*** Official Rugby League SLXVI Thread ***

Fantastic end to a season well done Rhinos and to an English coach who I also thought wasn't up to the task a dozen matches into the season.
 
Anyone know who the bloke was sat behind Royce Simmons? He's an actor, bald bloke with facial hair. I'm sure he was in one of the Guy Richie films. Not getting far though searching for 'snatch bald guy'......
 
Didn't Stevo say something about Gorgeous George when the camera was on him?
 
He did and I proceeded to forget when telling a mate. I knew these forums would provide the answer!

Cracking final. Burrows as they said moves like Messi for Barca. Brilliant. Royce Simmons with some great comments.

"You can tell a bloke a millions times to tackle low, but they won't listen."

On James Graham sulking at being subbed: "He can tell me to get stuffed for all I care."

Rugby League deserves more exposure as a sport. I guess the lack of southern clubs holds it back.
 
Wow what a game. I thought Saints had it in the bag at one point in the second half, but it all seemed to turn on the nasty Shenton injury. That looked very painful!

Glad Leeds won though. Burrows was excellent, his footwork and speed was very impressive. Was surprised there wasn't any more handling errors considering the conditions. Great game though and onto the Four Nations!
 
Hinchy55 said:
Rugby League deserves more exposure as a sport. I guess the lack of southern clubs holds it back.
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Thats the million dollar question isn't it. After watching a tepid RU game this morning, I think League has everything going for it. But union has such a grip in the southern counties that is just impossible to loosen. Its more an attitude thing though, no matter how good the RL games are, you just cant convince anybody to watch the games on Sky. People tend to get stuck in their ways and up just snubbing rl.

I used to love watching Hull City as a kid but since I've been watching Rovers there has been no looking back. Its just a more exciting spectacle.

In my opinion, of course.
 
TonyM19 said:
Joel Tomkins to Saracens? Wonder how long it will be before Sam goes with him?
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Took the words right out my mouth, you have to wonder don't you.

It's a difficult climate at the moment, especially with the salary cap about to differ a lot more between the SL and the NRL. It's very difficult at the moment to come by good English talent and many RL clubs, apart from the Wigan's, Warrington's and Leeds's of this world, are finding it increasingly difficult to find young English players at a good SL standard. Due to their scarcity and the fact that clubs are now under an even greater squeeze to reduce their quota's, it is becoming increasingly expensive to obtain SL standard home grown players and keep them at their clubs, rather than migrating to the "bigger" teams.

I know my club has been criticised in the past and last year was no exception for bringing in Australians from the NRL. I am sure we will get hammered all the time about it. There were reasons to start with, we had just managed to survive in SL long enough for the licensing system to come into force and the only way to become more competitive at the time was to look overseas for some quality players, and we got them, you only have to look as far as Clint Newton. Hull KR had virtually no academy system to speak of, no way of bringing their own youngsters through and so young British talent came at a premium and so forced us down the quota and dispensation route.

Times are rapidily changing though at HKR, we now have an academy structure in place and the Under 18s and Under 20s did exceptionally well last year, considering the brief time the whole system has been in place. We now have some fantastic youngsters breaking through into the first team, only look as far as Kris Welham, Scott Taylor, Jordan Cox etc who are all very promising propositions, especially Taylor, who will be a force to be reckoned with next year, definately one to watch out for.

This is slightly easing the burden on my club, but its always going to be difficult. I realise they are going to cop a lot of stick again this year for the amount of overseas, or players with dispensation, we have on the books. But for a club with ambition, it is difficult to stand toe to toe with the bigger clubs of the league, the likes of Saints have arguably one of the best academy sides around, but they have been around for years and have a lot of experienced coaches and structures set up to cope.

But, realisitically, this could be the last year for a long time that any big name signings could be made by any club from overseas, and the Union draw is going to be ever present. I just wanted to make this post to provide a little justification to my clubs B of D's when the club from over the River pipe up about it again (not that they are in much of a better position to comment on the issue!).

What are your thoughts? If rumours are true that Joel Tomkins will be offererd somewhere in the region of £300-400K, then I can only imagine what Sam must be able to get! Certainly not enough that even the likes of Wigan and Warrington could be able to afford in trying to accomodate him on the salary cap.
 
I see Ryan Bailey has upset a few with his after match celebrations, I remember thinking at the time he was a little OTT.
 
Ryan Bailey is a wind up merchant. He's one of those players you hate but secretly wish played for you (a bit like the late Terry Newton). He allegedly blotted his copybook after the CC final with some of the things he said to Wigan's academy players. You'd worry a bit about him and Wilkin in the same team, although tbf Wilkin should be nowhere near a shirt.

The Tomkins to RU story brings up a worry. No point worrying about it though, if Sam doesn't go to RU he'll be off to the NRL very soon anyway.
 
TonyM19 said:
The Tomkins to RU story brings up a worry. No point worrying about it though, if Sam doesn't go to RU he'll be off to the NRL very soon anyway.
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That has to be the only way he will go after his Wigan career, because lets face it, where else in the Super League will he go? Leeds and Saints probably can't afford him and I just can't see him going to Warrington even though they could probably afford him at a stretch.

My money would be on him going to the NRL, if not after next season, definately after that. But who knows, he may even go sooner than that.
 
Even if Wigan got a substantial transfer fee for either of the Tomkins - what would they spend it on? They couldn't spend it on salaries. They could develop another young lad just in time to see him sign for Wasps. FWIW I think Sam will do another year at Wigan and then be off to the NRL. That's probably the best we can hope for. At least he could play for England/GB
 
Yeah may as well.

I'll start:

Disappointed that Kris Welham didn't make it to the first team, especially over Yeaman.

No Brown? Not that I am too disappointed, and on a similar note, why oh why do we stick with Cudjoe?

Am going to the Halliwell Jones a week on Friday to see Australia v NZ and am looking forwards to it.
 
I would put Kevin Brown in my 'worst ever 13' for Wigan (along with Denis Moran and David sodding Vaeliki).

It makes sense to go with Yeaman and Briscoe as a club partnership. I think I'd go

Tomkins
Hall
Reed
Yeaman
Briscoe
Widdop
Chase (don't agree with him being in the squad but if he's in, why not)
Morley
Roby
Graham
Westwood
Ellis
Sinfield

Peacock
Bailey (purely because he can start a fight in an empty room)
Robinson
Ablett (as a utility back/forward)
 
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