SMH: Why League is King of the Codes

[International RL]

Nice article...from a self declared Union man too.


http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/why-league-is-king-of-the-codes/2007/09/05/1188783319579.html

 

[Misty Bee]

He killed it with a crap last paragraph about lack of ball security. Compared to Yawnion? Puh - leeeze!!!

I also liked the line about Melbourne developing it;sown players, and giving Inglis as an example. Inglis is so far removed from his roots it's not funny!!!

Still, a Meapro ham and a Patra Orange Juice to the Yawnion journalist that finally admits it.

Woodsy? Where are you ya knob?

 

[International RL]

Yeah the ball security thing was a bit....

:sarcasm:

But regardless, people the world over are waking up to the fact that union, as a product, is just terrible to watch. The CEO of the NZRU even admittied ! haha.

 

[yobbo84]

He killed it with a crap last paragraph about lack of ball security. Compared to Yawnion? Puh - leeeze!!!

Super 14 2007, Round 14, Highlanders v Brumbies:

To comparitevly view stats between the two codes, I'll use 'set phases' i.e. how many times the teams had the ball (very similar to a set of six in RL) and turnovers (excluding those in a lineout) to create a completion rate:

Highlanders - 58 phase sets, 23 turnovers = 60%
Brumbies - 68 phase sets, 29 turnovers = 57%

Nice argument.

 

[linny]

It really just is refreshing to see a Union man being truthful and realistic about his own backyard. It makes me feel sorry for these tragic group of people continue to sit watch an absolute rabble of a sport and make excuses for it. If you like watching that crap then fine, thats your preference, but don't come and make it out to be something that it CLEARLY isn't.

Round of applause for Paul Sheehan

 

[russ13]

Even if what he says about ball security is true, those games where there is no dropped ball & the sets are nearly 100% incident free tend to be the most boring. I give you the second SOO this year as an example.

I think there is still to much dummy half running & one out plays early in the tackle count. This is a bigger scourge than ball security IMO.

BTW a good example of the disparity of the skill level of the two codes is the comparison of the 2003 NRL GF & the opening game of unions WC that year-Austrlia v Argentine. The union game was played a week after the NRL GF;both were played in wet greasy conditions. The first dropped ball in the NRL game came after 31 minutes, in the union 90 seconds.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

I don't like this article. Yes league is a better game than union, but nothing this year on the part of the NRL has done anything to widen the gap. Union is going backwards but the NRL this year has been staying still. Let's look at how the NRL has performed this year.

Marketing and Promotion : Very Poor
Refereeing Standards: Beyond Awful
Measures put in place to halt injuries : Poor
Off field behaviour : Poor
Standard of football : Average
Salary Cap and Player retention strategies: Poor

The offload has been a part of league for a few years now. He's just noticed it. This is written by someone out of touch with the issues in the game. There needs to be mass change within the NRL to improve our game. We have potential but are failing miserably to capitalize. If you don't think so get your head out of the clouds.

 

[gunnamatta bay]

Last weekend, the 16 NRL teams managed to give away the football a total of 161 times, or 20 times per game.

The big difference is that the ball is pretty well automatically back in play via turnover whereas the union boys stand around like brown's cows waiting for a scrum to pack, and repack and repack and.........................

 

[worldchampion]

mm funny he states that he like all the offloads but he doenst like the dropped balls.. hmm I think they would go hand in hand.

and besides I hate to say it guys but if RL is king around here then Soccer is emporer of the world

 

[Nathan B]

Pfft!

Maybe we should have players kick the ball away at every opportunity. That would reduce the error count.

And make for a riveting spectacle.