Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Mon Feb 22, 2016 9:56 am  

I think it'd be crazy to get rid of the series because of a bad series this time round. Last year it was only us who got a hiding with the other two games being closely contested IIRC.

With the salary cap as it is, the only way we will get better is to carry on playing these sides and get used to that intensity of a game. Over time you'd like to think our better teams will put up more and more of a contest the more games against these types of opposition they're involved in.

Stick with the series and it may improve in time. To just get rid of it because we've lost a few games seems incredibly narrow-minded, short-term thinking.

Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Mon Feb 22, 2016 1:01 pm  

One of the major critism's by fans of RL is the constant chopping and changing.
So what do fans suggest?
More knee jerk reactions to chop and change again.

It's like when you used to play games at school, oh we've been hammered lets not play anymore.

The sporting reaction to suffering a defeat is to address the issues, whether that be at the individual club or as a league.

Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Mon Feb 22, 2016 2:09 pm  

It was a painful weekend for SL, but one from which it can learn. Obviously there are plenty of deep-seated reasons why we have an inferior competition, and they're going to take a hell of a lot of working out to get right. But we can pick things up that will help to improve us. The thing that jumps out most obviously from this series is the way the NRL ballplayers have multiple options on pretty much every play, even when the play is a simple hit up. It's a pretty simple thing that we've obviously lost sight of in this competition, but it puts considerable pressure on defensive decision-making (pressure that our sides weren't able to withstand) and makes it very difficult for teams to commit numbers into tackles. If Saints can take a lesson from that and start running in twos and threes then the whole thing will have been worthwhile.

Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Mon Feb 22, 2016 3:14 pm  

Starman wrote:

I think it'd be crazy to get rid of the series because of a bad series this time round. Last year it was only us who got a hiding with the other two games being closely contested IIRC.

With the salary cap as it is, the only way we will get better is to carry on playing these sides and get used to that intensity of a game. Over time you'd like to think our better teams will put up more and more of a contest the more games against these types of opposition they're involved in.

Stick with the series and it may improve in time. To just get rid of it because we've lost a few games seems incredibly narrow-minded, short-term thinking.

If the Superleague standard stays the same we can be pretty sure the world club series will always be a whitewash. The RFL needs to speed up the game, first and foremost we need to increase the intensity of the game, for the last 4 or 5 years the game has been "dumbed down' to a time wasting and boring spectacle at times. Our game has turned into a slow arm wrestle, interference at the play the ball, flat attacks, slow scrums, slow field penalties, slow drop outs. The match officials need to speed up the game and in the short term penalise every infringement in the tackle and play the ball, stop the time wasting techniques, I would also run with 2 refs so the attack and defence lines are set quicker.

Then its up to the club coaches to learn from the World Club Series how to improve positional play to create potential try scoring options. On the other hand we can "stick our head in the sand" give up on the idea and just play in our own "super league bubble" for a couple of years ready for the next future deja vu.

Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Mon Feb 22, 2016 3:49 pm  

I don't think holding this fixture at this time of year helps anyone. It's invariably cold, wet and miserable. I'm not saying it's impossible to play good rugby but I don't recall too many people celebrating SL in the opening six weeks.

Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Mon Feb 22, 2016 4:30 pm  

Mugwump wrote:

I don't think holding this fixture at this time of year helps anyone. It's invariably cold, wet and miserable. I'm not saying it's impossible to play good rugby but I don't recall too many people celebrating SL in the opening six weeks.

The aussies scored some good tries ?

Maybe play it in October when the weather is better

Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Tue Feb 23, 2016 2:28 pm  

Dux wrote:

It was a painful weekend for SL, but one from which it can learn. Obviously there are plenty of deep-seated reasons why we have an inferior competition, and they're going to take a hell of a lot of working out to get right. But we can pick things up that will help to improve us. The thing that jumps out most obviously from this series is the way the NRL ballplayers have multiple options on pretty much every play, even when the play is a simple hit up. It's a pretty simple thing that we've obviously lost sight of in this competition, but it puts considerable pressure on defensive decision-making (pressure that our sides weren't able to withstand) and makes it very difficult for teams to commit numbers into tackles. If Saints can take a lesson from that and start running in twos and threes then the whole thing will have been worthwhile.

Totally agree.

If we want to grow as a sport then international fixtures are the way. With France being decades away from having a competitive league the only option open is Australia.

Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Wed Feb 24, 2016 12:04 am  

Mugwump wrote:

I don't think holding this fixture at this time of year helps anyone. It's invariably cold, wet and miserable. I'm not saying it's impossible to play good rugby but I don't recall too many people celebrating SL in the opening six weeks.

The only people is really helps are the Aussie teams,Brisbane said it helped them last year and this year It was said it was valuable to the Roosters to in getting prep done.

Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Wed Feb 24, 2016 7:31 am  

brook40 wrote:

The only people is really helps are the Aussie teams,Brisbane said it helped them last year and this year It was said it was valuable to the Roosters to in getting prep done.

I think the 3 Oz teams said they had built the event into there training patterns and the weather wasn't much of a problem. I should imagine its easier to train at a constant 80 degrees then play a game at 50 degrees, than train at a constant 50 degrees and play a game at 80 degrees.

Re: 19 man Squad v Sydney Roosters : Sat Feb 27, 2016 9:25 am  

Oh dear. After all these years and the obvious failure of the Salary Cap it still has defenders on this board. You couldn't make it up.

As for Saints at the moment, you are a very average side but the standard in SL has slipped so far that with better coaching I think you could be in with a real chance of winning something. Thanks to the SC you don't have to be good to win a trophy. Not sure I understand the despair on this issue, just replace KC with say a talented young Aussie assistant coach looking to prove himself at head coach level and you'll be ok.