League Express Mailbag : Monday 7th March

IS ELLERY THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB?
It’s been announced that Ellery Hanley will be head coach for the Combined Nations All Stars.
The purpose of the All Stars is to provide England with opposition in preparation for the forthcoming World Cup, which begs the question. What possible technical, tactical and performance knowledge of current Rugby League does Ellery intend to bring to the Combined Nations team to enable them to provide said opposition”. Ellery hasn’t coached since leaving third-tier Doncaster 14 years ago, and international Rugby League has changed immeasurably since his 1994 Lions involvement, 28 years ago.
If Shaun Wane hoped to get anything meaningful from his pre-tournament preparation, surely he would want to be pitting his coaching wits against somebody with recent experience of leading current, international-level players? One who could re-create a style of play likely to be experienced during the highly competitive environment of the autumn tournament? There must be countless qualified (and over-qualified) candidates who could have created and posed conundrums for Wane and the England squad to unpick, as they prepare for the World Cup.
I am not bagging Ellery Hanley here; his status as a legend in the sport is unquestioned. Sadly, this signal suggests that, in appointing Hanley to the role, the Combined Nations squad will be self-directed, aside from some input from Andrew Henderson, with a charismatic but inexperienced head coach.
The appointment may well pack out the Halliwell Jones Stadium in June, get some more eyes on the TV broadcast and sell a few extra replica jerseys. But it will inevitably provide the England squad with little value other than a hit-up against some old mates.
Maybe a Probables vs Possibles fixture, coached by Andy Last and Paul Wellens, and overseen by Wane, would have introduced a competitive selection process for starting jerseys come October, and may have allowed Wane to influence tactical and positional structures of play in a competitive match for the benefit of the overall England squad in the run-up to the Samoa game.
If Rugby League is serious about its international game, then appointing retired Hall Of Fame players to pretend to be head coaches is on the list of things it needs to stop doing.
Coaching is a serious, professional career. Dave Rotheram and the decision-makers at the RFL have done a major disservice to the profession of sports coaching in their selection and they have missed a golden opportunity to add value to Shaun Wane’s preparation for the World Cup.
Andy Preston, Ilford, Essex

 

CAN WE HOLD OFF A MIGRATION TO THE NRL?
Last week Martyn Sadler wrote about the financial strength of the NRL, as revealed in its latest financial accounts (Talking Rugby League, 28 February).
It’s good to know that Rugby League seems to be coming out of the pandemic smelling of roses but there must be an underlying worry here for the game in Europe.
If the NRL continues to grow richer compared to the British game, then we are surely going to see more and more young British players heading to Australia to join NRL clubs.
There are already strong rumours about several of our younger stars, especially Will Pryce, of my club Huddersfield Giants.
I would hate to see Will leave the Giants and yet I couldn’t blame him for wanting to maximise his earnings and test himself against the best.
The RFL last week announced that it has reached agreement on re-alignment with Super League and I suggest that the two bodies urgently need to find ways to strengthen the game financially in this country if we are to retain some of the shining lights in the British game.
David Matthews, Huddersfield

 

MODERN TACKLING
Last week Phil Howard from Hull wrote to you about tackling (Mailbag, 28 February).
“Finally, why not coach players to tackle around the legs thereby eliminating the debate about headshots,” he wrote.
He then describes a moment where Paasi was tackled around the legs and was able to offload to a supporting player who then scored.
Surely Phil has answered his own question there  If he was talking about banning tackles above the waist then it would make sense.
However, to suggest that leg tackling is always the best option for a defender just isn’t true as the game stands.
Paul Coffey, Leighton Buzzard

 

GET THE IDIOTS OUT
I don’t know whether the RFL are ignoring the fact and your own Rugby League Express are continually refusing to report on it, but drunken, violent fans are returning to our game.
Taking the incidents last weekend, yes, the opening of the South Stand at Hull K R to entertainment, food and most importantly alcohol for fans is a great innovative move, with fans from both clubs allowed to enjoy it.
However, the South stand was always part of the segregation of the ground along with a section of the North Stand.
The match against Castleford resulted in fans from both sides in the North Stand.
I witnessed incidents of violence within the North Stand, without doubt instigated by some Castleford fans. Credit is due to the proper Castleford fans who on Facebook and Twitter acknowledged this.
There was also trouble at the Hull FC v Salford game, so maybe all clubs should re-assess their segregation policy, especially at my club Hull KR.
We do not want a return to the football dark era; we wish to attract fans not thugs.
All fans of every team should expose these idiots and get them expelled from our grounds.
Patrick Spicer, Hull

 

THE LEIGH WAY
In response to his letter ‘The Leigh Way’ (Mailbag, 28 February), could Ian Haskey of Castleford please inform Derek Beaumont as to how Leigh can attract the local talent; a club denied by the RFL the chance to run an Academy, which would have created the pathway for players in the local area.
Our owner has tried to put in place strategies to help bring through the next generation and end, “being over weighted with non-British players,” as Mr Haskey put it.
I am sure Derek Beaumont would love to hear from him, as it might save him a few quid each season.
Gary Bell, Westhoughton, Bolton

 

MISLEADING HEADLINE
Why was your reporter, Callum Thorndike, so keen to support Dewsbury by headlining his report, ‘Town Too Good For Injury Hit Rams’ (Match Report, 28 February)?
Town also had at least four key players injured. They beat Dewsbury on merit and there was no need to sympathise with Dewsbury – unless he is a fan.
Arnold Ainsworth, Workington
* Editor’s Note: Thanks, Arnold, but Callum wasn’t responsible for the headline, which is written in the League Express office.

 

EYE TESTS NEEDED
The Rugby League season is now back in full swing and there has been a focus on high tackles this season.
The penalty for a head-high tackle, regardless of who commits it or who is the victim, is an instant dismissal. Unfortunately, there are games with referees who go to the same opticians as the touch judges. Watching some of the early games I was under the impression that the RFL had decided to play without touch judges.
No action was taken in relation to Ben Currie’s tackle that put David Fusitu’a out for two weeks, nor was any penalty given for the incident during the match.
John Barker, Mirfield

 

WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?
I was watching the England rugby union match, when a player kicked for touch, and the commentator said that was a new rule brought in this season, “which will take a lot of skill to complete”.
The new play is called a 50-22, as though they had just invented something new.
I smell a rat!
Bert Gaskell, Askam-in-Furness