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Bagging League

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taipan

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Polynesian Warrior said:
taipan said:
rugged said:
Australia's population has increased by a third since 1980, so it's only natural that more people watch and play RL now.

League today has become too sanitized and artificial IMO, which is why I like to balance my rugby watching with some RU.


Population increase has nothing to do with up to 500,00 Vics watching the G/F compared to a couple of years earlier.It has also nothing to do with the increase of women fans as a percentage of fans watching rugby league.Being sanitised in fact may have helped attract women.
The population increase was assisted to a great extent by immigration in those years ,as the Oz birth rate fell..Many of those immigrants would be soccer followers.Probably why soccer at kids level leaves all codes for dead in numbers.
It has more to do with the NRL/ARL getting off their backsides ,and increasing the number of development officers in all states and country areas.The population increase was only part of the equation.
Itry to get a different perspective watching a little union,after seeing Rogers score in South Africa from an obvious forward pass ,nothing has changed,the ref either wants to keep the game flowing or he needs specs, and no one dare criticise after the event.

I wasn't using Roach so you could spent a whole weekend to see if he was sub off or not .
I use Roach , Price and gang to show you what sort of athlete they were compare to the current crops .
I still enjoy watching the 80s league more . Than to see guys been sub on and off like a game of touch rugby .
All sports are increasing thanks to the large populations , televisions , money and all your reasons above .
Alot of immigrants are also from NZ , Pacific Islands , South Africa and UK and most of them are not into soccer .

So Mat Rogers scoring a try from a forward pass is a conspiracy from the IRB to let the game flow ?
I've seen worse forward pass in the NRL games than from S12 games and if anyone needs specs .
I suppose the NRL can afford to buy some for their video refs who seem to make Stevie Wonder look better .

I dont need a weekend to know about Roach,I know as much about league in the 80s as you mate.The old league players have stated Beetson,Lewis etc that the players of today are far better conditioned,and there are athletes of today who could play in any era.
I think SBW is a better athlete than Roach.A Johns is as good as Sterling.
but then again you want to get stuck in a time warp-good luck.
Population has some influence and as I mentioned ,which you again didnt read is only part of the situation.
league junior participatiuon increased 22% in 2 years from 2003-2004.The population didnt increase by any more than 4% in that 2 years.
All sports are not increasing due to increasing populations _Scotland for example union numbers down.
The majority of the immigrants are from countries that play soccer England,Italy,China,Malaysia,Serbia,Macedonia,Greece ,Middle East,Eastern Europe.Of course there are immigrants from Sth Africa etc,they are small percentage of the total,no matter how much spin you put on it.
Check the lastest survey announced today by the rugby union players association,plastered in all the papers,apart from drinking or gambling problems,that refereeing at all levels was a sore point.
I have seen forward passes in the NRL,it is a needle in the haystack to what I have seen in S12 and test union.The refereeing at times in the NRL can be poor,the refereeing in S12 is at times abysmal.
I dont think even Stevie Wonder can help some of the S12 refs, from what I have seen as apparently they frequently never heard of a knock on.The IRB I dont watch the play ;-)
 

fieldo

Juniors
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372
Soccer keeps its players until about 11 years old and then they break loose from their Mummys apron strings and go play League or Union.
Thats where soccer or should I say Football has a problem....keeping them after 12 years old. Ex soccer players make very good league players because soccer teaches vision, use of two feet, and evasive skills.

League and Union both have problems. But in the end they are games that provide countless hours of entertainment, generate lots of jobs, and even keep this forum going.

It has given me an excuse to argue with my mates for years.... :lol: Which game is better, which player is faster, who will RL buy next, why do union keep buying RL players when they have juniors to develop etc etc

Union today is much like League was in the fifties with its no tackle rule, players not required to stand back any metres beyond the ruck, drop goals being kicked all over the place,poor tackling, collapsing scrums etc etc. Don't believe me well watch the History of RL video...its all there.

Union is a much better game now then 10 years ago...however league is faster and I wonder when it will stop getting faster. Its murder for a referee trying to keep up on the touchline let alone the game in the centre. Union still has some unprofessional aspects to it...referees, interchange, touch judges, scrums which are dangerous, too much reliance on penalties.[/quote]
 
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League now is like touch rugby where anyone can sub of for 15mins and back on for another 15mins .
There is also more kicking in league now than there was years ago . There's alot of drop goals being kicked and alot of guys missing tackles and headhunting .
League scrums are a joke and its a breather for some .
You just have to watch old games of league .
 

fieldo

Juniors
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372
League made a great and wise decision in the 90's to take the contestability out of scrums. Having people paralysed as a result of a scrum isn't good. I believe union still have a problem here and all old front rowers from union will agree that the scrum place alot of pressure on your neck and will and have resulted in unneccessary injury. So if that what you mean by league scrums are a joke well I am glad they are. Scrums in league are there as a tradition nothing else. And we no longer have injury because of it. :p
 

fieldo

Juniors
Messages
372
I also played League in the 70/80s and the game is so so so much cleaner today....the head tackles to day look like the players are trying to swat flys or hit them with their hand bags. Anyhow both our games have no real problem with head tackles and if we do the tribunial gets them i.e Hopa with 17 weeks. No place in either game. Gal FL have a big problem with head attacks/tackles.
 

taipan

Referee
Messages
22,500
The likes of Steve Kneen ,Les Boyd would not last 5 minutes with their on field over the top aggresion today.Thats why junior participation is up.
A lot of dropped goals,WTF ? there were more dropped goals when they were worth more points.Check the scores in the last few years,compared to the 70s and 80s .
A lot of guys missing tackles ;-) ,they are still tackling more per man than in union.headhunting ? Check the penalties handed out,Clinton,Hopoate,Wiki they are not going unpunished ,and Hoppa has gone to a retirement home.
As far as scrums are concerned the league ones are over and done with now ,little if any pushing /pressure,and with Ben Darwins injury in union,with all the training in scrummaging a serious accident is waiting to happen.I cringe at every collapsed scrum in both codes,moreso in union.
I have watched old games of league,and the current game is faster,fitter and the tackling more explosive.Give me the later version.Give me the later version of union,anything was an improvement on penalty city.
 
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I guess you like the new version of the game . But I prefer to watch guys battle it out for 80 minutes .
Non of this touch football s*it thats been happening lately .

Jrs paticipation is also up in rugby union despite the scrum collapsed . Offcourse they should tackle more in league .
They don't have rucks , mauls , lineouts or contested scrums .
:mrgreen:
 

taipan

Referee
Messages
22,500
Yes its seems more people like the new version of rugby league,judging by the crowd increases,TV ratings and junior participation.
I have seen enough of the touch football in S12 to last a lifetime mate,andturnstile defence,and this is in a game where the ball in play time is a lot less.
And yes I watched the hurricanes v stormers yesterday,no tries,won by a penalty goal 3 points,about the best defensive S12 game I have seen,but the exception.
No they dont have rucks and mauls and lineouts or contested scrums/and repeated collapsed scrums or 3 points for a penalty goal,or penalties which leave even some of the players scratching their heads.
All I can say is thank bloody goodness. :clap: :clap:
Give me a game where the ball is in play more often,and I can see tries such as those offered up by the Broncos last night.
 
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