Exiled Wiganer
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Posts posted by Exiled Wiganer
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7 hours ago, Damien said:
Or maybe he had training with the Broncos and couldn't sit there waiting. Maybe the connection dropped just before or he had other technical issues, it happens all the time.
All ifs, buts and maybes, from both points of view, but it seems crazy to jump to conclusions and question his commitment and say playing in the NRL has gone to his head on the back of it.
It’s crazy to jump to conclusions? On a thread with dozens of posts castigating Wane for turning his back on Farnworth for no reason???
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8 hours ago, burnleywelsh said:
Was travelling away with the Broncos at the time of the meeting. Issues with internet at the host hotel. Wane dropping him, just being the bully that he is. Throwing his weight around just because he can. Excellent man manager…….not.
Actually, I think it’s entirely justified. These were team meetings - they were the only way at the time that the group could get together. If he’s late, he’s wasting everyone else’s time, and let’s face it is hardly a commitment to hop on one of those. If Farnworth knew he was likely to have issues, because of travel or whatever, then he should have notified Wane in advance. He had one thing to do for the cause - turn up on a Zoom call - and failed. What do you expect Wane to infer?
In any case, he’s now back in the fold by the sounds of it.
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3 minutes ago, Dunbar said:
I do understand the point that players like (Bailey) Hodgson, Dom Young and Harry Rushton going to the NRL doesn't do a massive amount for English Rugby League but I think there are several factors to consider here.
1. With just 3 youngsters at the moment and no signs that others will follow in greater numbers, it is hardly a player drain at this stage (this is a reduced negative rather than a positive of course).
2. Talented young rugby players these days are very aware of where the potential pay packets can come from and scouts/agents will be all over them. I would much rather they go to the NRL than Union for pretty clear reasons.
3. They may not spend their entire career over there and so we could see some very good players return to the British game.
4. If these players help England do well internationally then it has a very positive effect on the profile of the sport and player numbers, viewers etc. so they could benefit the British game without even playing here.
Maybe. And of course this is a thread for the 100 or so British NRL fanatics who will notice him. It would be, in my view, far better for the game as a whole and especially the British game, for these players to be strutting their stuff on Sky, BBC or Channel 4.
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I know I am labouring the point but how is Rushton being picked good for British RL? Beyond the 100 or so British NRL fanatics his progress or lack of it will be unknown over here. He is playing in a competition opposed to playing internationals, so even if he is very good the likelihood of anyone over here actually being aware of it is vanishingly slim.
That said, on an individual basis, he can be proud of himself.
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It isn’t a net positive for the game over here, as the NRL has no interest in the game outside the NRL. They won’t improve our product or our game, and will be prevented from playing internationals if at all possible. Their loss exacerbates the differences between the 2 comps in favour of the NRL, leading to declining quality and interest over here. Given the talent pool available locally, there is virtually zero benefit to the NRL. The will be unknown and unseen by 99.999% of the British public as opposed to being the sorts of players who can attract TV viewers and fans to the ground.
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Could Young make it in SL? Would he be a star or a run of the mill signing?
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On Sutton, anyone who is surprised that Stuart will bear a petty grudge has not being attention these last 20 years...
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I can see why people do it, but it does seem a bit harsh to have hanged Wane for something he hasn’t done yet.
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11 hours ago, Scubby said:
5 NRL clubs chasing Herbie Farnworth for next year reported on Channel 9 News sport today
Brisbane hoping to keep him.
Why are we not promoting the World Cup around these exciting young England stars playing all over the world? Make it feel like a global event.
Because we can’t be sure that we will see any of them play internationals, given who pays them and the alluring call of pre season games?
Plus, how many people over here will have any idea who he is, compared with Newman and Percival, and even Gildart?
Finally, he’s a good player, but he’s not Steve Renouf, so I am not sure what you’d be selling: “Roll up for someone you’ve never heard of who is better than Lyne, and probably a good option alongside Percival and Newman...”
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I am not sure why Wane is getting so much stick, when none of us knows what he is thinking. No NRL players were named in the recent squad, and so we don’t know how he views any of them. Oh, and if he picks Bateman ahead of Whitehead he may argue that Bateman played better when they both played on the same team.
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I have always rated Farnworth. Fine player.
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23 hours ago, DavidM said:
And it’s not like there’s no upside either . The more guys in that system the better for the national team
Err, that would be if the NRL allowed national teams to play any matches.
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6 minutes ago, Davo5 said:
Or maybe it’s just your anti NRL bias but I think you’ll find plenty of knowledgeable non Wigan RL fans rated Sutton be he left these shores.
Is not playing for a “top” Superleague club a deciding factor in judging the quality of a player ?.Maybe we should limit England selection to only include Saints,Wigan,Wire,Leeds players then.
I can’t say that Sutton loss was felt that keenly. I think he has exceeded people’s expectations at Canberra. He was young and a lot of props either develop or stagnate at the age he went over there. If you are big enough, skilful and can do a job, there will be a place for the Suttons of this world. Super League develops young forwards very well, I’d say. It’s in the spine where the game over here needs to improve its hit rate.
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Sad news about the vultures around Pryce. We need to find a way to stop the talent flow, particularly given the NRL’s hostility to the rest of the world.
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If Farnworth jumps ship for the Dark Side, will there be counselling available for everyone on here affected by the loss?
