Above & beyond the call of duty...

[John Drake]

Intrepid Rugby League World editor Matt Shaw is spending a day in pre-season training with Huddersfield Giants today, as research for a forthcoming feature in the mag.

Wish him luck, we think he's gonna need it!

The @GiantsRL and @rlworld twitter feeds might be good fun today

 

Ropey start #goodluckmatt pic.twitter.com/zGa5daSw27

— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) November 22, 2018

[JohnM]

What are visiting times at HRI?

[John Drake]

If anyone ever dares use the term 'lazy RL journo' again we're just gonna show 'em this...

 

 

@M_Shaw1 is currently enjoying a weights session #goodluckmatt pic.twitter.com/1TkUOJGGdq

— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) November 22, 2018

[John Drake]

Never had to do this in my time as editor. Thank gawd!!

 

Oh dear @M_Shaw1 #goodluckmatt pic.twitter.com/q7xPBwDKta

— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) November 22, 2018

[Oliver Clothesoff]

Do people really care about this? Like, do people actually want to read about how intense a day of pre-season is? Don’t we all already know this?

Wouldn’t people prefer thought provoking, emotive, interesting articles about the game over an article that essentially can be summed up in once sentence, “I’m not a Rugby League player, pre-season is really hard and they’re immensely fit warriors”?

 

[John Drake]

3 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

Do people really care about this? Like, do people actually want to read about how intense a day of pre-season is? Don’t we all already know this?

Wouldn’t people prefer thought provoking, emotive, interesting articles about the game over an article that essentially can be summed up in once sentence, “I’m not a Rugby League player, pre-season is really hard and they’re immensely fit warriors”?

 

No clearer illustration that no matter what you do in Rugby League, there'll be someone along to moan about it.

Cheer up! Have a giggle!!

It's one feature, not the whole flippin' mag.

Variety is the spice of life.

Meanwhile...

 

Ouch #goodluckmatt @M_Shaw1 pic.twitter.com/eWIPebmf1E

— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) November 22, 2018

[DavidM]

Just now, John Drake said:

No clearer illustration that no matter what you do in Rugby League, there'll be someone along to moan about it.

Cheer up! Have a giggle!!

It's one feature, not the whole flippin' mag.

Variety is the spice of life.

Meanwhile...

 

Ouch! And the new interim editor for the next 6 months is ....Wishing Matt a speedy recovery

[Blotto]

23 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Never had to do this in my time as editor. Thank gawd!!

 

But as a pamphlet pusher you can certainly hold your own John!

[Kenilworth Tiger]

15 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

Do people really care about this? Like, do people actually want to read about how intense a day of pre-season is? Don’t we all already know this?

Wouldn’t people prefer thought provoking, emotive, interesting articles about the game over an article that essentially can be summed up in once sentence, “I’m not a Rugby League player, pre-season is really hard and they’re immensely fit warriors”?

 

100% proof that you are nothing but a wind up merchant

[Oliver Clothesoff]

1 minute ago, John Drake said:

No clearer illustration that no matter what you do in Rugby League, there'll be someone along to moan about it.

Cheer up! Have a giggle!!

It's one feature, not the whole flippin' mag.

Variety is the spice of life.

Meanwhile...

 

So, no then. It’s a slow news day for journalists and this is used to fill some space in a magazine. Not more pressing matters in Rugby League like the International calendar, the Reserve League, how Golden Point has or hasn’t worked in the NRL, the Keighley Cougars situation, the New York bid, the Dublin bid, Red Star Belgrade beating city rivals Partizan in the Grand Final ahead of joining the Challenge Cup in two months time, where Hemel Stags are going now, the rule changes in Super League and how they’ve changed the NRL, Valentine Holmes leaving the game, is Magic even worth pursuing anymore, what’s the point of the Summer Bash, why the Challenge Cup has no title sponsor, Leigh Centurions, Jamaica getting in the World Cup, what’s changed at West Wales, Wayne Bennett, Anthony Seibold, whether we’re getting a mid-season International and whether the game can sustain 37 “professional” Clubs. 

