Why is the NRL so much better?

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Barney841
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by Barney841 »

It has a better a following in Australia. It’s close to being the country sport and there’s more depth in the levels of rugby. I know I couple of lads who’ve lived over there for a while and played for lower level teams and they’ve said there is higher skill level in how they play, prepared to over here.
keptinthedarkfans
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by keptinthedarkfans »

imo The simple answer is there game is not run by backward thinking dinosaurs. Who could not sell water in a drought.
SJ
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by SJ »

I think there is something to be said for all the post replies as to why.
My contribution is tactics. Players seem to be schooled to flout the rules of the game eg. Holding down to the extent of ground wrestling being coach ?? Why when the rules for a tackled player is to regain is feet for a correct PLB whilst the tackler should immediately release the player and clear the ruck Regeree's should be pedantic in the application. Of the rules Why? Because the rules by their very nature are pedantic.
The biggest problem is has the game is played to day and for has long as I Remeber the game would never get off the ground. I remember Barry McDermot saying the rules "are just a guide"( chuckle chuckle" and that's the way the game is played and ref fed NO Discipline! The rules constitute the game so if your not playing or being coached by the rules your not playing RL simple! The Aussie game is so much more professional and Disciplined than our game in every facit of it.
southernpie
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by southernpie »

I also think society and culture has a lot to do with it, the youngsters down under are raised in a sporting environment, where it is ingrained the best man wins from a very early age, as against here where everything is dumbed down to the lowest level to allow fat billy a "level playing field" (yeh right, salary cap come to mind) and "it is not the winning but the taking part" attitude.
Then as RL is one of the top sports over there, it attracts the best sportsmen, who then get the best facilities and training.
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DaveO
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by DaveO »

southernpie wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 5:45 pm I also think society and culture has a lot to do with it, the youngsters down under are raised in a sporting environment, where it is ingrained the best man wins from a very early age, as against here where everything is dumbed down to the lowest level to allow fat billy a "level playing field" (yeh right, salary cap come to mind) and "it is not the winning but the taking part" attitude.
Then as RL is one of the top sports over there, it attracts the best sportsmen, who then get the best facilities and training.
Think there is far too much blame attached to the idea where everything is dumbed down to the lowest level to allow fat billy a "level playing field" ..... and "it is not the winning but the taking part" attitude.

Having watch my son go through the years from mini's to adult RU and RL there was only a little bit of letting everyone take part so they all got a game. The other extreme where only the best progress doesn't work either because at a young age kids develop physically at different paces.

My son was a titch when he was in the mini's and juniors and some lads who were big for their age thought they were the best thing going simply because they were big enough to push the smaller players aside. As other lads started to flesh out and develop physically they soon learned otherwise and when they started to have to deal with lads of the same size a lot could not. They got disillusioned about no longer being the best or the automatic pick.

They have it right in NZ where they play based on size not age at junior level. So if you are freakishly large for your age you have to play against lads of a similar size.

My son ended up over six foot tall and was one of the few who carried on playing at amateur level after leaving to go to Uni and then into his first job after that. Most of the "automatic picks" when he was younger gave up as it got hard!
southernpie
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by southernpie »

I admit I simplified things by mentioning fat Billy and the taking part attitude, but you have gone on to prove my main point about it being society and culture that holds a lot of the blame. Many of our youngsters are often spoon fed through early life and when things don't go their way they drop out.
I am willing to wager, your son had a work ethic instilled in him by you as much as anyone else, that led to him not giving up as things got hard. Your type of parenting is slowly being eroded and some parents are taking the easy route, so therefore their offspring, being influenced by their parents attitude, don't like hard work.
My wife has recently retired after 35 years of teaching, mainly English to Special Needs children aged 11 to 17 in an inner city school and she would be at the front of the line to tell anyone who listened that standards are declining, that primary school teachers in particular are under so much pressure to get "results" that "cheating" has to happen. The lack of basic parenting, because parents are taking the easy route, means there are children starting school in nappies, there are children leaving primary school to go to senior school unable to read or write. I am not saying this is the norm, only that it is becoming more prevalent.
I believe this then translates onto the sporting field, where there is a decline in the amount of youngsters willing to work hard for their place in the team.

