Damien

So how do we handle it? Id say a Wigan v Warrington opener would have got 20k at Wigan. Sure that's less than if they used the full Vegas crowd but its still a fair crowd in its own right, its not like this match was a zero sum game.

Thats actually quite an unbelievable stat. I'd have thought he'd have scored way more than that for Wigan.

I get that the various razzmatazz around a game is very much personal preference and can be annoying to some, whether that is smoke, music, choice of pre-match entertainment etc. What Leigh are doing is certainly working though and the atmosphere came across great on TV. The record crowds and vastly increased average attendance show that.

Does the science prove that specifically for kick offs? At what speed does the science say? How many times do these collisions occur in a match from a kick off? I can't say I have seen anything as conclusive like you are suggesting. I can watch matches and not see a single hit from a kick off that comes close to what you suggest. There are so many variables at play when it comes to speed, angles, impact, body height, whether running straight into a defender or using footwork to hit a gap etc. The list is endless. Its certainly not as you are suggesting here in that a single player is getting a hit multiple times in every game from a kick off and that "basically guarantees dementia". The game has moved with the times so you can't accuse it of being a game that refuses to. It is far safer than it was 20 years ago with rule changes to be so and is far stricter in many interpretations, which also means safer kick offs too.

I doubt it, I think he'll have played way too many games.

Please God no. It is terrible in the NFL and would be terrible in RL. This really is something that does not need changing.

I remember when loads of people bemoaned 5 drives and a kick to the corner as boring and lacking creativity. There were even discussions that such tries should be worth less due to it requiring less skill and being more of a coin toss. Im fine with it being part of the game but its certainly not something I'd want to see more of. As others have said to me it rewards a team that maybe can't get over the line normally and punishes a team that maybe have defended stoically. I much prefer to see well crafted tries and great attacking play than just a kick to the corner and getting lucky.

Well, well:

The way Bailey Hodgson played I dont think you need him. He looks a great player with the ball and took every kick aimed at him.

Thats strawman stuff though. You talked about kick offs then proceeded to show a video without a single kick off (in the minute I watched anyway). No one has said there will never be injuries playing RL either. You can get injured doing anything. Again I think you are being extremely disingenuous here if you genuinely can't see the difference between what happens in Run It Straight and RL.

I started a thread on here near the start of the season about what a great start to SL it had been this year. Great crowds, the Vegas publicity, Wakefield crowds on the UK and their progress etc and how this just wasnt being reflected in the narrative spun, particularly by the RL press and some fans. Since then the gaslighting has intensified tremendously.

Are you really saying you can't see how these scenarios and what happens are completely different? For starters practically every tackle you see in 'Run It Straight' is illegal in Rugby League.

Another poor performance by Smith. Unless things drastically change then Wane shouldn't be picking him.

A lot still to happen yet before the Grand Final. I dont think anyone at Wigan will be too concerned, its a pattern we have followed for a decade or more.

From a Wigan perspective, yet again Harry Smith needs to do far better. It was yet another poor game from him and his kick out on the full saw the game turn and led to the Leigh try shortly after. As this season goes on he is playing himself out of Ashes selection for me. Even his kicking game, which is one of the main reasons for picking him, has been full of errors and poor choices. I think we also can't keep playing players who are pedestrian on the wings. If they are injured then we need to let them sort their injuries and pick alternatives. We certainly can't carry that on both sides of the field.

That was a really enjoyable game to watch with plenty of intensity. Well played Leigh, I think you were certainly the better team in the 2nd half.

Bailey Hodgson has really impressed me tonight.

This is so painful yet again. They really need to improve the VR process.

Nice try from Leigh

Poor defence from Keighran

Its comparing apples and pairs because the financial models are completely different. This is also very much for the cross code forum.

Thought as much, a team who play in a 11k ground and who dont have anywhere near the history or fan base of various SL clubs.

Who would that be because I highly doubt it.

Interesting comments on Sky from Sam Tomkins about Shaun Wane not wanting to pick a squad 4 months out and being forced into it. Tomkins didnt seem happy about it either.

He never said they did.