We are definately winning the war with Union in Aus. Considering this current provincial Union comp must be losing a lot of money, I wonder what the new comp next year is going to do to their finances. It will certainly stretch their resources in terms of marketing. Anyway the AFL is posing as a far greater threat than Union. I'm confident we can coexist with soccer, as many RL fans also follow soccer.
The battle with Union in England is still on big time. Unfortunately we've lost Chev Walker, probably the 3rd or 4th best centre in the UK. It now looks as though we've lost Karl Pryce too, a 20 year old 6ft 6 centre from Bradford who has scored around a try a game this season. He was shaping as a future GB rep. Another likely future GB rep in Wigan fullback Chris Ashton is also being chased by Union clubs. Fortunately Wigan have told them to go away because he has a year to run on his contract.
For a strong RL we need strong competition from Great Britain. So it's imperative they don't lose their best players to union. Having said that, I think this has been the best Super League season yet. It will be another all time crowd record and the comp is definately becoming more even. Unfortunately though, coaches with RL experience are scattered throughout English union and they know the quality of young RL players. Dennis Betts is at Gloucester, so no doubt recommended they go after Karl Pryce. Southern Hemisphere coaches and players are taking up too many resources. Englsih coaches are going to Union to get a gig, and some squads have up to 12 imports. The problem is not much can be done about this, European Union working laws mean anyone with European or Pacific Islander blood is off quota.
