Oliver Gildart NRL Bound

[Click]

2 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

The last 30 minutes of games in the NRL are going to be fitness tests and bigger centres are going to blow.... Gildarts size means he should be able to come into his own in that part of the game. I also think his footwork may may make mince meat out of a tired bigger player who ain't gonna have the energy to make tackles never mind dominate them

You just gotta get through that first 50 minutes without conceding too much then 

[AB90]

52 minutes ago, Click said:

If the England national team is better for having the players ply their trade in the NRL and we're regularly beating the Aussies then it'll get more eyes on our sport, and hopefully get more spectators and kids playing it. If the national team is doing great then clubs can capitalise on that.

I find this view a little bit to simplistic. The fact that to some people the only measure of success of rugby league in the UK is solely dependent on beating the Aussies. 

SL accounts for 95% of our RL calendar which should be a priority over anything. That's how it is with the nrl.

On average we only play the Aussies once every 2 years. 

[Harry Stottle]

9 hours ago, AB90 said:

I find this view a little bit to simplistic. The fact that to some people the only measure of success of rugby league in the UK is solely dependent on beating the Aussies. 

SL accounts for 95% of our RL calendar which should be a priority over anything. That's how it is with the nrl.

On average we only play the Aussies once every 2 years. 

I think you are missing a very important point, the NRL is the 'benchmark' it is clearly the best RL on the planet, and as in any other sport every individual, team or organisation should be aiming to at least equal or better surpass the best. The NRL doesn't stand still it keeps evolving year on year the standard improves all the time, SL is someway behind

The Australian national team should be regarded as the 'best of the best' for the dominance it has had - apart from the odd hiccup - for the lifetime of most who follow this sport, beating them should be an obsession not just an occasion, it really is or should be the ultimate measure of success for the British game, there is no better accolade to acheive in this sport of ours.

I am old enough to remember our last Ashes victory and World cup win and it's been a very long time betwen the 'drinks' of victory, we have had player's with the adequate skill levels but we have succumbed when it comes to keeping up the intensity levels and dare I say attitude?

Subjecting more of our player's to the level of the NRL can only increase our chances and I firmly believe that having Mr Wane at the helm with all his nationalistic pride will get between the earholes of his charges much better than Mr Bennett could even think of contemplating doing, it was a job of work for Mr Bennett, it will mean so much more to Mr Wane subconsciously he will feel every hit, make every tackle, pass every ball, cover more ground than any player has ever recorded previously, and he will score every try.

My biggest disappointment of this year is that the Ashes will not take place for if I was told at the onset of the season I could only watch 3 games all year without question I would forsake everthing else to attend those test matches.

Yes SL takes up 95% of our calander, but the quest to beat the Australians should be over and above anything èlse.

My opinion of course.

[Click]

10 hours ago, AB90 said:

I find this view a little bit to simplistic. The fact that to some people the only measure of success of rugby league in the UK is solely dependent on beating the Aussies. 

SL accounts for 95% of our RL calendar which should be a priority over anything. That's how it is with the nrl.

On average we only play the Aussies once every 2 years. 

RL in this country only gets headlines if some fans acting like $%£^ or if England are doing well. That's how you get more people interested in SL, convert them from the international games to domestic IMO

[Rupert Prince]

12 hours ago, Click said:

I think I fear that he isn't as quick and elusive as Papenhuyzen, who isn't very big but is very good - but more in the vein of the Penrith or St George fullbacks at the weekend, who were ineffective as they got dominated in the tackle easily and lose yards on contact.

A centre needs to make more impact running the ball back nowadays, especially early in the set

What ever happened to elusiveness?  I for one don't want to see 13 identikit players.

[AB90]

2 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

I think you are missing a very important point, the NRL is the 'benchmark' it is clearly the best RL on the planet, and as in any other sport every individual, team or organisation should be aiming to at least equal or better surpass the best. The NRL doesn't stand still it keeps evolving year on year the standard improves all the time, SL is someway behind

The Australian national team should be regarded as the 'best of the best' for the dominance it has had - apart from the odd hiccup - for the lifetime of most who follow this sport, beating them should be an obsession not just an occasion, it really is or should be the ultimate measure of success for the British game, there is no better accolade to acheive in this sport of ours.

