Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:18 am  

Him wrote:

What elements of the game are this Saints team currently lacking?

Biggest one of all. Any competition.

[Ex-Swarcliffe Rhino]

Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Wed Aug 21, 2019 8:53 am  

This. This and thrice this ^

Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Wed Aug 21, 2019 2:50 pm  

lionarmour87 wrote:

I've a little hunch Wigan could win the title

Hope so

Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Wed Aug 21, 2019 6:36 pm  

Gotcha wrote:

Biggest one of all. Any competition.

And they’ve run away with the league. That 2nd place isn’t closer to them doesn’t make them a worse team.

Which teams are we comparing them to? Saints of 05/06? Bradford of 03?

Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:59 pm  

Him wrote:

And they’ve run away with the league. That 2nd place isn’t closer to them doesn’t make them a worse team.

Which teams are we comparing them to? Saints of 05/06? Bradford of 03?

Neither.

Don't kid yourself, they would get smashed by a lot of past teams and I'm talking kid table teams from 5-10 years ago.

The league this year is such poor quality, they are the best of a bad bunch.

Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Wed Aug 21, 2019 9:11 pm  

Name one of these mid-table teams. Utter nonsense.

I wish there was a bit more competition but these sorts of 'back in the day' throwaway statements make me laugh. All smacks of sour grapes.

Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Thu Aug 22, 2019 4:12 am  

BrisbaneRhino wrote:

Name one of these mid-table teams. Utter nonsense.

I wish there was a bit more competition but these sorts of 'back in the day' throwaway statements make me laugh. All smacks of sour grapes.

I’ll give one glaring example, and I don’t think that team was all that either. But the 2017 Cas team in very similar run away, were much better than this Saints side. And although competition also not all that, was better than 2019’s lot.

2017 “back in the day” was the bomb

Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Thu Aug 22, 2019 5:44 am  

BrisbaneRhino wrote:

Name one of these mid-table teams. Utter nonsense.

I wish there was a bit more competition but these sorts of 'back in the day' throwaway statements make me laugh. All smacks of sour grapes.

I totally agree. It's pure nonsense to say the game doesn't develop and move on each year.

This Saints team should be praised highly for their level of consistency all year.
Absolutely fantastic team.

Our golden generation team couldnt have performed anywhere near the level Saints performed at last week with the number of key men missing Saints had.

To say mid table teams from 10 years ago would beat them is laughable.

Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Thu Aug 22, 2019 6:19 am  

I think the point being made is that systems, tactics, fitness and nutrition improve over time, but the qualities of the players is dropping.

The best relative measure for me is Howe many of the top English players are playing in SL?

I'd say many of England's likely 17 play in the NRL, than in SL. Also factor in that the top southern hemisphere players stay in the NRL target than come to SL. That leads to a drop in quality

Re: SL RD 26 | St Helens (H) : Thu Aug 22, 2019 7:13 am  

In 2005 Leeds lost the major trophies. There is not a team now that would come close to handling that side. That side was the best side in this country for the last 25 years.

Christ, some of them players are still even managing to kick around now in this league, all those years later. That is how much it as regressed.