No the original pop was someone saying not one of the Wigan players would get into your team.

Knowles was missing in the CC semi and it was you comparing Knowles to Smithies not me I just retaliated and I never said how good Smithies would become all I said he could win as much as your guy by the time he gets to his age.All you have done is insult either fans who disagree or Smithies to make a point.

If Smithies was such a nasty player how many times has Knowles been banned from play I bet you it is less than Smithies.

You did get butt hurt as calling me a nobody which was very childish.

They're both good players. But personally I'd pick Knowles to partner Oli Holmes in the second row for the world Cup

Good shout that mate.

How many non-friendly games have England played in the last 4 years?

This Sintellins team......



are looking for a new coach for 2023, as Woolf is off at the end of the season.



[urlhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/62738730[/url

Knowles was declared for Wales for half of that time anyway.

Has a Wigan fan actually compared “2 meteres average gain and 10 missed tackles a game” smithies to Morgan Knowles?



Deary me

Knowles has 597 made tackles & 63 missed this year, averaging 6.51m per carry

Smithies has 604 made tackles & 12 missed averaging 6.83m...

Have said all along Knowles aint that good,being bettered by a 21 year old must be embarrassing.

Its all about quality though in respect to Knowles, a high amount of those tackles and missed tackles would be upfront or one on one tackles. Something Jamie Peacock mentions quite a few times this season on commentary.



In comparison.



Its all about quantity in respect to Smithies a large part would be 3rd man in floppers or 2nd man in leading with the head.



Thats why Knowles is back in the Dream Team for the 4th consecutive year, Smithies is nowhere to be seen maybe they should introduce a FLOPPER award.

Must be why Faz is in and French (only speed) and Field (cant pass) got in.

You seem to be obsessed about Smithies v Knowles,no one else is. Thought Harry Smith would have a shout.

Cant wait for Knowles to give the teams in the world cup hell,surely he could be the difference on it being a successful cup.

It will take more than Knowles for England to have anything close to a "successful" world cup.

Our halves and centre options are limited to say the least and our pack looks a little weaker than the last World Cup.



We'll probably sneak a semi-final spot but, it's hard to imagine that we will make the final ?

We live in hope.

My point was Knowles being such a fantastic player with all is rings and dream team selections surely he must be worrying the opposition teams.

And just to point out if Knowles scores the winning try in the final no one will shout or be as happy as me.Playing for England all the players are together as should be the the fans.

Wrencat have faith you never know,I do see a Australian win,but like I say you never know.

Yes we are really struggling in the backline, currently in Superleague most of the best backs are overseas players.

I’m sure Isaah Yeo, Joseph Tapine and Jason Taumalolo will be sweating.

Yep they dont know what is about to hit them.

I think Smithies has been on a par with Knowles this season, only problem with that is Wigan will probably sell him to NRL and try to get him back in a few years.

Would this be the same Morgan Smithies who in 2019, aged just 18, set a new Superleague record by making 72 tackles in a single game? And he wasn't even on the field for the whole game!



I suppose they were all 3rd man tackles and flops though hey?



Have a word with yourself mate. You're beginning to sound like a child.

What do you mean "beginning".

He is obsessed with comparing Knowles v Smithies,and if you disagree you are a nobody or a wigoon, I honestly think he is not well and is holding onto reality with his finger tips

So now Stains are back to being the best? 1 trophy to Wigan 1 to Stains which was the leaders shield thus making them the leaders.

Some one has been looking very hard to come up with that little jem.



As Stains are the league leaders then I would say yes (they have won more games dont you know).

Wigan have won the CC so they are cup holders and were the best team in that comp thus the only winners of a comp until league leaders came along.



Now the actual champions are the winners of the GF as I have said all along.

If Stains win or Wigan or Salford or whoever wins the GF they will be the rightful Champions as the rules go.

That's the key part.



The trophy created when Bradford (I think) were moaning in the late 90s early 00s when they couldn't win the big one against Saints is called the League LEADERS Shield. Nobody has won the league until they win the Grand Final (and in most cases nobody will remember them) but they led the league after phase 1. It's the equivalent of winning your group in the World Cup.



I disagree with the playoffs because they make regular season games meaningless (see the last three weeks) and basically turn the season into a 3/4/5 week period which then comes down to luck. The best method was the original top 5 because it actually rewarded your league position and meant you had to beat every side above you to win the competition.



Personally I'd go back to playing sides home and away, top of the league win the league and if you aren't good enough to have anything to play for after 10 games then tough, improve.

I agree with most of that, we've had play offs top 5 top 6, top 8 and all thats done is lower the intensity of games during the regular rounds which has lowered standards and game attraction the latter reduces new fans to our sport.



The RFL/SKY seem to like long drawn out dramas in the play offs, as it stands now as top 6, eventually someone will be champions from 6th place having won less than 50% of their league games. For me I would go top 3, first place rewarded with a direct place in the grand final, that way you don't need a League Leaders Shield. As you say if your team is outside the play offs then try harder to avoid being a "dead rubber" team.



Although we don't have the right amount of intensity in games we do still have the physicality, these loop fixtures and double weekend fixtures especially the latter are contributing to injuries and weakened teams. So I would just go to a 13 team league on a home and away basis with relegation/promotion every 2 years to give a promoted team a settling in year.

The thing if my memory serves me well didnt the RL have the league leaders as the champions and then a seperate premiership trophy in a play off series,top 5 ?.

This was early 90s changed later as you alluded to.

Premiership used to be top 8 and was scrapped in 1998 when the playoffs came in.