SUPER LEAGUE is the pinnacle of rugby league in the UK.
But, in recent years, there has been an increasing trend of the NRL becoming a bigger and better competitor Down Under.
Former Hull KR head coach Justin Morgan spent seven years at Craven Park back in the late 2000s whilst he has been an assistant coach in the NRL for the past decade.
With that in mind, Morgan is qualified to compare both competitions and come to a conclusion about what Super League does well and what is perhaps its main weakness – and the two interlink.
“I think the strength of Super League is that the style of the game is less rigid,” Morgan told League Express.
“I think there is a great deal more innovation in Super League just because the varying level of talent spread across the competition, you have to be innovative and be somebody that doesn’t just follow the blueprint like a lot of NRL teams do.
“While that is an advantage it is also a disadvantage as well because you often see the similar teams at the top of the table.
“You sometimes see some other teams have a good season here and there but not consistently.”
Morgan went on to explain that an unstructured way of coaching is what he enjoys the most.
“While you get that in the NRL as well, on a week to week basis, a lot of the time you might see a bottom team beat the top team.
“That being said, the NRL is separating the top half from the bottom half which I don’t particularly like, neither do all the fans.
“I think the advantage of Super League is that it is definitely more unstructured which I like coaching as it gives you a chance to be more inventive and try and a few things different.
“You have to think outside the box if you aren’t one of the consistent teams at the top.”
In terms of any potential rule changes that he would bring in, Morgan called for a potential ‘super sub’ but emphasised that this wouldn’t mean hampering lower level competitions.
“You could have a ‘super sub’, that could be something to look at, but we’d need to look at squad sizes first.
“We don’t want to dilute the Queensland or NSW Cup football by having squads of 21 and 22 players travelling with NRL clubs during the season. We had that during Covid and it decimated the cup competition.
“In Super League, clubs have a couple of players going to the Championship on loan, but we don’t want to dilute that quality as well.
“We have to make sure we have a holistic approach to the game and that all levels are looked after.”
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