St pete wrote:
I don't think super league was invented to help us best the convicts at international level, I think it was brought in to improve the game as a whole from the sky money which it has and that can't be in doubt.
I think the franchise system and salary cap are put in place to help the clubs but also help develop our youth system which in turn helps us at international level as we have more and more young lads coming thru over the last 3yrs of the franchise system than probably in the 5yrs before.
As we are only just ending the first franchise phase which was 3yrs ago it's to early yet to see if it has helped the international game as it was always going to take time as the kids need to come thru the system. I think in the next two years we will see just how much the cap and franchise system has helped clubs bring young players thru and in turn if it's helped England.
The have been some very good young players like Sam Tomkins, Joel Tomkins, charnley, mossop, foster, wheeler, eastmond, lomax, clough, Gaskell, Tom briscoe, mcshane, jones bishop, Watkins, whitehead etc that have IMO benifited from the franchise and salary cap and they could provide England with a very very good international team that can compete with the Aussies.
We will have to agree to disagree. We just hammerred Featherstone, 70 nil with less than half a team.
I cannot understand how that has "improved the game as a whole." It has developed 6 or 7 elite clubs further and it protects perennial under achievers.
Super League was a great concept. it has just implemented badly. Feels great as a Saints fan mind. But I am equally an RL fan in general.