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4 hours ago, Dunbar said:
That's one way of looking at it. I would prefer to see it as more opportunities for young players to shine and excel across different competitions drawing in more youngsters. If the top of the pathway is limited then by definition the input is also limited... you only take in as many as you need to satisfy the demand you have, that is a basic principle of capacity planning.
As for the NRL having no interest in the wider game, the history of Rugby League is history of self preservation and the desire to be a big fish in the pond... the NRL is no worse than what we have seen over here when it comes to self serving attitudes.
I disagree. Our game has a long tradition of considering international competition to be the pinnacle of the game. We have never before been in a position where one competition has such financial power and influence it can take anybody from anywhere. We have never before been in a position in which a league can dictate if and when any internationals are played. The scenario of doom for the game outside Australia is one in which they sign up any talented youngsters and all of the top talent, play them or hoard them (and they will soon have 18 clubs, so the potential for both is clearly there), while the world outside is left with the scraps.
Having successfully gone “nah, don’t fancy it” to this year’s World Cup, next time it will be even easier. Give them a couple of years and they will have their own international calendar, with England and France “allowed” to arrange their own fixtures not including any NRL players. As a sport, we will have become the NFL.
Which might be sort of ok as far as long time fans like us are concerned, as we can sell tickets, and pay some decent quality players, but we can forget anyone ever seeing a Hanley or Schofield, a Boston or a Myler playing most of their careers over here.
Losing our quality youngsters is even more pernicious than our top players being cherry picked. But we better get used to it, because they have the money and, like the former President used to say to inspire his fans, they will use it to build a wall around themselves.
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A young player drain adds to the senior player drain to a competition whose strategy is to place itself first, above the rest of the sport, with no interest in the wider game. Hence no World Cup, and no 2022 WCC. They are a threat to everybody looking to play or watch the game anywhere outside the NRL.
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You’re still watching the NRL? After this week?
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Deleted toollish comment from me.
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1 hour ago, Damien said:
This is strawman argument. Most people look at individuals on a case by case basis and the only people who keep repeating this are the people who seem to not rate Farnworth.
I don’t know how long you have watched the game, but it is based on purely logical reasoning. I have seen lots of players selected to play for England based on their form in the Australian competition, and cannot recall a single one whom I had not seen over here who made me think that the NRL was producing better England qualified players than our competition. Hence my argument is simple - I would counsel caution in assuming that Sutton, say, has become a better player than the middle of road squad player that we see. We can call this the Josh Hodgson Principle if you like.
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7 hours ago, Dunbar said:
If you watched the game, you would have seen that Farnworth was on the wing, not full back.
I had watched the game with the sound off, and saw that he had 1 on his back I fast forwarded to when Brisbane had the ball, so saw his taking it out of defence I assumed they had an odd formation for kick returns.
Edited to remove toollish comment from me.
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I thought Farnworth was good in the game I watched against the Raiders, in a really poor side. Not great, and not in the top 5 NRL fullbacks I have seen in the last week, but not hopeless by any means. He may develop in time to be a really good player, or do a Sutton, and cement his place as an NRL top 17 player. I remain unconvinced that he is a better 1 than Tomkins or Hardaker or a better centre than Percival, Gildart, Newman or King, but he may be as good as those centres.
Again, everything I have seen over many years makes me doubt the assumption that any NRL starter is bound to be better than the best of SL.
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14 hours ago, Alan Robertson said:
Leading average metres, for a centre, in the NRL. The stats must be wrong, they don't align with Exiled Wiganer's observations
(Next - "They've been the 'wrong' type of metres.")
I really don’t mean to offend the Farnworth fan club. You love him, I get that. I am sure there are still annual reunions of the Reed and Heighington fan clubs as well, where they can swap stats all day. As I don’t pick the side, you will be pleased to know, whether he is selected or does well for England is out of my hands.
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1 hour ago, Scubby said:
Only you keep mentioning Jack Reed. It is a bit of a lazy comparison just because he played for Brisbane. Farnworth came through the Wigan development system, is young, big and athletic and has been a promising light in a dreadful Broncos side. We have no other options at the moment. The four players you mentioned on another thread shows exactly this - two aren't even playing regularly atm never mind pulling up trees. All we are saying is that he is in the mix for a centre place in the current England squad - we are not saying he is the next Paul Newlove.
It is not a lazy comparison at all, it is directly relevant because he was 1) an NRL starter but not an NRL star, 2) played for Brisbane and 3) was a centre. It would be impossible to find a more like for like comparison. I would pick all of the 4 SL players - Gildart, Newman, Percival and King - on what I have seen of the 5 of them. I have yet to see an answer that addresses the Jack Reed precedent/comparison, simply “you’re a nutter for doubting him”.
To show that I do not have a closed mind when it comes to players plying their trade in the NRL - which is a very good competition, don’t get me wrong - if I were looking at NRL players who could make a difference, then Burgess, Thompson, Whitehead and Radley (though I think he has said he isn’t British) would be in my squad.
I accept that Burgess played no top level rugby over here, but I can, I’m afraid, be hypocritical when it suits me...
Brits in the NRL
in The General Rugby League Forum
Posted
As others have said, Gildart was useless the last 2 years he was at WIgan, He was very good in the last decade though, and would still be a good SL player on his day. Like Farrell, though, you can’t put in what God left out and he will never be big enough.