: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:19 pm  

Eccleshill Rhino wrote:

It is estimated that 2m play RL in PNG alone

And yet Adrian Lam and Marcus Bai aside how many have progressed to the top.

I think you've just help prove that sheer numbers playing a sport doesn't always translate into a top class International side without it can be married to a top class competitive structure designed to test the best against the best.

: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:19 pm  

DISA wrote:

Dissagree. Its a subjective opinion that can not be proved.

The game gets faster and faster each year. You might not as a spectator see it in motion, but it does. The athletisism (spelling) of these players is pushed on and on each year. We now have science brought into the equations.

Players from previous eras would not live with the players out there today. On Skill level yes, but not on athletisism.

So you're saying that the backline of Wellens, Gardner, Gleeson, Senior, Smith, Pryce and Burrow is better than Radlinski, Offiah, Connolly, Newlove, Robinson, Schofield and Edwards.

You think the current backline is faster?

: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:21 pm  

Cala Millor Rhino wrote:

I have mentioned this privately to a number of posters on here, the current superleague doesn't have the quality it had 4 or 5 years ago! as much as eddie and stevo would like to tell us that the quality is better, it is not! the performance of the national team proves this.

The games are a lot closer now, compared to 14 years ago, and as a competition it is a lot closer, but as far as quality goes, it is no where near the standard of 5 or 6 years ago. take the bradford team of 2003 or the leeds team of 2004, IMO, they would not have to get out of 2nd gear in this years superleague! A simple look at Huddersfield in 3rd place this year or Catalans in 3rd place last year shows this! Lets be honest, if leeds and saints had been kept apart in the draws this year, they would have played out both finals!

Name the good english players from those Bradford and Leeds teams.

: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:35 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

So you're saying that the backline of Wellens, Gardner, Gleeson, Senior, Smith, Pryce and Burrow is better than Radlinski, Offiah, Connolly, Newlove, Robinson, Schofield and Edwards.

You think the current backline is faster?

Not that much between them if you take out Offiah and Robinson. Connolly was a superb club player but had a zero strike rate as an international centre - Powell was far superior at 3 for GB and Gleeson has a far beter try scoring record (in fact almost anyone has). Newlove played when he felt like it - certainly not the player he's always been cracked up to be and easily matched by Senior, Edwards was another average interantional. Radlinski had the same lack of penetration at international level that Wellens has.

: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:54 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

We've been looking at the facts for over twenty years. The bottom line is the players are not good enough. The playing standards since the inception of Superleague have dropped.

1995
England,
Radlinski, Offiah, Connolly, Newlove, Robinson, SChofield, Edwards, Harrison,Jackson, Platt, Betts, Farrell, Clarke, Joynt, Goulding, Powell, Hanley, Sculthorpe etc

Wales,
Harris, Sullivan, Bateman, Gibbs, Devereux, Davies, Elliss, Skerrett, Cunningham, Young, Morriarty, Quennell, Ayres, Hall etc


And that was without thinking too hard there are probably six or more players that could be added to that list.
Compare those players to the ones we sent to Australia last year.

It's frightening how the standard has dropped.

Some talented individuals in there, along with some fairly ordinary ones.

I wonder which ones would have been able to express their skills to the same extent under present day SL coaches?

: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:59 pm  

Dave Heron's Moustache wrote:

I don't think that backline ever played together actually, which would be e start when trying to make a comparison.

Not that much between them if you take out Offiah and Robinson. Connolly was a superb club player but had a zero strike rate as an international centre - Powell was far superior at 3 for GB and Gleeson has a far beter try scoring record (in fact almost anyone has). Newlove played when he felt like it - certainly not the player he's always been cracked up to be and easily matched by Senior, Edwards was another average interantional. Radlinski had the same lack of penetration at international level that Wellens has.

Pretty much how I see it. And I think your being kind to Connolly, Newlove, Radlinski and Edwards.

: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:07 pm  

Tony Ferrino wrote:

Schofield 10x> McGuire

Has he removed his hand from your back-side?

Lets wait and see. McGuire's career isn't over yet. I doubt McGuire will have pissed his talent away by the age of 28.

McGuire has also eclipsed Schofield's domestic career x100, whether the bitter old pro likes it or not.

: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:40 pm  

G1 wrote:

Snip

YAWN

: Thu Apr 09, 2009 2:21 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Because half the NZ players withdrew from that tour.

Half?
So, you feel it's just a handful of players that make the difference between a 3-0 whitewashing, and being world champs?

: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:03 pm  

Could you please change m wrote:

Pretty much how I see it. And I think your being kind to Connolly, Newlove, Radlinski and Edwards.

So you would have Wellens before Radlinski and Burrow before Edwards?