Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Wed Jul 10, 2019 1:15 am  

I'd say, having spent a decade over here watching the NRL after nearly a decade watching SL, that the games are light-years apart and whilst I don't believe the NRL has improved, SL has gone backwards.
The reason for this, IMHO is the constant tinkering with systems, start-up clubs not being supported/welcomed, the threat of relegation and duel registration.......put plainly, the NRL "does exactly what is says on the tin", whilst SL is whatever it thinks SKY TV want it to be.
If we want players to stick with League, give them security, no relegation, mandatory youth and reserve sides and if SKY insist on the insanity of Thursday games, then make them bloody pay more....there's NOT ONE SL GAME this Saturday or Sunday......how insane is that?

Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:13 am  

Call Me God wrote:

If we want players to stick with League, give them security, no relegation, mandatory youth and reserve sides and if SKY insist on the insanity of Thursday games, then make them bloody pay more....there's NOT ONE SL GAME this Saturday or Sunday......how insane is that?

Is no games on Saturday or Sunday really down to Sky though? They show 1 game on Thursday and 1 on Friday (providing Catalans are away)....the other 4 games come down to the preference of the clubs, Leeds barring the 1 or 2 games always usually prefer Friday nights for home fixtures regardless of Sky. Others prefer Saturday/Sunday but are either away this weekend or just have gone for Friday instead.

Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:25 am  

wrencat1873 wrote:

Cant imagine why anyone would want to watch a sport where the result could go either way because the sides are evenly matched and there is jeopardy accross the league (either in qualifying for the play offs or avoiding relegation.
Of course their is disparity between SL and the NRL, primarily down to the salary cap.

If they’re evenly matched because both are top draw then yes, if both are even because one team is being held back by the cap and dragged back to smaller clubs level then no.

Wimbledon is on now, do you think in the first round or two more people were interested, both in attending and watching on tv) in a match between guys ranked 28th and 30th in the world or Federer vs a guy he’ll cruise past in 3 sets?

I agree the salary cap is a key difference between SL and NRL but i’d also throw in there they play less games. Now I don’t follow the NRL too closely but I don’t seem to hear stories of 5/6/7 clubs at a time having huge injury lists of 8/9 first teamers out for a long period of time like you do in SL nowadays. Is our fixture list too long and not giving guys too long a break between seasons to rest, recovery and get fit and fresh for a new season, as well as a longer preseason to work on individual and team skills.

Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:56 pm  

ThePrinter wrote:

Lui was leaving at the end of the season anyway. Easily avoidable if Salford could afford to keep them, should other clubs just stay away from these players just because the club they’re at can’t pay them as much?

Wanting players to stay at clubs where they won’t earn as much is very selfish given how short a RL career can be and how RL players don’t really earn as much as their efforts deserve.

What about your so often lauded junior production line.
Not content with hoovering up the "best" of the local talent, Leeds have to plunder their rivals to try and keep their SL place.
The cold facts are that Leeds recruitment has been mickey poor and just as so many times in the past, it's now time for their cheque book to do the talking
As for Salford, unfortunately they appear to have become a selling club, relying on unearthing good players in the hope of making a profit.
This is great, whilst ever they can keep finding the talent but, should they make some poor choices (like Leeds), they will likely come unstuck.

Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Wed Jul 10, 2019 5:57 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

What about your so often lauded junior production line.
Not content with hoovering up the "best" of the local talent, Leeds have to plunder their rivals to try and keep their SL place.
The cold facts are that Leeds recruitment has been mickey poor and just as so many times in the past, it's now time for their cheque book to do the talking
As for Salford, unfortunately they appear to have become a selling club, relying on unearthing good players in the hope of making a profit.
This is great, whilst ever they can keep finding the talent but, should they make some poor choices (like Leeds), they will likely come unstuck.

