exiled Warrior wrote:
I wouldn't like to say exactly why because I would be guessing but for me the biggest difference for many, many years has been the basic skill levels being so much higher in the NRL across all levels. The OP is correct but it goes further than that - in all aspects such as positioning in the line , support play and play making decisions the NRL has been ahead (we have layers who can match but not across the whole game). I suspect coaching at junior levels is probably a major factor.
It was interesting in that Saints improved so much under the last coach (and looked more like a NRL team) so obviously the impact of coaching is huge but I suspect there are cultural differences as well in how the game is played between the two.
Most NRL players in high pressure situations just look more comfortable with the ball, everything looks slick and refined, kind of like what they are doing is second nature to them whilst many SL players look rushed, clumsy and rigid.
Its interesting that Wayne Bennett once said, many English players dont even know how to pick up a RL ball correctly. Im not sure what he meant and im no big fan of Bennett, i think he is good coach but over-rated but obviously he knows what he is talking about.
For me, i just dont think SL players spend enough time with the balls in hand and perfecting skills. It would be interesting to hear an honest opinion of players that have played in both hemispheres recently to find out if there are big differences in the training regimes.