In terms of the product on the field, defence has not "improved dramatically". Defence is an abomination to watch now. It is ugly as sin. Whereas in previous eras you had glorious bootlace man on man tackling techniques now we have wrestling tactics that involve several people holding one man and then another cat cannoning into their legs when they are immobilised and then a stacks on. If you think that is a better product we are on vastly different wave lengths.
Sure, hours and hours and hours of work and thought and video and technique training has gone into defence and defences now would dominate attacks of the 90s but the net gain to the game is in the negative because it is far worse to watch.
In terms of attacking skills you need to watch Origins and grand finals from the 90s and then sit down and watch the boring, skill deprived Origins and grand finals we have had in the past 5 years.
You and people who think the same will understand. Well said btw!!! I can say it 10 different ways but it will always be the same.
They're dangerous idiots with dangerous ideas. I will show people if I have to (other people) how the clubs are literally sucking the life out of the sport, on and off the field. We can all see it on here, to varying degrees of intensity/concern. Me, I think its systemic almost. The clubs lie, beg, borrow, steal, they don't care about the product on the field or off it. But they will run it into the ground almost so they can win one single year. The desire is commendable but their application is atrocious. They can't possibly see it from where they sit. And we can't be run like the NFL - our market is just not big enough or set up to support that Machiavellian kind of thing.
Remember how the tv deal used to be great 12 months ago? Now the papers and clubs are spinning it to being 'crap'. They're wilfully being ignorant to the racket that was run on the sport for 20 years and just joining in on the bashing now.
Here we are, knowing removing any person on the commission will do absolutely zero in all likely hood to change things, but they are still doing it.
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They don't need more money - they literally just need less wrestling, more skills and more tactics, and stop looking for or inventing edges that other sports would say "thats abominable". Some of those guys, have no souls, I'm sure.
The game is more intense now, and its much tighter, but one must ask was there anything WRONG? with the sport in 1996? Before the extra football department spending on superfluous things? And some brainiac figured wouldn't it be cool if they could do unlimited interchange and bash each other for 80 mins instead of 15.
If they wanted to improve the sport, they needed to regress.
Thankfully Smith, the former NRL CEO (and others) saw this, reducing interchange, stopping wrestling as much as they could, and things like fighting that literally would prevent articles being written about the game, ect.
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They do not need an abominable version that has reared its ugly head from time to time, the one thats impossible to officiate, and is grossly unfair with dirty tactics, they need the "retro-modern" version of what it would have been before they all started fking with it. That game actually happens now more than what people give the NRL credit for.
Basically the clubs will cheat, rob, steal, they don't care. They will even ruin the sport on the field, they literally can't be trusted to officiate the sport overall. Maybe they need a better course of protest/conversation with the admin, I honestly do think that, but they overstep their bounds atm.