I agree with you the NZ practice of picking by size and ability rather than age, makes a lot more sense.

As a throw away comment to conclude, could it be the weather that makes such a difference in sporting attitude?? :lol:
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nathan_rugby
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by nathan_rugby »

southernpie wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 5:45 pm I also think society and culture has a lot to do with it, the youngsters down under are raised in a sporting environment, where it is ingrained the best man wins from a very early age, as against here where everything is dumbed down to the lowest level to allow fat billy a "level playing field" (yeh right, salary cap come to mind) and "it is not the winning but the taking part" attitude.
Then as RL is one of the top sports over there, it attracts the best sportsmen, who then get the best facilities and training.
I wonder how many professional sportsmen in other sports in the UK could have made it to the top level in Rugby League.

When playing Rugby at secondary school we often had a number of footballers playing to make up the numbers. Whilst they did not have the basic rugby league skills (as they had never played it), their speed and agility and balance was something of a major threat.
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moto748
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by moto748 »

I had some IT issues with my NRL feed this week, only recently sorted, so I've been late watching this week's games. But what a performance from the Storm! Not my favourite side by a long way, but they put on a wonderful performance, scoring some terrific tries. Matches like that remind you what a great sport we have.
DaveO
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by DaveO »

southernpie wrote:I admit I simplified things by mentioning fat Billy and the taking part attitude, but you have gone on to prove my main point about it being society and culture that holds a lot of the blame. Many of our youngsters are often spoon fed through early life and when things don't go their way they drop out.
I am willing to wager, your son had a work ethic instilled in him by you as much as anyone else, that led to him not giving up as things got hard. Your type of parenting is slowly being eroded and some parents are taking the easy route, so therefore their offspring, being influenced by their parents attitude, don't like hard work.
My wife has recently retired after 35 years of teaching, mainly English to Special Needs children aged 11 to 17 in an inner city school and she would be at the front of the line to tell anyone who listened that standards are declining, that primary school teachers in particular are under so much pressure to get "results" that "cheating" has to happen. The lack of basic parenting, because parents are taking the easy route, means there are children starting school in nappies, there are children leaving primary school to go to senior school unable to read or write. I am not saying this is the norm, only that it is becoming more prevalent.
I believe this then translates onto the sporting field, where there is a decline in the amount of youngsters willing to work hard for their place in the team.

I agree with you the NZ practice of picking by size and ability rather than age, makes a lot more sense.

As a throw away comment to conclude, could it be the weather that makes such a difference in sporting attitude?? :lol:
My wife works in a nursery school and it used to be you could not enrol your kids if they were still in nappies so yes that is an example that shows parenting has been abdicated.

As to the weather, I froze to death many an evening watching my sons training sessions. Only a few Dad’s stood on the touch line in the dark and the rain to watch and encourage. Most just dropped their lads off and picked them up later.

I never thought that was an option and in addition given the coaches gave their time for free a bit of solidarity was in order. I also did a bit of coaching myself to help out when required.

Plenty of Mums and Dads were happy to come along to games, especially Cup games if their lad was involved but you didn’t see them on a Wednesday night at training. So there was little encouragement for most and it was almost another child care option. We are not talking teenagers here who don’t want their parents around but minis and juniors.

You basically need parents who want to encourage their kids to have a go. With my son it was actually my wife’s idea because in Chester it was RU and it never really crossed my mind. She then spent the next 10 years worrying about him getting injured!

One of the best things we ever did though. We had a tour to South Africa and he’s kept playing and swapped to RL as soon as he went to Uni.

He will be the first to tell you he was never going to play for Wigan but how many who might either never try the sport or if they do are put off because they are too small to get a game at 14 or don’t have parents supporting them?



southernpie
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Re: Why is the NRL so much better?

Post by southernpie »

DaveO wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 3:22 am
One of the best things we ever did though. We had a tour to South Africa and he’s kept playing and swapped to RL as soon as he went to Uni.

He will be the first to tell you he was never going to play for Wigan but how many who might either never try the sport or if they do are put off because they are too small to get a game at 14 or don’t have parents supporting them?
All credit to you, your wife and your son.

It does make you wonder how many youngsters miss out on the greatest game
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