parra_princess said:
BTW who cares about English Rugby League (no offence) best pension in the world that one. 70,000 hull fans is nothing on 20,000 eels fans!
To be fair, I thought the same PP until I had experienced both in person. The one thing the modern English game has in its favour is the fans and the atmosphere and noise even smaller amounts of them can make. Even as a lifelong Parra fan myself, I'd even go as far as to say 10,000 Hull fans is everything that 20,000 Parra fans can be noise-wise, but you're entitled to your opinion.
This year Jamie's played in the two biggest games and stadiums used over here, in front of crowds mostly hostile toward his team (to give St Helens it was more like 45-50,000 fans cheering Hull). Imagine a full Telstra on Origin night, but in a properly built stadium for atmosphere, and where the cheering is louder than what goes on at kick-off and continues that for the full 80 minutes.
He'll soak it all up fine on the day, but that shouldn't stop people doing banners and chants and whatever else they feel they need and want to do if they think it will help us get a win or psychological advantage on him or the Manly side. But as I've said about observing his football this year, the danger in concentrating on or marking Lyon too closely is that it then frees up the players around him to be more dangerous. That's why St Helens players like Ade Gardner and Leon Pryce played way beyond expectations in a premiership winning season.