I disagree...Wigan made our sport massive and the Pies are STILL riding the bow that era created for them and RL.
Wigan's behaviour in that period is essentially what led to the Salary Cap, something you don't like. In 1974 when Wire 'swept the board' of trophies I was a student in London. A Southern friend asked me if I was looking forward to Warrington repeating the feat regularly. I told him 'no' then and I still hold to that view. Watching your own team buy all the best talent and win 50-nil every week while other clubs go to the wall in a futile attempt to keep up is a recipe for disaster for the sport as a whole. And yes, I admit it, I am a rugby league fan first and a Wire fan second.
I don't disagree with that point As13. I am responding to the point Wigan's dominance in the 80s damaged the sport. I'm saying it did just the opposite.
I think we will do well this season, very well. A pack of Hill, Clark, Cooper, Ben Currie, Hughes and Jase Clark is very good . With interchanges of BMM, Livett, SBW, Philbin, Akauola, Tasi & Danny Walker.
The only front row to match ours is the Saints of Walmsley, Roby & Thompson.
I don't disagree with that point As13. I am responding to the point Wigan's dominance in the 80s damaged the sport. I'm saying it did just the opposite.
I agree with duckie on this. The era of rugby league which I remember most fondly coincided with the era Wigan dominated. Usual thinking is that you want an even and competitive league to create interest with some changing of the guard at the top, but sometimes the existence of a benchmark team can lift a whole sport. International cricket has had more changing of the guard at the top in the past decade, following a long period where of dominance by first the West Indies and then Australia, but I think it was better back then.
Wigan winning everything got tiresome at times and Maurice's smugness used to grate but they had players back then that took the sport to a new level: guys like Hanley, Edwards, Offiah were sporting icons that were familiar outside rugby league in a way that the leading players of more recent times have not been able to become. Also they dragged standards in the rest of the sport upwards as well - yes people sometimes try to disparage Wigan's successes by saying they were full time professional and other teams were only semi pro in those days...but there is being full time professional and there is being Hanley/Edwards/Bell type of professional, which is in a different universe from just being paid to train full time, it was a level of dedication to winning that was unparalleled, which is why I never have a problem with them being Wiganers and winning, you just had to accept that guys like that deserved what they got.
But duckie lets have a reality check about this comparison. I would be very happy if we won a Grand Final in the 2020s. We haven't won one yet. Those Wigan teams would have dominated Super League in the 2020s too, we are nowhere near that.
I'm sure this thread will give some good entertainment for any Wiganers or even fans of other clubs who stumble on here.
In other news, Tom Lineham had a good season last year, could he go on to dominate in the 2020s in the same way that Bevan did in the 1950s....?
I don't disagree with that point As13. I am responding to the point Wigan's dominance in the 80s damaged the sport. I'm saying it did just the opposite.
How come RD? We were staring down the merger with Widnes, as the game was financially on its knees. Wigan, and the other clubs trying to keep up, spent much more money than they had. The game only survived through taking the SKy shilling (and still does), and it's being trying desperately to recover ever since.
The 2021 renegotiation of the Sky deal is of great concern, as it could levy further austerity within the game.
There is opportunity with greater revenue to make the game a greater spectacle with bigger stars. Stars become box office and people come to see them. Away games at lesser funded clubs see their home gate swell with the interest in seeing their team play the stars.
As it was for Bevan Davis John's. People will come to watch stars like them. I went watching Saints...I decking hate them but I went to see Mal Meninga play. Wow he didn't leave me short changed.
There is opportunity with greater revenue to make the game a greater spectacle with bigger stars. Stars become box office and people come to see them. Away games at lesser funded clubs see their home gate swell with the interest in seeing their team play the stars.
As it was for Bevan Davis John's. People will come to watch stars like them. I went watching Saints...I decking hate them but I went to see Mal Meninga play. Wow he didn't leave me short changed.
I agree - the key point that underlies this is that it comes down to the quality of the players.
The problem we have at the moment is that the real stars of the game are all in the NRL, and it's hard because of their higher salary cap, an exchange rate relationship that no longer benefits the UK, and also the fact Origin is so big over there and players that come to the UK are out of contention for Origin or international calls. So it is not as easy now to get these top players in.
But why do we not produce the stars in the UK any more? We produce a lot of good players and fine professionals which is why in the World Cup we could run the Aussies close in the final, but in the 1980s and 1990s there were players like: Offiah, Edwards, Hanley, Davies, Schofield and there hasn't been anyone of that calibre since (yes fair enough Davies came from Welsh RU but even if we could afford to buy Welsh RU players any more have there been any in Davies calibre since?)
There is more money, better facilities and coaching structures in place now than there were back then so why haven't the players come through?
Last edited by sally cinnamon on Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
How come RD? We were staring down the merger with Widnes, as the game was financially on its knees. Wigan, and the other clubs trying to keep up, spent much more money than they had. The game only survived through taking the SKy shilling (and still does), and it's being trying desperately to recover ever since.
The 2021 renegotiation of the Sky deal is of great concern, as it could levy further austerity within the game.
I can see RD's point about bigger stars with the ultimate hope that they become household names to help get our game into the nation's psyche or even semi consciousness would be an improvement.
However I share your concern about our next Sky deal as I think that we are being marginalised to the point where I'd question the platform that Sky might be giving us. Conjecture I know but they seem to be flogging American Football Basketball, Women's Soccer and Women's RU, Netball to name but a few and wont be helping our cause one bit IMO
The rfl should package up games, as the Premier league have done with sky n bt and give the BBC some games to cover on a Sunday. With maybe a Thursday evening championship game. Initially we should not charge the BBC.
I cannot see us getting less money from sky but I think that we cannot just give them complete exclusivity. There's deffinately been a decline in coverage as more sports gain viewing figures.
We're probably better set should the sky deal see a decrease in money and that's an advantage, we can go on to dominate but I think that dominates not winning every year I would say 4/5 gf n a few cc would be classed as a dominant side to the 20s given the competition today as opposed to the 80s.