Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Mon Nov 18, 2019 4:07 pm  

That’s it, the nail on the head. Making GB or England genuinely competitive starts with the kids coming in to the game, and ends with putting the right person in charge of the National team, with many steps in between.

It will take years to get there if indeed we ever really do.

Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Mon Nov 18, 2019 5:49 pm  

No money in the game. No trickle down to the amateur game, and developing areas. These are the places that the talent pool comes from and the RFL have cut corners for years.

Compare with football or even ru and how the game is run at grass roots is miles away

Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Mon Nov 18, 2019 6:08 pm  

Comparing RL with football and RU isnt a fair comparison to be fair. They are loaded with money and RFL doesnt have threpence.

[Ex-Swarcliffe Rhino]

Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Mon Nov 18, 2019 8:07 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

And that maybe why he won't get the job?

I hope I'm wrong. Whether you like him or his style of play is generally irrelevant. The majority of players who have played for him love him, he's straight with them and they know what to expect. He's not the shouter and bawler that many people think, although he does have his "moments" if instructions are not obeyed.

Well if it is, we've already lost the battle. If people cant handle having their noses put out of joint at this level, cant take one in the gut or one on the chin then they dont deserve to be at this level. Stand aside.

We will not beat the Aussies at their own game, we dont have the players they do, playing to that level and with the origin factor to boot, that alone is a tremendous advantage.

I want Wane because he can come in and do the job from the off, he's hungry, he has the passion and doesn't need 96 training sessions to get his methods across. Thats not me saying hes not got the smarts for the job, he has but he'll make sure that you WILL do the basics correctly, isnt afraid to pick youth or even trust it in pressure situations and will have players running through walls.

Powell is a great club coach whos methods are best suited to daily interaction with his players, we wont have that time luxury unfortunately. Wane to come in and get us up and running, then you can get a Powell type in to round off the edges so to speak.

Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Mon Nov 18, 2019 8:42 pm  

We won't beat Aus playing some off the cuff supposed "British" style or an outdated overly structured style favpured by Wane or by "running through walls" either.

Doesn't mean Bennett should stay, I'd say it looks like he had no interest in this series at all and just phoned it in.

Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Tue Nov 19, 2019 6:49 am  

Marty Grrrrrrrrrr! wrote:

Comparing RL with football and RU isnt a fair comparison to be fair. They are loaded with money and RFL doesnt have threpence.

I agree that the RFL doesn't have the same funds that the other sports do, but that's partly because the organisation is a shambles from top to bottom.

Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:52 am  

BrisbaneRhino wrote:

We won't beat Aus playing some off the cuff supposed "British" style or an outdated overly structured style favpured by Wane or by "running through walls" either.

Doesn't mean Bennett should stay, I'd say it looks like he had no interest in this series at all and just phoned it in.

Most wins we have had against them in my life time have been by playing a positive aggressive brand of rugby against Australia. I still think that is the way we get our first win against them in what will be 14 years this time next year.

I still believe we have the players to give the Aussies in their current state a real go next year with the right coach picking the right players. Bennett has to go though; he doesn't have the backing of the fans anymore so we will just be delaying the inevitable when we could be using the ashes to build for the vital home world cup 12 months later under a new regime.

Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:20 am  

What players? We've got no fullback worth squat, our best wingers are slow and we've got maybe one centre who can match the best physically.

[Ex-Swarcliffe Rhino]

Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:43 am  

BrisbaneRhino wrote:

We won't beat Aus playing some off the cuff supposed "British" style or an outdated overly structured style favpured by Wane or by "running through walls" either.

Doesn't mean Bennett should stay, I'd say it looks like he had no interest in this series at all and just phoned it in.

Im not for one minute saying we will, the problems with British RL are much deeper and profound than that at all levels. Lack of investment, lack of strategic leadership and too much squabbling over limited resources at all levels.

It'll just be a poop-side better than watching a super-coach "phoning it in"

Wane might not be a long term appointment but if he can get the team structured, motivated and getting the basics right then all the "off the cuff" flair can come later. Its the basics done to a very consistently high level under immense pressure that sets us and the Aussies apart, they can do it, we cant.

That's down to the respective sports standing in the countries, they play to a consistently higher level week in / week out in a highly nationally regarded comp, with blue chip sponsors and excellent TV deals. We are seriously lagging behind in the UK with these levels, were levelling down IMO and the tail is wagging the dog.

Re: INT | GB Lions & England : Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:35 pm  

I'm not sure what's most lacking in the England/GB set-up right now.

We seem to lack any players with the X factor with the possible exception of Lomax (who is also exposed as a bit of a runt at this level) - the losses of Burgess, Tomkins, Hall, Graham, Watkins etc in their *prime* are huge. The current NRL contingent are all solid club players but don't seem to have as much cutting edge at international level as they should - at least compared with their Kiwi and islander counterparts. Not sure Wane can do much with this, or Bennett for that matter.

The collective attitude and spirit on the tour doesn't seem strong enough either. Yes, they looked professional for most games, and the defence held out better than that of many past touring sides, but where was the spirit shown by Tonga and PNG? The coach must take some responsibility for this, and arguably Wane would be an upgrade on Bennett here (potentially at the risk of major blow-out scores returning next time we play the Aussies). But we also need proper on-field leaders - a Peacock/Burgess type, and maybe a Sinfield type too. As much as O'Loughlin is physically past it he could have offered something here.

I'm not too fussed about the heritage players, but the bottom-line has to be that they must perform in the shirt. Hastings and co. were big disappointments, which has tended to be the case in the past as well.