There’s roughly twenty things there, some with a bit of crossover, that are more pertinent issues in Rugby League or are more interesting to many than a journalist getting a flogging from an elite sports team in their pre-season. 

I hope he has a nice day but I can’t foresee people fighting to read about this. 

[John Drake]

Just now, Oliver Clothesoff said:

So, no then. It’s a slow news day for journalists and this is used to fill some space in a magazine. Not more pressing matters in Rugby League like the International calendar, the Reserve League, how Golden Point has or hasn’t worked in the NRL, the Keighley Cougars situation, the New York bid, the Dublin bid, Red Star Belgrade beating city rivals Partizan in the Grand Final ahead of joining the Challenge Cup in two months time, where Hemel Stags are going now, the rule changes in Super League and how they’ve changed the NRL, Valentine Holmes leaving the game, is Magic even worth pursuing anymore, what’s the point of the Summer Bash, why the Challenge Cup has no title sponsor, Leigh Centurions, Jamaica getting in the World Cup, what’s changed at West Wales, Wayne Bennett, Anthony Seibold, whether we’re getting a mid-season International and whether the game can sustain 37 “professional” Clubs. 

There’s roughly twenty things there, some with a bit of crossover, that are more pertinent issues in Rugby League or are more interesting to many than a journalist getting a flogging from an elite sports team in their pre-season. 

I hope he has a nice day but I can’t foresee people fighting to read about this. 

Do you actually ever read Rugby League World?

Your above comments suggest not, given that we've covered, or are covering, most of the things you've referred to in the above post already.

For the record, Matt was invited by Huddersfield Giants to take part in their pre-season training, as they thought it would be a fun feature for the mag during the off-season and they were willing to photograph and film it and promote it on their social media too.

Any publication in any sport would have to be completely off its rocker to turn such an approach down, quite frankly.

[Clogiron]

Admit it john it's punishment for his 'Zacs Back's cover isn't it?

[Oliver Clothesoff]

3 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Do you actually ever read Rugby League World?

Your above comments suggest not, given that we've covered, or are covering, most of the things you've referred to in the above post already.

For the record, Matt was invited by Huddersfield Giants to take part in their pre-season training, as they thought it would be a fun feature for the mag during the off-season and they were willing to photograph and film it and promote it on their social media too.

Any publication in any sport would have to be completely off its rocker to turn such an approach down, quite frankly.

No, I don’t. Personally not a fan of it at all and don’t find there’s ever enough there that I want to read about. Prefer FortyTwenty myself and find the quality much higher. No doubt will be called a troll for that opinion but everyone has opinions, don’t they? I don’t expect all to agree. 

This sort of article is the sort of article I have no interest in. Fun, it may be, but I find it has no relevance or gives me anything I didn’t already know. Pre-season is tough? Next you’ll be telling me that we could do more with the International game. Hardly groundbreaking stuff. 

[JohnM]

9 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

No, I don’t. Personally not a fan of it at all and don’t find there’s ever enough there that I want to read about. Prefer FortyTwenty myself and find the quality much higher. No doubt will be called a troll for that opinion but everyone has opinions, don’t they? I don’t expect all to agree. 

This sort of article is the sort of article I have no interest in. Fun, it may be, but I find it has no relevance or gives me anything I didn’t already know. Pre-season is tough? Next you’ll be telling me that we could do more with the International game. Hardly groundbreaking stuff. 

I'm in a jovial mood today!

Biggus Dickus from The Life of Brian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx_G2a2hL6U

[John Drake]

7 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

No, I don’t.

Thought not.

Your loss.

Explains your uninformed comments about what's in it too.

[Oliver Clothesoff]

19 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Thought not.

Your loss.

Explains your uninformed comments about what's in it too.

It doesn’t. I flick through it at WH Smith when I see a new one. Very little of depth or interest in there. But that’s your loss, not mine. 

Can’t wait for a bumper four page spread covered in pictures of a non-sportsman getting roasted by professional sportspeople next month. 

[John Drake]

5 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

It doesn’t. I flick through it at WH Smith when I see a new one. Very little of depth or interest in there. But that’s your loss, not mine. 

