Is British RL worse at producing backs than forwards? : Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:55 am  

Looking for some opinion from people more in the know than myself. From my own limited experience coaching junior RL, the talented backs were likely to be good soccer players as well and mostly saw RL as a second option. Meanwhile the forwards were more likely to think of themselves as rugby players first and foremost.

If this is a common phenomenon, then it could explain why the England/GB forwards has for some time seemed a notch aboce their backline. I think the prospect of a pack including Burgess, Graham and Peacock is an exciting one for the 4N, but where are the equivalent players in the backline? Playing Sunday League soccer having missed out at the final trial for Man United or Liverpool? Or maybe even playing for them - how good would Ryan Giggs have been had he stuck with RL?

: Wed Feb 18, 2009 6:37 am  

Maybe we will never know because the key backline positions are taken up by foreigners in SL.

Re: Is British RL worse at producing backs than forwards? : Wed Feb 18, 2009 7:47 am  

af wrote:

Looking for some opinion from people more in the know than myself. From my own limited experience coaching junior RL, the talented backs were likely to be good soccer players as well and mostly saw RL as a second option. Meanwhile the forwards were more likely to think of themselves as rugby players first and foremost.

If this is a common phenomenon, then it could explain why the England/GB forwards has for some time seemed a notch aboce their backline. I think the prospect of a pack including Burgess, Graham and Peacock is an exciting one for the 4N, but where are the equivalent players in the backline? Playing Sunday League soccer having missed out at the final trial for Man United or Liverpool? Or maybe even playing for them - how good would Ryan Giggs have been had he stuck with RL?

Partly that, partly because there's a tendency to put the better juniors at halfback or in the forwards so you can get them more of the ball.

: Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:36 am  

Generally the backs (usually centres) are covered by Aussies so younger players who play in the backs find it more difficult to break through into the first team.

[Mild Rover]

: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:18 am  

No1_Saints _Fan wrote:

Generally the backs (usually centres) are covered by Aussies so younger players who play in the backs find it more difficult to break through into the first team.

That is a chicken and egg argument though - why are those positions usually covered by Aussies in the first place?

IMO technical skill is undervalued relative to strength and effort in sports in England. Essentially, I'm blaming bulldog spirit for our underperforming National teams.

: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:20 am  

We are producing good youngsters in the backs, theres Atkins, Shenton, Watkins, T Briscoe to name a few, its just as the poster before said we seem to put the better player in the key positions when there younger so theyl see the ball more.

the problem is we are not producing enough of them,

: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:30 am  

tigersteve wrote:

We are producing good youngsters in the backs, theres Atkins, Shenton, Watkins, T Briscoe to name a few, its just as the poster before said we seem to put the better player in the key positions when there younger so theyl see the ball more.

the problem is we are not producing enough of them,

Also Lawrence / Cudjoe at the Giants.

[Bullseye]

: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:46 am  

I like the looks of Watkins and Cudjoe who seem to have an attacking flair that is a rarity. There's no disputing however that we seem to find it much easier to produce forwards.

Creative halfbacks seem even rarer still.

: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:50 am  

Junior teams want the biggest kids in the side. No wonder the speedy skilled ones are less and less.

: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:53 am  

There aren't any good backs around, if there were good English backs that weren't getting their chances in Super League, then the National Leagues would be full of world beating backs.

But I think the problem goes deeper, whilst everyone says "all the talented kids go to football", then why do we have no talented footballers? What are all the kids with talent like the Brazilians have got, doing instead of football in England.

All we produce in football is strong solid centre halves. We don't have any top class wingers or playmaking midfielders, or goalkeepers. When I watched the Brazil v Italy game the other day, and watched the skill on the ball from the players on show, I felt the same way I do when I watch Australia v NZ in rugby league, and looking at the athleticism and ball handling on display from the backs.