Rugby League

[James96]

I was curious to see how many people follow Rugby League on here personally it's my favourite sport in the world and I believe it is growing fast internationally.

[YoungBuck3]

Re: Rugby League

I watch every NRL game every week and usually some of the juniors as well.

Don't really care much for the international game to be honest. Not so bad when we have international games outside of the NRL schedule, but when the NRL season is interrupted for international fixtures I'm always left wishing we just had NRL games on instead.

Look at the current Four Nations, how many great Australians aren't playing, the Kiwis have great players not playing because of "burnout". You're never going to see an All Black turn down playing a tournament for New Zealand because of "burnout", but in Union those international games are the most important thing, in League they clearly aren't.

Origin is still the pinnacle, not internationals, and no I'm not Australian.

[James96]

Re: Rugby League

Im also worried about the international game. Although i was at the games Saturday night and the atmosphere was electric which gives me hope. What teams do we all support? Im Newcastle Knights/NSW Blues?Australia

[stizz]

Re: Rugby League

I watch every NRL game every week and usually some of the juniors as well.

Don't really care much for the international game to be honest. Not so bad when we have international games outside of the NRL schedule, but when the NRL season is interrupted for international fixtures I'm always left wishing we just had NRL games on instead.

Look at the current Four Nations, how many great Australians aren't playing, the Kiwis have great players not playing because of "burnout". You're never going to see an All Black turn down playing a tournament for New Zealand because of "burnout", but in Union those international games are the most important thing, in League they clearly aren't.

Origin is still the pinnacle, not internationals, and no I'm not Australian.

Richie McCaw, Dan Carter...

[YoungBuck3]

Re: Rugby League

Took pre-arranged sabbaticals rather than pulled out citing "burnout".

These were planned well in advance, while they were still playing games. Saying hey, next year, after this current tour, I'm going to have to take some time off, because I want to extend my career.

Not really seeing the similarity between two guys who had played many, many years, arranging what was effectively "leave" in advance, and young guys like RTS and JWH pulling out due to "burnout".

Do you think if the NRL finals were this weekend and the Roosters were playing that those guys would be suffering from "burnout"? hell no.

Do you think if Origin was this week that the list of Australians who can't play would be nearly as long? hell no.

The order of importance for Rugby League goes

Origin



NRL
















Internationals.

[stizz]

Re: Rugby League

Hehe yeah I know and I agree with everything you just said. Was just wanting to see what your reaction would be.

[YoungBuck3]

Re: Rugby League

I'm much more of a League than Union guy, I'll have a dig at Union players compared to League pretty much any chance I get. But to me some of these guys not turning out for these internationals is just straight up soft, and it's really just a reflection of how unimportant these games are treated to be.

The other problem with the international game is that the other countries are still so far away from Australia in terms of talent and depth. Yes, it's kind of a weird time to say that with the Kiwis just knocking Australia off, but look at the list of top flight players who were missing from that Aussie side. That Kiwi win was an aberration. I'm a Kiwi.

The Kiwis can put out a top team that can hang with the Aussies on a good day, but if Johnson or Foran goes down, they've got nothing in the halves, Leuluai is not a rep quality half. When Luke is unavailable, they have to go to Leuluai, whose not so bad in that spot, but nothing compared to a Smith or Farah. They've got depth elsewhere on the park, but in the key positions the cupboards are bare. The only Kiwi starting at fullback in the NRL is Perrett (Hiku probably will next year if Stewart is gone, Hoffman if the Broncos let him go). There's one Kiwi starting hooker in Luke. The only Kiwi starting halves I can think of are Johnson, Foran, Benji.

Samoa is an even better example. That team has a lot going for it, but when Ben Roberts is your best half your team isn't going anywhere. They have great talent, and depth, elsewhere on the paddock but nothing in those key positions.

But if the likes of Samoa do get a good halves pairing in the pipeline, you know if you thrive in one of those key positions in the NRL, then the Aussies will be all over you, trying to get you in for Origin etc and the money to turn out for Origin, or even for the Kiwis, is much more appealing than just sticking with Samoa/Fiji/whoever.

It isn't just Aussie poaching guys though, the fact is their systems develop the majority of the talent that comes through. The Kiwis have waited a long time to have a legit pairing in the halves rather than Jones and ?, Benji and ? Benji opting to play for the Kiwis after being on the verge of playing for Aussie went a long way towards lifting the international game. Johnson is a homegrown Kiwi which is great, Foran is a Kiwi but still learned most of his craft in Aussie, he could have easily been lost to Australia.

The Islands aren't going to have these homegrown talents come through because nobody goes straight from the Islands to the NRL, they're all coming by way of Australia or NZ who will want to claim them.

These teams have pretty much no halves to speak of. Then you look at Aussie, Cronk, Thurston, Cherry-Evans, Pearce, Maloney, Adam Reynolds, Josh Reynolds, Hodkinson, Sezar, Kelly, Sutton, Keary, Brooks, Soward, well basically every half in the competition. Some of these guys are so far down the Aussie pecking order, but would make those Island teams instantly much better. Take even a pairing like Mullen and Roberts, those two are never going to play for Australia, but that would easily be the starting halves pairing for any country but New Zealand.

England will remain the product of a weaker competition. They're good and have the depth that comes with having their own big national competition, but there's a reason the top English players come here to challenge themselves while the top NRL players go there for an end of career payday or because they've burned their bridges down here.

/rant lol.

[Anners]

Re: Rugby League

Ooh, a Rugby League thread I missed. My favourite sport!

YoungBuck, I don't need to say anything that you have already said. I agree with it all. I'd say the English competition is a bit stronger than it was in previous years, but it's like rating a player a 7 instead of a 6.

Also, when you were rolling off halves, the majority of them would fit in the English side as Widdop is probably the best half we've had in a very long time.

P.S. If Ryan Hall's try wasn't a try, Jennings' wasn't either. Although I am annoyed and heavily biased right now.

[YoungBuck3]

Re: Rugby League

I thought England got screwed on that try as well.

Was interesting though because the ref didn't actually refer them to check on it, they were trying to find out what the restart was going to be, then they were like oh **** this may even be a try.

I hope that the NRL gets rid of the ridiculous way they handled try reviews this year. People thought the benefit of the doubt rule was bad, but it was infinitely better than what we have now. The ref is forced to guess try or no try whether he has any clue or not, and that decision becomes binding if the video ref can't overrule it. So if the ref said try, even though he didn't have the slightest clue and just said try because he's forced to guess something, then that's what it will be.

If you're going to go upstairs for a try, you may as well say OK you blokes figure this one out because we aren't sure what happened.

Problem is the video refs are as drunk as Fittler in the commentary box half the time based on some of the decisions they've come up with.

[Anners]

Re: Rugby League

Problem is the video refs are as drunk as Fittler in the commentary box half the time based on some of the decisions they've come up with.

Best. Quote. Ever.

We don't have that in Super League so I think that might have been why a lot of people were saying it would have been given over here (I was one who thought it would have been).

The game this weekend should be interesting. I think NZ will edge it but I can't see England getting the 10 point win they need to get into the final. However we don't seem to have the mental block against NZ like we do against Australia, so who knows. If McNamara plays Joel Tomkins again, can we get another coach?

[martinezevans]

Re: Rugby League

I am also curious to see how many enjoy this Rugby League game here. It will be very enjoyful to everybody.