yipyee

Maybe the commentators are larger? Joking aside they obviously measured one they are happy with and set this as the standard.

I always saw the gradings as some way to rationalise expansion as otherwise it wouldnt be accepted. The report pre SL was how the game should expand and grow in a new proffessional era and that was whole sale rejected. Equally Bradford being promoted to SL would have gone down like a trump in a lift without data to back up the decision.

The best team are the one holding the trophy at the end of the year. Try telling Leeds fans that Rob burrow, sinfield etc played in a substandard Leeds side as their team that won several titles did so from low level league positions! The NRL champions are the roosters, the SL champions are Wakey, neither finished in the top 2 in the league phase of the tournaments, they are however still the SH and NH champions.

There was a spell where we had an expanded 3 game series, i see you fail to mention that, it doesnt fit your narative though. You cant compare athletes from 97 to now. You can compare the last 5 years.. Hosting in Febuary is the same for both teams, both play in the same months, both have the grand finals in the same month, what advantage are you making up in your head? Again on the salary cap, you give super league clubs 3x the money to pay 3 times the cap, where are you saying the players are coming from, the players will be the sane but better paid. You still havent said where you are magicing up players out of thin aur if you have more money. Who are the NRL scouts scouting, Lewis Dodd is Lewid Dodd, going to australia to get 5 times the salary and then hung out to dry didnt change him as a player, weather he gets 100k or 500k hes the same human being. You cant compare to soccer as there are players in every country and there are top leagues in every country. And even then players will sign for London clubs to lice in London, who would sign for Newcastle if you could sign for Barcelona. Back to Rugby and who wouldnt want an adventure to Australia over Bradford or Cas. And this circles back to your money theory. Branson was throwing money at northen players to go and play for London Broncos and he couldnt attract the top players in the league, they didnt want to relocate. Salford under Marwan had money to burn but again throwing bucks at it didnt work.

So the 2 champions play off and the winners are not the best, what world do you live in, do you actually understand the purpose of sport, do you not understand 2 teams play and the winners are the victors. You are seriously mad! Your selective one eyed posts dont help either, the nonsense about rep players.. well der English clubs will have rep players too. Infact England play more internationals than Australia. The intensity comment is also nonsense, wheres the data to back it up.. The Hull KR game was very intense with KR out on their feet at the end. Infact the paralels with the NRL final was there for all to see. Again mentioning 1997, nearly 30 years ago, name 1 player who participated who is still playing?? Different players now coming through a different system in a different era. Again, salary cap just mean players get paid more, you cant magic up players that dont exsist regardless of money available

They would only do that if the games were played in Oz, so waste of time

You must be drinking something mad if you think they dont take it seriously. They are hardly putting their academy out. They drag their heels because they are trying to negotiate the best deal possible. Surely you are not that gullable. This happens all the time in boxing. Again they dont market it because it doesnt fit their agenda, it comes down to money for them, why market something that the NRL dont directly benefit from. Harking back to 97 is hardly looking at this objectively. The here and now is the aussies cant win a game! The financial strength is a bit irrelevant. The players get paid more but they are the same players. Do you think theres an army of players who are sat on their hands until theres a better offer. If the money trebbled all thay would happen is the same players would get paid more

The IRL dont have any power as the NRL block everything they try to do. The pacific rise, where does the money go, back to Australia?? I never see the tongans or fijians play at home?

There are loads of people on this forum that claim PVL is this global saviour who does wonders for the international game. Its things like this that proves hes all talk and no action

Yes they were, however they wanted that game, regardless of outcome the aussies thought penrith were that good they could 'declare at half time' in 2 games in 2 years it burst the bubble that the NRL is this ultra great league that is far out of reach of SL. Its blind arrogance they cant back up.

During the world cup it was the other way around, the players wanted to come over and play and the establishment stopped them, if you followed RL for the last 30 years you would know this. Where you say its not important to them, it is, its an inconvenient issue that they cant say they are the best team in the world without winning this game. The panthers were billed as the best team ever, but they were dodging the actual best team ever, who went over and beat them. Then they came to the UK to restore pride and got beat again by Wigan. The players wanted that game, they were not dragged here, they wanted to be the best team and fell short again

I dont buy that they dont care, you wouldnt fly half way around the world to then not try.

More than one generation!!

If there were both would have proffessional teams If you think there are great pathways name a premier league footballer from wakey, warrington, widnes or st helens

I see this as Warrington fans thinking this will finally be their year after a big statement win in the semi and plauing a team where they will be big favourites. For Wakey its their first final, could be their only one, and they are playing a team that always finds a way to slip up and its never their year so it must be wakeys Perfect storm where both sets of fans are optomistic of the win and its become an event you want to say you were there This is the shot in the arm the game needs