Sat 9 Oct: SLGF: Catalans Dragons v St Helens KO 18:00 (Sky)

[Ullman]

6 hours ago, Josef K said:

A hymn is that what it was Sidi. The fella who hated the “French surrendering cowards of 45”, kept looking down at me whilst he was singing. It’s as if he wanted me too stand up and applaud him because he knew all the words. 
After some of the drunken behaviour of Saturday id be happy for the GF KO to be brought forward to 11am.  

Loved the 'Allo 'Allo comeback. 

[David Dockhouse Host]

7 hours ago, redjonn said:

I guess depends what you mean main RL trophies... but lets not forget that 7 different clubs have won the leadership/top of the league shield.  If we think that it shows competitiveness then that is an achievement.  We of course as a sport don't help by down playing it as the hub cap... 

In the last 4 seasons only 2 clubs have won the Premier League... In the last 16 years only five clubs won PL and if we take away teams that only won once then only 3 clubs won majority of Premier League in those 16 years.  It doesn't seem to be a problem in soccer... but we in RL seem to get obsessed and want to level down rather than look to other clubs to improve to match the best.

 

PL also has Europe to play for, meaning top 4 is a real achievement and down to 7th or so often gets you into Europe, this means interest across more teams and positions, so not a fair comparison.

PL has many more teams and no loop fixtures meaning you don't get the over familiarity and the disinterest that comes with it 

Don't think anyone is asking for leveling down but they do want equal high standards to reduce repitition.

I do take your point, but don't feel it's comparing like for like. A more accurate comparison would be the NRL, but again there are differences there 

[Saint Toppy]

On 10/10/2021 at 09:45, Bearman said:

 

I don't think it was a penalty try but there were some tough decisions against Catalan. It seems to me that there always are. As a neutral watching Catalan playing other teams I often think they seem to lose out on 50/50 decisions.

I can see why they may be a bit paranoid.

 

The officials made errors favouring both teams but Catalans got more than their fair share of 50:50 call go their way. The Makinson sin-bin was laughable given first contact was with the arm, especially when Yaha wasn't penalised at all when he slid in with the knees, no attempt to tackle with the arms and made direct contact with the head. If Makinson's was a sin-bin then Yaha should have been binned and Saints awarded an 8 point try.

The McIlorum deliberate trip early on in the game, thats at least a yellow card and over the years i've seen plenty of red cards given for this.

Both Maloney & Mata'utia could have been binned for their incident, Maloney for deliberately elbowing Mata'utia in the throat and him for retaliating with a punch.

McMeekan could have been binned for a swinging arm late on which made direct contact with Walmsley's head.

For all Gauche's whinging, Catalan players escaped further punishment for a fair few incidents in that game

 

[Jim from Oz]

https://thetimeshub.in/there-is-no-competition-there-is-room-for-both-perpignan-city-of-rugby-between-xiii-and-xv/3448/

[Jim from Oz]

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/10/12/robinson-bennett-backing-french-revival-and-2025-world-cup-bid/?utm_source=NRLEmail_Top5&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021Offseason&utm_content=Article_1277598

[redjonn]

13 hours ago, David Dockhouse Host said:

PL also has Europe to play for, meaning top 4 is a real achievement and down to 7th or so often gets you into Europe, this means interest across more teams and positions, so not a fair comparison.

PL has many more teams and no loop fixtures meaning you don't get the over familiarity and the disinterest that comes with it 

Don't think anyone is asking for leveling down but they do want equal high standards to reduce repitition.

I do take your point, but don't feel it's comparing like for like. A more accurate comparison would be the NRL, but again there are differences there 

I agree with you regards the loop fixtures - for me a pain in the proverbial.

Lets not forgot with the PL why so many clubs can go onto Europe competition. Its the strength and success of the PL that they gain so entry positions from Eufa (or whomever is the authority nowadays.  PL was more like top 2 clubs, then top 3 to 4 and now a top 6 and slowly growing in whom can compete if not make the final step.  Although soccer is a different world their are lessons. Not least they could have took different measures to force more competitive scenario's like salary cap, limiting monies to the big clubs, etc etc... I am of the opinion that if they did the PL would not be so successful worldwide.

Anyway we are going off thread but to repeat if being top of a league structure means something abut the club being better than the other competition then 7 winners in 9 years tells us the competition is not as lop sided as some think.  That's not to say we don't have issues.