players who where expected to be the players who would be picked for the tour and the Possibles where the players who if they had an exceptional game could be moved over to the Probs either at half time or during the second match.
Even before the second match they could bring in new players to give them a chance as well.

What you had was players fighting to stay in the Probs and if they where sent down to the Possibles they would be so upset that they would fight like mad to get back up to the Probs.
It was the same for the players who started in the Possibles,they would fight like mad to get into the Probs for the second match.
What they where fighting for was a place on a Tour to Australia and New Zealand which in those days meant so much to part time players. The problem today is we dont have that sort of incentive and what I proposed may not even work,but it would be a far better test in my opinion than what we have at present.

Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:49 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Why would anyone want to watch lancs vs Yorks and see people like Kev Brown, Wheeler or has beens like Morley when you can watch Tommy, Lima, Monaghan & Dureau?

why not have a SOO Yorks v Lancs plus a European version of SOO for the aussies ?

pick two teams from NSW v QLD playing in europe with say, three overseas players ie Kiwis or Fijians etc for each side and have that game as a curtain raiser ?

all sets of players would be playing for local pride & bragging rights etc

Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 9:02 am  

sanjunien wrote:

plus a European version of SOO for the aussies ?

pick two teams from NSW v QLD playing in europe with say, three overseas players ie Kiwis or Fijians etc for each side and have that game as a curtain raiser ?

all sets of players would be playing for local pride & bragging rights etc

That might be the worse idea I've ever read.

Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 9:10 am  

Panda Antics wrote:

That might be the worse idea I've ever read.

why ?

is watching England Knights batter Ireland by 60 points as a curtain raiser entertaining RL in your opinion ?

a half decent Exiles team would have trounced England

Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 10:07 am  

wigan pier wrote:

So you were not one of the female saints fans in front of me who cheered all night for the exiles (Meli in particular!) and booed every time sam got the ball (as did others) I went with two saints fans who were very embarrassed by the childish booing and comments if it was wigan playing fair enough but England sorry it was pathetic.

So does Langtree Park now join Headingley on the list of 'okay-ish grounds but the Ukraine-type indigenous idiots make them unsuitable for international RL'?

If so, I wonder how many of us would have made a few bob betting on those two being first on the list. I know I would.

Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 11:44 am  

Cruncher wrote:

So does Langtree Park now join Headingley on the list of 'okay-ish grounds but the Ukraine-type indigenous idiots make them unsuitable for international RL'?

If so, I wonder how many of us would have made a few bob betting on those two being first on the list. I know I would.

Give over there were other fans in the stadium booing...not just Saints fans.

We were having anti-Saints/Wigan/Warrington/Leeds songs coming from a few Saints and Wigan fans in the west

Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 12:43 pm  

Cruncher wrote:

So does Langtree Park now join Headingley on the list of 'okay-ish grounds but the Ukraine-type indigenous idiots make them unsuitable for international RL'?

If so, I wonder how many of us would have made a few bob betting on those two being first on the list. I know I would.

Spot on.

Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 12:46 pm  

The squad selection killed that game, McNamara using the same old routine, Peacock as captain being the obvious flaw, following it up with the Sinfield at 6, form players not even making the squad and Ablett in the centre, it was obvious that fans wouldnt get behind that.

The weather didnt help, nor the Exiles lack of enthusiasm.

The concept has the potential to be brilliant, but the booing of England players and Saints fans singing Saints songs, summed up, why the concept will be gone in a couple of years.

Re: Exiles Game : Sun Jun 17, 2012 1:30 pm  

They should have bused the Brigantes in and given them free tickets, that would have lifted the atmosphere !!!