i don't know about being surprised by the queenslanders. i've said pretty consistently that the top qrl sides would go fine in nsw cup. even seeing a queensland v queensland team grand final in any fantasy combined comp wouldn't surprise me at all.
what would surprise me would be the likes of the cobras, knights, tigers, bulldogs who are a long way behind the pace this year not being a fair way in front of the teams at the bottom of the queensland cup table. that's basically where i reckon the nsw cup has a slight edge at the moment. these sides with plenty of contact to full time players and training would have it over their equivalents in queensland.
i don't follow queensland cup that closely, but i do know the difference a few fringe nrl players makes to a teams ability after watching wests over the past couple of years. the access to better and more intense training really helps players lift their game in a way part time training just can't. if it didn't make a big difference nrl sides wouldn't bother doing it. i know there are players in queensland getting the same opportunities, but there are far more in nsw cup and they are more evenly distributed throughout the comp.
more nsw nrl sides aligning with qrl sides will strengthen that comp and weaken ours simply because these full timers will be moving from nsw cup to queensland cup. nswrl need to wake up soon and support their comp or we won't be having this discussion at all and the queensland cup will be unquestionably the second tier comp. if we lose newcastle and the vulcans next year and saints don't come back in some form then it could be as soon as 09.
what would surprise me would be the likes of the cobras, knights, tigers, bulldogs who are a long way behind the pace this year not being a fair way in front of the teams at the bottom of the queensland cup table. that's basically where i reckon the nsw cup has a slight edge at the moment. these sides with plenty of contact to full time players and training would have it over their equivalents in queensland.
i don't follow queensland cup that closely, but i do know the difference a few fringe nrl players makes to a teams ability after watching wests over the past couple of years. the access to better and more intense training really helps players lift their game in a way part time training just can't. if it didn't make a big difference nrl sides wouldn't bother doing it. i know there are players in queensland getting the same opportunities, but there are far more in nsw cup and they are more evenly distributed throughout the comp.
more nsw nrl sides aligning with qrl sides will strengthen that comp and weaken ours simply because these full timers will be moving from nsw cup to queensland cup. nswrl need to wake up soon and support their comp or we won't be having this discussion at all and the queensland cup will be unquestionably the second tier comp. if we lose newcastle and the vulcans next year and saints don't come back in some form then it could be as soon as 09.