Can’t wait for a bumper four page spread covered in pictures of a non-sportsman getting roasted by professional sportspeople next month. 

RLW is clearly not your cup of tea.

That's fine.

[dkw]

1 hour ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

Do people really care about this? Like, do people actually want to read about how intense a day of pre-season is? Don’t we all already know this?

Wouldn’t people prefer thought provoking, emotive, interesting articles about the game over an article that essentially can be summed up in once sentence, “I’m not a Rugby League player, pre-season is really hard and they’re immensely fit warriors”?

 

What a miserable git you are, if your not interested then how about you start up an "interesting" debate in a different thread rather than embarrass yourself in this one.

[dkw]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

If anyone ever dares use the term 'lazy RL journo' again we're just gonna show 'em this...

 

 

I think the word "Enjoying" on that caption is very much open to interpretation......

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

I remember coming back to my first training session after not having played for a number of years, I'd also had major surgery (approx 3ft of intestine removed) and 32, so not a spring chicken and my condition meant I always struggled anyways but I thought f-it. No weights involved, mostly running mingled in with tackling and other stuff, all on a fairly heavy pitch, late Feb/early March, the session ran over too and was closer to 2 hours! technical stuff I was okay with, the aerobic aspect, OMFG, I don't think I've ever ached that much in my life, it took me about 5 days to be able to walk properly from that, and I was only going to play seconds as well.lol.

I hope Matt enjoys his sesh and doesn't twang anything, don't want him pulling a sickie. hahaha

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

1 hour ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

Do people really care about this? Like, do people actually want to read about how intense a day of pre-season is? Don’t we all already know this?

Wouldn’t people prefer thought provoking, emotive, interesting articles about the game over an article that essentially can be summed up in once sentence, “I’m not a Rugby League player, pre-season is really hard and they’re immensely fit warriors”?

 

And yet you 'cared' enough to respond with some nonsense! Go read other stuff if it's not your cuppa.

it's a titbit for people to have a laugh about when someone does something they might not have done before in that particular environ to that level of intensity and are a bit of a fish out of water. Are you an ex-pro yourself from within the last 20 years, just asking because unless you are, then you're unlikely to have experienced what a modern RL training session is about. Even if you have, some of us haven't and it's interesting to see how intense and what's done early doors in pre season at the very top level.

 

[RoverBear]

I'm not a fan of RL world in general, however I think this is a fantastic idea!

I remember a few years back Eorl tweeted that a Hudds player had 'an accident' as they'd been working so hard in pre-season. I hope Matt remains intact!

 

 

[Lapsed Leeds Fan]

2 hours ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

It doesn’t. I flick through it at WH Smith when I see a new one. Very little of depth or interest in there. But that’s your loss, not mine. 

So you use up bandwidth on a website you have no intention of financially supporting, and clog up the aisles of WH Smith reading magazines you have no intention of buying. Admirable.

I have my own issues with Rugby League World but I at least try to buy it before criticising.

[Angelic Cynic]

It's a very interesting subject and I hope it is given full coverage.

Sports science seems to be ever evolving and we do seem to borrow ideas after the Australians use them.

Strength and conditioning must be important or clubs wouldn't make efforts to take staff from other clubs;or from certain clubs to international duties.

It would be nice if Matt,in an effort to show parity,was invited by a 'pleb' club in League 1,to do a day of work outside of his comfort zone, and then did his part time training with a League 1 club after his day of work finished.

After all,the main difference between the elite club player - and those at non-elite clubs - is the full-time training and fitness levels.

I seem to recall watching a successful Feathersone side,filmed in black and white,doing some old fashioned training.Those times have certainly altered. 

[Oliver Clothesoff]

10 minutes ago, Lapsed Leeds Fan said:

So you use up bandwidth on a website you have no intention of financially supporting, and clog up the aisles of WH Smith reading magazines you have no intention of buying. Admirable.

I have my own issues with Rugby League World but I at least try to buy it before criticising.

Do you financially support the running of this website?