Sadly bringing through a half back in an intense relegation battle is highly unlikely to come off even if there was a viable candidate. Leeds needed a half badly who could step up to the plate and came with a solution which seems to have done the trick at this point so fair play to the club on that. Leeds appear to have taken the cheap options far too often in recent times which is largely why they are where they are now so brushing the cobwebs off the old cheque book is more than welcome.

Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Wed Jul 10, 2019 7:47 pm  

Watching the two competitions I feel SL has far more basic errors. The amount of knock ons and poor passes is a joke at times watching SL. I'm not convinced the quality is higher now than the past.

Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Wed Jul 10, 2019 8:28 pm  

To be fair, most of the knock ons aren't knock ons.

Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Wed Jul 10, 2019 9:49 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

What about your so often lauded junior production line.
Not content with hoovering up the "best" of the local talent, Leeds have to plunder their rivals to try and keep their SL place.
The cold facts are that Leeds recruitment has been mickey poor and just as so many times in the past, it's now time for their cheque book to do the talking
As for Salford, unfortunately they appear to have become a selling club, relying on unearthing good players in the hope of making a profit.
This is great, whilst ever they can keep finding the talent but, should they make some poor choices (like Leeds), they will likely come unstuck.

Given the amount of talent the much “lauded” Leeds academy has produced over the years they are within their right to sign who they want.

Coming from a Wakefield fan who’s team has never produced anyone of note in 400 years I would just shut my mouth if I were you

Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Wed Jul 10, 2019 10:37 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

What about your so often lauded junior production line.
Not content with hoovering up the "best" of the local talent, Leeds have to plunder their rivals to try and keep their SL place.
The cold facts are that Leeds recruitment has been mickey poor and just as so many times in the past, it's now time for their cheque book to do the talking
As for Salford, unfortunately they appear to have become a selling club, relying on unearthing good players in the hope of making a profit.
This is great, whilst ever they can keep finding the talent but, should they make some poor choices (like Leeds), they will likely come unstuck.

We had 6 our 17 vs Cas from our academy which isn’t bad at all. Would be 7 if Stevie Ward didn’t have such bad luck with injuries and Oledzki usually features most weeks but missed out. We’ve got several lads aged 18/19 (mostly forwards) not far off the first team and you’ll see them over the course of the next couple of years playing. We’ve trusted Walker since he was 18 with such a key position at FB and Newman at 19 we’re backing so much that we were happy to offload Watkins.

Let’s not forget we were all change with the management setup late last year so they’re still working on making the squad their own. Even if we were doing better this season I’m certain Sinfield would still have made ins and out during the season as he was trying them even before Round 1 had started.

You might not want to live in a glass house too. Firstly have Leeds really used the cheque book? What big fees have we made? We had a problem position and went to a Salford to fix it in exchange for one of our underperforming own.....you know like when Wakefield got Sau on loan for Pauli. Also we’ve signed a bavkrower from the NRL midseason....you know just like Tanginoa at Wakefield. We’ve done two similar pieces of business as Wakefield did yet when we do it we’re big bad Leeds. At least your coach/owner setup have been in position for a good few years now that should see you with a squad they’re happy with. Our new setup only 12 months in and still trying to make it into their team.

Re: More competitive than ever or just a poorer standard? : Thu Jul 11, 2019 8:24 am  

Ruune Rebellion wrote:

Given the amount of talent the much “lauded” Leeds academy has produced over the years they are within their right to sign who they want.

Coming from a Wakefield fan who’s team has never produced anyone of note in 400 years I would just shut my mouth if I were you

Oh dear, big pseudo Saints fan drops his teddy down the pan

Leeds will do whatever Leeds want to do and yes, the cheque book is out.
When the likes of Wigan and Leeds hoover up pretty much all of the youngsters from wherever they may have played their junior rugby, where do the smaller clubs go
Kids that play at Stanley Rangers, Eastmoor, Westgate etc find it difficult to refuse the kind of money being offered to juniors by the bigger clubs so, excuse me if, despite their "greed" in mopping up the local juniors they still cant replace their last crop of local juniors.

Sorry for daring to have an opinion and get back under the bridge