Re: World Cup : Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:35 pm  

PopTart wrote:

Kyle Evans has made the Wales squad. Hope he plays.

With him and Hood (Scotland) at least there's some interest for Wakefield fans.
Tini too if he gets selected for Cook Islands.
Wales v Cook Islands at the LSV might see our two guys head to head.

[PopTart]

Re: World Cup : Tue Oct 04, 2022 7:36 am  

Wollo-Wollo-Wollo-Wayoo wrote:

With him and Hood (Scotland) at least there's some interest for Wakefield fans.
Tini too if he gets selected for Cook Islands.
Wales v Cook Islands at the LSV might see our two guys head to head.

Tini is in the Cook Island Squad yes.

Re: World Cup : Tue Oct 04, 2022 7:58 am  

PopTart wrote:

Tini is in the Cook Island Squad yes.

Course he is.........

Re: World Cup : Tue Oct 04, 2022 10:14 am  

PopTart wrote:

The game has evolved. We have improved but so has the Aussie game. It isn't correct to say Summer rugby hasn't changed things.
You need to go back and watch some if the mud baths Hanley had to play in.
The very fact all the players you mention enjoyed good stints in Aus shows how they benefited from the harder ground.
Hanley and Offiah would have loved playing in summer.

In what way has it evolved? The players are fitter, faster & stronger but aren't as good as past players skill-wise. I've watched loads of Hanley and all the others' i've mentioned, live back then and on youtube mainly in lockdown, and the game hasn't progressed since the '90's as a spectacle. Offiah scored over 400 tries in the Winter game, and Hanley and the like had better skills BECUASE of having to play in poor conditions, because playing in adversity makes you concentrate harder and become better. I know it's an age old argument about Football, Cricket, Rugby, comparing past players, teams, and it makes for great debate. Just look at today's footballers, again, fitter, faster, stronger, i can't argue with that, but as skillful as say George Best?! Watch footage of him on paddyfields, and think could Salah, Haarland, Ronaldo do what they do on the pitches he had to play on?!

Re: World Cup : Tue Oct 04, 2022 10:59 am  

Wildcatnomore wrote:

In what way has it evolved? The players are fitter, faster & stronger but aren't as good as past players skill-wise. I've watched loads of Hanley and all the others' i've mentioned, live back then and on youtube mainly in lockdown, and the game hasn't progressed since the '90's as a spectacle. Offiah scored over 400 tries in the Winter game, and Hanley and the like had better skills BECUASE of having to play in poor conditions, because playing in adversity makes you concentrate harder and become better. I know it's an age old argument about Football, Cricket, Rugby, comparing past players, teams, and it makes for great debate. Just look at today's footballers, again, fitter, faster, stronger, i can't argue with that, but as skillful as say George Best?! Watch footage of him on paddyfields, and think could Salah, Haarland, Ronaldo do what they do on the pitches he had to play on?!

100 percent agree with this , we lack enough young British players, all our top teams are dominated by foreign imports , you’ve only to look at Leigh with 14 imports in their promotion squad. Skill qualities been replaced by regimentation, fitness and of course injuries. Think Danny Scunthorpe and Craig huby, current props are all biff and bosh - game was much more interesting in the days of Reilly handley etc

Re: World Cup : Tue Oct 04, 2022 11:25 am  

Kirmudgeonlyisback wrote:

100 percent agree with this , we lack enough young British players, all our top teams are dominated by foreign imports , you’ve only to look at Leigh with 14 imports in their promotion squad. Skill qualities been replaced by regimentation, fitness and of course injuries. Think Danny Scunthorpe and Craig huby, current props are all biff and bosh - game was much more interesting in the days of Reilly handley etc

The move from 6 yards to 10 metres for the defensive line, completely changed the game and created a more "power" based game.
However, the 10 metres does also give a little more space and when you see what field has done at Wigan, you can surely, enjoy that level of skill.

We do view the past through rose tinted glasses and what we have currently, for me, is an improvement as a spectacle (apart from the odd game).

Mind you, when you look at how few genuinely world class half backs we have produced over here in the last 40/50 years, that is when it gets scary and as you say, the quick fix is to import an "Aussie". The lack of decent creative players is probably one of the main reasons our national side has not beaten the Aussies (apart from the occasional one-off result).
Even when there are decent young halves, they dont get time to develop.

[PopTart]

Re: World Cup : Tue Oct 04, 2022 12:07 pm  

Wildcatnomore wrote:

In what way has it evolved? The players are fitter, faster & stronger but aren't as good as past players skill-wise. I've watched loads of Hanley and all the others' i've mentioned, live back then and on youtube mainly in lockdown, and the game hasn't progressed since the '90's as a spectacle. Offiah scored over 400 tries in the Winter game, and Hanley and the like had better skills BECUASE of having to play in poor conditions, because playing in adversity makes you concentrate harder and become better. I know it's an age old argument about Football, Cricket, Rugby, comparing past players, teams, and it makes for great debate. Just look at today's footballers, again, fitter, faster, stronger, i can't argue with that, but as skillful as say George Best?! Watch footage of him on paddyfields, and think could Salah, Haarland, Ronaldo do what they do on the pitches he had to play on?!

Hanley was great, one of the best ever.....but it wasn't because he played in the mud.

Definitely rose tinted view of the past.
Best was awesome, but I bet you'll find 50 players in Premier League as fast as him now.
Of course he played in an era of heavier ball and defenders that were allowed to physically attack you but watching Haaland, he would be great in any era.
It's just different. One doesn't have to be better.

Re: World Cup : Tue Oct 04, 2022 2:00 pm  

PopTart wrote:

Hanley was great, one of the best ever.....but it wasn't because he played in the mud.

Definitely rose tinted view of the past.
Best was awesome, but I bet you'll find 50 players in Premier League as fast as him now.
Of course he played in an era of heavier ball and defenders that were allowed to physically attack you but watching Haaland, he would be great in any era.
It's just different. One doesn't have to be better.

I never said Best was fast?! I said what he did skill wise on poor pitches was great, and questioned whether modern players could do the same. My whole argument was, Summer rugby has not raised the standards on the field, i'm still waiting for your response as to how the game has evolved. The MOS was Brodie Croft, probably about 20th in line to represent Australia, like i've said, British players are still as far behind the Aussies, if not more so, than they've ever been. I actually take back what i said as re. players now being 'fitter' as they seem to spend more time injured than actually playing!! They never got injured in the '90's you know!!!!!!!!! Maybe IMG could do a scientific study as to why so many injured players, must be something to do with playing on hard grounds all the time........

[PopTart]

Re: World Cup : Tue Oct 04, 2022 2:40 pm  

Wildcatnomore wrote:

I never said Best was fast?! I said what he did skill wise on poor pitches was great, and questioned whether modern players could do the same. My whole argument was, Summer rugby has not raised the standards on the field, i'm still waiting for your response as to how the game has evolved. The MOS was Brodie Croft, probably about 20th in line to represent Australia, like i've said, British players are still as far behind the Aussies, if not more so, than they've ever been. I actually take back what i said as re. players now being 'fitter' as they seem to spend more time injured than actually playing!! They never got injured in the '90's you know!!!!!!!!! Maybe IMG could do a scientific study as to why so many injured players, must be something to do with playing on hard grounds all the time........

I'd like to discuss but the issue is too big to explain and I'm too busy to get into it when we are starting with 'explain how the game has evolved'.
I agree there were more personalities in those days and there were some very skillful players. Let's leave the rest for another day unless anyone else wants to explain.