Health of Rugby League

[Caboosegg]

I don't think there's been a problem with "standards" this season. 12 teams seems fine right now. Fix long term standards by forcing all teams to run a full academy and therell be enough players

10th placed Hull FC are14 points from 1st place

11th Placed Cas are 10 points from 10th

even if you put the points Cas and Wakey have earnt together they would still be bottom of the league

to me superleague has enough talent to support 10 good teams

League position don't tell the whole story though, Hull are a better team than there position but it just hasn't clicked.

Cas had the wrong coach

Look at Wire on paper they had a good squad but Powell just couldn't make it work.

[the pieman]

I don't think there's been a problem with "standards" this season. 12 teams seems fine right now. Fix long term standards by forcing all teams to run a full academy and therell be enough players

10th placed Hull FC are14 points from 1st place

11th Placed Cas are 10 points from 10th

even if you put the points Cas and Wakey have earnt together they would still be bottom of the league

to me superleague has enough talent to support 10 good teams

League position don't tell the whole story though, Hull are a better team than there position but it just hasn't clicked.

Cas had the wrong coach

Look at Wire on paper they had a good squad but Powell just couldn't make it work.

you could say that Hull are always a better team than their position as it never clicks. they seem to make big signings, and are perennial underachievers.
Wire have probably spent more money on players and coaches that any other team in the league, and they still havent won it. Wire won 8 out of 8, so something was working, then they played Wigan . I think the wire issue was the way they treated McGuire, and i reckon from that point a lot of trust between players and staff had gone

Look at the successful clubs (Wigan, Saints & Leeds), and all 3 have produced massive amounts of home grown talent over the years, and i'm pretty sure there is no coincidence thats been a big reason for the success. Hull used to have a successful academy many years ago, but that is well gone. For me this needs to be one of the biggest priorities for all top league clubs Absolutely need to have reserve team and min of 2 acadamy teams (depending upon what age is agreed on)

[Mike]

I don't think there's been a problem with "standards" this season. 12 teams seems fine right now. Fix long term standards by forcing all teams to run a full academy and therell be enough players

10th placed Hull FC are14 points from 1st place

11th Placed Cas are 10 points from 10th

even if you put the points Cas and Wakey have earnt together they would still be bottom of the league

to me superleague has enough talent to support 10 good teams

So its all about the point differential in the league table - that's what we mean by "standards" is it?

So in the NRL, Brisbane have 42 points from 23, and Wests have 14, Dragons have 16. Spread 28 between top and bottom,
Super League top is Cats with 34, bottom 2 have 8 and 10. Spread is 26.

Not much to pick between the two comps on this measure? Every year some teams will under perform. Cas were 7th last season, and its not that long since they had a Grand Final appearance. Even Wakefield finished above Warrington. They are having bad years.

[Wigan_forever1985]

In short yes it doesnt tell the whole story but there are clearly this year 2 teams who haven't been able to compete in the majority of matches. Its been the same for a long long time with Wakefiled last 4 finishes (9th,10th,10th,10th), Castleford not as much but i dont see them turning it around when their best players are all coming to the end of their careers and they dont seem to have the draw to replace them.

I take your point about the NRL but look at any forum over there including the wests and most say the club doesnt deserve its spot in the top tier. Plus while the spread from top to bottom maybe similar there are 17 teams and across those 17 teams there is no bigger gap between 2 teams than 4 points. The gap between Cas and Hull is 10. Its not about the spread of points over the teams from top to bottom its that in our league there is almost the same difference between 11-10 as there is between 1-10. Two teams clearly not even close to being at the races and while Wire had a terrible year last year you know at some stage they will be back can you honestly see Wakefield or Cas or whoever is promoted not being rooted to the floor of Superleague?

How many wakefiled/cas players would make it into any other team in superleague? - surely it would be better to have 10 competitive teams than a consistent book end to the league?

My point is that disregarding who it is we always have at least 1 team in our league who is no-where near competing each season - so for me that tells me we are spreading the talent too thin, which teams get the thinest slice may change its usually Wakefield + another.

[Blackpool_Pie]

We need to get rid of the playoffs. Said it for a long time. Make every game and every win important and instead of making the playoffs the big occasion, make the Challenge Cup the big occasion.

[Mike]

Only 3 teams left with anything to play for then?

[Wigan_forever1985]

Only 3 teams left with anything to play for then?

well only 4 teams have ever won the GF and only 3 still around so how is it any different? if anything all its done is made it easier for those 3 teams

Example being that the league leaders has been won by a greater spread

[Mike]

Only 3 teams left with anything to play for then?

well only 4 teams have ever won the GF and only 3 still around so how is it any different? if anything all its done is made it easier for those 3 teams

Example being that the league leaders has been won by a greater spread

Plenty others have been in the final though, especially recently.

Getting rid of the playoffs crushes the chances of mid-table teams to aspire to anything. When we had the league first past the post, we had end of season playoffs as well, and we had several other cups offering more chances to win something. In the current era when its just one cup and the league, you're going to drive all interest out of the mid-table clubs fan bases IMO. When its unrealistic to expect to win anything except maybe the two games in the CC, how are those clubs going to win new fans? At least the playoffs keeps everyone in it until the semis - and you never know, a couple of big wins and you're in the final.

[Mike]

I'd personally define "standards" as overall skill levels, physical standards and the competitiveness in the competition. I'd say maybe 4-5 years ago I was starting to get bored with RL. The games were penalty ridden drop-a-thons. There was no intensity because if you made an error or gave away a pen, the other team probably woudl too, so what's the big deal. I'd even stopped watching most of the non-Wigan games.

That's changed over the last few years (probably because of the 6-again rule?). Games in general are now far more enjoyable, with fewer pens and errors, and the league has been the most competitive for years. Its not just me who's saying that I think.

IMO concerns about the future/health of the game were valid a few years ago, but in terms of playing standards and having an interesting competition I think the game has come out of a slump and I'd hope that can continue. I think with the right focus on bringing *new* teams into the league to freshen it further and add more interest to a wider set of fans, the TV deal after this one could show an improvement.

[medlocke]

14 sounds right to me, we should then bring in an American style draught system, the old flat cap mentality needs to be killed off