Exiled Wiganer
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Posts posted by Exiled Wiganer
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Is this still the general rugby league forum?
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Tyreek Hill would score 100 tries a season.
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I think I saw a 110 nil match in a World Cup game…
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This will be the first WCC since we bought the ground, so I expect we will play it at home. The sense I get is that these games are largely the responsibility of the 2 teams involved (happy to be proven wrong), and everything I have seen and heard suggests that Wigan are now as well run and resourced (the latter being a matter of public record) as we have ever been and so I back us to make a great success of it.
I am hugely looking forward to it, especially as these games (and the international games) give us the perfect chance to demonstrate that we have a superb competition with superb athletes and put the NRLers = gods back in their box for a while.
More broadly, I would be delighted for this to be part of a structured and coordinated club and international calendar, and for the game to choose larger venues (noting that 25k will be a historically excellent crowd for this) as a matter of course, with the proviso that the game develops the skills to capitalise on it.
Having watched Widnes beat Canberra in the best ever WCC at Old Trafford, we have aimed high in the past…
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On 15/11/2023 at 00:57, Sports Prophet said:
Much easier transition for a back, I don’t think it’s that difficult. Off the top of my head Davies, Chariots and Sticky all made pretty big successes of themselves coming from Union.
I think you have a grossly elevated opinion on the athletic superiority a RL player has over a RU player.
no, I have a functioning set of eyes
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The heading for this thread made me nostalgic for where I was brought up.
There used to be a shop at the end of the road which was sometimes a hardware shop, sometimes a newsagents and sometimes (now) a cafe. People would tend to call the same shop different names from different eras - usually the name they knew it by when they were growing up - and so if you had a group of people from different generations, it could be called multiple names in the same conversation… Hence someone says JJB, I hear Piedome.
is that a local or a universal human trait?
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Incidentally, it won’t be played at the JJB or the DW, but it will be played at the Piedome.
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11 hours ago, Dave T said:
The problem with that is that you are pretending that this ranking table is the work that IG are doing. That isn't true - that is actually IMG marking the game's homework. The work that IMG are doing and areas of focus for improvement are laid out in their documents. I won't bother writing them up here, because people are clearly ignoring them.
Sorry, I was being glib. I am aware that IMG are doing far more than that. My frustration is a fundamental one - they can measure, they can add a gloss, they can re structure, but ours remains a simple business structure, with easily defined goals. My frustration arises because of my strong preference for our game to have such a high level of clear, confident leadership and quality of people in key positions around strategy and growing the game in house that they can do this themselves. I am yet to see anything in IMG’s scope of work or delivered product that couldn’t have been, and in my should have been done from within the game.
The RFL have only recently seemingly developed a commercial department, and the people on that board do not on the face of it have masses of experience in that field. We can’t even run a decent ticket system - when the game’s survival depends on selling tickets. Wigan sold 40k plus tickets for the Grand Final in a week, which saved their bacon, and yet they made buying them a deeply depressingly difficult experience.
It is just as well we have the greatest game and the best athletes on earth, because if we didn’t we would cease to exist.
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28 minutes ago, Dave T said:
I'm ok with the licensing approach, but there is plenty I don't like about this system that we have introduced (the fudge around P&R mainly) - but I actually think you are missing the point somewhat above.
The reality is that the grading system has broadly ranked clubs as you'd expect, maybe a couple of anomalies. The top 7 are clear of the others, but the next group are really much of a muchness. Leigh may be a bit harsh, but they have had one good season so far, their scores will improve if they continue. But with the group who are all within a point or so of each other, they are all pretty interchangeable. And that isn't because of the grading system, it's because that's the standard they are at.
We really do have a few groups of clubs. The top 7. Then Salford to Bradford/Fev. THen Widnes to London, then the Grade C's. Broadly speaking, those groups are sensible when you look at them. Sure, I think there is some tweaking that is likely to take place over time, but it ultimately has ranked clubs broadly where you'd expect to see them.
Isn’t the last sentence key? I simply see no need to pay IMG a fortune to come up with a list that pretty any non troll/Vichy on here could have come up with in a couple of days. You could have set it as a bronze DoE project for someone, and got the same result. The game needs a V’Landys to cut through everything and say - here’s the strategy, here’s what we’re doing, let’s sell it. Not a non leaguie lap top excel spread sheet jockey telling us what we already know.
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2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:
For those living in Aus, more money and profile.
For those not living in Australia, earning capacity in a better country, with lotsa beach babes.
Playing a game too difficult for them.
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Why would any established Vichy earning decent money play our game? Unless they have played as juniors, and have simply wandered off the path.
It’s far harder, they would have to get far far fitter, and their shortcomings would be ruthlessly exposed. They are talked up as if they are professional sportsmen by a doltish press.
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England’s long term future between world cups entirely rests on its ability to help the French improve. Which would be win win win. So, if I ran the RFL I would be focussing all of my attention on that plan.
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4 hours ago, BristolDevonCharlie said:
Given that the attendances for each of the England v Tonga games were bigger than the average attendances for the 2023 Super League season at each of those grounds, I would say it shows there is an appetite for the international game.
Plus, that was a Tonga series. With NZ or Australia in 2027 & 2028, the likelihood is average crowds will be significantly higher.
Also, the most watched game of Rugby League on UK TV in 2023 was the third Tonga test. More than the Challenge Cup final.
I know it will not please parochialists but progressing International Rugby League is the only way of stopping the sport shrinking!