I am old enough to remember our last Ashes victory and World cup win and it's been a very long time betwen the 'drinks' of victory, we have had player's with the adequate skill levels but we have succumbed when it comes to keeping up the intensity levels and dare I say attitude?

Subjecting more of our player's to the level of the NRL can only increase our chances and I firmly believe that having Mr Wane at the helm with all his nationalistic pride will get between the earholes of his charges much better than Mr Bennett could even think of contemplating doing, it was a job of work for Mr Bennett, it will mean so much more to Mr Wane subconsciously he will feel every hit, make every tackle, pass every ball, cover more ground than any player has ever recorded previously, and he will score every try.

My biggest disappointment of this year is that the Ashes will not take place for if I was told at the onset of the season I could only watch 3 games all year without question I would forsake everthing else to attend those test matches.

Yes SL takes up 95% of our calander, but the quest to beat the Australians should be over and above anything èlse.

My opinion of course.

All fair points. 

I'm just conscious that beating the Aussies may not be the holy grail for RL in Britain that it is made out to be. And I don't believe the sucess/failures of the national team are correlated to the success/failures of British rugby league. Imo.

We only play the Aussies on average once every 2 years. And half of those games will be played at 7am in the morning. It just seems foolish to be to put all our eggs in this basket when we have close to 200 SL games every season on our doorstep. IMO it's a no brainer that this should be the priority.

In football, Scotland on the international scale are a poor team. I bet they would love to beat England on a regular basis but they don't and never will (due to playing numbers, money etc). But that doesn't mean Scottish football is poor. They have a thriving domestic competition in the Scotish Premiership. The success of the league and the sport in Scotland is dependent on the domestic competition and not international results.

[Click]

1 hour ago, Rupert Prince said:

What ever happened to elusiveness?  I for one don't want to see 13 identikit players.

Nothing happened to it.. I even referred to thinking he isn't as "elusive" as Papenhuyzen is, in my post.

[Blind side johnny]

On 01/06/2020 at 11:31, Rupert Prince said:

He has to play yet this season.  

He may not have size of these fat islanders, but he has pace and elusiveness.  

Wigan will be getting fed up of these fat transfer fees from desperate Aussie clubs.  Unlike Warrington who throw money away at past it never was centres.

 

What "transfer fees" would these be?

[Blind side johnny]

I must admit if I were a young man with few ties, being offered a significant increase in salary, the opportunity to test myself in a more challenging environment and to experience a different, possibly attractive culture, then I might just have been tempted.

On the other hand Wigan does have its high points.

[DoubleD]

1 hour ago, Blind side johnny said:

I must admit if I were a young man with few ties, being offered a significant increase in salary, the opportunity to test myself in a more challenging environment and to experience a different, possibly attractive culture, then I might just have been tempted.

On the other hand Wigan does have its high points.

It has a lovely pier

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

On the other hand Wigan does have its high points.

Not if your a Leyther!

[Cheshire Setter]

1 hour ago, DoubleD said:

It has a lovely pier

Not for a long time it hasn't 

[Jim Prendle]

20 hours ago, Click said:

If the England national team is better for having the players ply their trade in the NRL and we're regularly beating the Aussies then it'll get more eyes on our sport, and hopefully get more spectators and kids playing it. If the national team is doing great then clubs can capitalise on that.

Yes, of course. The paying public in the UK will think "I'm going to go and get a proper look at some of these great English players in person", but in fact they won't will they as they are all in Australia.

The so called correlation between a successful England team, and successful club sides, does not exist if none of the players are playing in our comp.

[Jim Prendle]

4 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Not if your a Leyther!

Agreed, Leigh is not one of Wigan's high points.

[Mushy]

He’s an outstanding attacking centre but has been fairly mixed defensively in Super League. I’d hope his defence would improve dramatically in the more intensive training environment of the NRL, and if it does I think he’ll be a success. 
The NRL prepares players so much better than Super League and Bateman’s bulking up is just the latest example of that. It could be the longer off season, more intense competition within clubs, better coaching, better supplements, or most likely all of the above.