They have an agenda, and have had the same one for years: it’s Mind Your Place League Peasants. I suspect they had issues with one or both parents.
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6 hours ago, Coco said:
The international scene makes no sense at all. Are there fans interested in the world cup and also the international scene. I am more excited about next year's Super League. and NRL. After what the NRL have done to the international scene, I tended to ignore the international game.
From the attendances from the last set of internationals, the numbers have shown that the fans don't want international games. I would not have a problem that they cancel the next world cup. It's just my thoughts.
This is all you ever write in this incarnation.
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I am really looking forward to seeing what Thompson can do under Peet. Generally, our more open style of comp and smaller size of player make touch football types excellent buys.
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2 hours ago, Coco said:
I do agree that the Super League is a massive step down from the NRL. But the NRL do provide good quality of players to this competition.
I just question do they provide too many players? Each club I believe, are allowed 7 quota spots. That's 84 Players that are not home grown in our competition. I do feel we lose too many youngsters because of this.
But hey what do I know?
No it isn’t so the only person you’re agreeing with is yourself. Writing something 1000 times yourself doesn’t make it true.
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30 minutes ago, Eddie said:
I was at that Hull QF, couldn’t believe how few people there were there, for an absolutely belting game of rugby.
Hull crowds for internationals have been rubbish for the last decade. Headingley, Wigan and Brentford would suit me, though they’d old aim higher in London if they have a marketing budget. It feels though that we have a catch 22 with the RFL. They seem to have virtually no one selling or marketing effectively (or who could organise the ticketing: sales 101). And so bring in far less money than they should, and so don’t bring in more people for marketing and selling…
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1 hour ago, NRLandSL said:
It was a pretty star filled team I would say.
Addin Fonua-Blake, arguably the best front rower in the world
Moeaki Fotuaika, Queensland Regular, back to back Titans player of the year and one of the best front rowers around aswell
Tyson Frizell, Australia and Blues Regular, one of the best back rowers in the world
Latu Fainu and Isiaya Katoa, Both tipped as some of the best young half backs in the NRL. Both getting payed 400k+ as an 18 year old speaks of how highly rated they both are.
Elisea Katoa, top NRL backrower
Felise Kaufusi, Queensland Regular Top NRL Backrower
Keaon Koloamatangi, Blues Player, one of the best backrowers in the world
Tolutau Koula and Will Penisni, two of the best young centres and players in the NRL.
Tuimoala Lolohea, Star 5/8 in SL
Haumole Olakauatu, Arguably the best backrower in the whole NRL (not sure why Fittler didn’t select him)
Siua Wong, one of the best young Backrowers in the NRL
Daniel Tupou and Jason Taumalolo were unfortunately injured but they are both top players in the NRL
and Many more top NRL players, too many to team. The team is full of the NRL’s best.
Absolutely bang on, and your comments are a breath of fresh air given the wall to wall “know your place peasants” we get from ignorant one eyed anti SLers - be they trolls or NRL obsessives.
SL based sides had 4 shots at top NRL talent and prevailed 4 nil. We have a great competition full of talent.
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Just catching up with the after match interviews.
Wane is a very good choice for England coach, though his tendency to pick second rows in the centre remains a worry. He even speaks much better these days. Credit to Tonga. It is no disgrace to be second best to this England side. Woolf remains a great leader and has taken them a long way.
One thing it endorses is how good the SL competition is, and how good our players are. I think next season could be a classic. There were a lot of encouraging signs for Warrington, Hull KR and Leeds. I know we have a couple of games tomorrow, but we head into the off season after a 23 to cherish (wearing my pie, anyone but Australia and England colours…).
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7 minutes ago, NRLandSL said:
Even as a roosters fan and Radley Super fan I will comment that Englands attack looks a lot more fluid Without Radley receiving the ball every play. Radley makes to many errors and I don’t think he is as good a ball player as people say. For the roosters he is not that involved in attack and I think England should keep it that way in the future.
I agree. There is far too much NRL = supermen when there is so much talent in SL. Both competitions allow 20 odd players in each squad to play full time at a highly competitive level each week. As Saints and England have shown, we produce fantastic players.
it has been a superb season north and south of the equator, with so much to build on. I am thrilled to see how far this England team can go. Welsby, Smith and Williams is a fantastic spine to build from.
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15 minutes ago, DavidM said:
Overall I’d have Smith man of the series , he pulled the strings and contributed some very skilful moments to
He has put together the outstanding scrum half set of performances of the international series.
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What a game, what a performance. The Kiwis were so on it from the first second. Desire lead to momentum. Momentum lead to confidence. Confidence lead to dominance. It wasn’t just that they smashed the Aussies up the middle, but they executed so brilliantly once the gaps opened up.
Over to England now!
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1 hour ago, DavidM said:
We’d have still been knocked out by Samoa in the semis
Maybe. On our day, we are a better team than Samoa as Newcastle showed and next year will show us, and, as we are showing, Tonga. What caught us out, in my opinion, was that we had peaked too early, and couldn’t sustain it. Samoa are not as strong, but had a lot of full time players from the Australian competition, which is a good standard.
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16 hours ago, Damien said:
Yeah it doesn't make much sense for teams to do that.
If you have a billionaire owner, your decisions can be made against a different backdrop.
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Magic Weekend
in The General Rugby League Forum
Posted · Edited by Exiled Wiganer
Wouldn’t it be better at this point to have a Magic Week End played at 6 different venues, selected from the home grounds of the 2 participants in each game?