Unfortunately most changes will be just tinkering and last season we saw a major change which given enough time may see an improvement in standards at the top end with the introduction of the Super 8s.

For the last 2 /3 years it has been clear that Burrow and Mcguire have been in decline and yet they have still retained their places at a top club because their diminishing skills are still superior to players from the majority of other clubs. They got to a peak and never had to improve and further. The same can be said for players at the other top clubs. In order for the standards of the top players to improve they need to be pushed and tested on a weekly basis. For this to happen the standards need to be raised at ALL levels below them. In order to do this I think the RFL need to bring in a comprehensive coaching review where a full time England coach and assistants have full and open access to coaching at all clubs and in Aus with a view to improving practices and facilities in all UK clubs - even holding back a portion of central club payments from all clubs to ensure that money is available to put things in place.

You could liken SL clubs to people being chased by a lion. You dont have to be the fastest - only faster than thos around you. With SL clubs however, the lion didnt kill the clubs but said better luck next time and nothing changed!

Would P&R have changed things - I dont think so - too many clubs would be thinking that an expensive pair of Nikes would help them outrun the lion instead of concentrating on improving fitness and stamina and still be caught by the lion.

Raising the salary cap isnt the answer - the same players would play at the same clubs but just be paid more!

Will the Super 8s help - maybe? the top 8 clubs will have to work harder to get to the top but this extra work required in the Super 8s may subsequantly make it easier the following year prior to the split. Lets give it time and see what happens (and not just another 2 years - lets see what happens long term and assess it in ten years before we tinker again).

Goof parenting in general is an issue in society full stop - way too many want a 'quick and easy' approach, leading to issues with diet, discipline, respect etc etc etc.... However that's a whole different subject - the issue you mention above (which is also one I've experienced) should be resolved with a quiet word in the ear of said parent about how and why it's done the way it is, and they either support it, or take their child elsewhere.... The same applies to he idiot parents who think match days are all about winning at all costs, and those who are getting a little too excited on the sidelines, or calling for their kid to 'smash' the other team....

At junior level, the game has to fundamentally be about the kids enjoying it and getting better with time - not 'smashing' the other team, either physically or metaphorically...



There are lots of things we could tinker with at the top level of the game to make us slightly more competitive, however that's a short term 'paper over the cracks' and will only really impact our highest level players, who aren't a million miles away... We need fundamental changes to the juniors to give us a larger pool of players in the game, and subsequently a larger number of elite players.

I echo points made about coaching, not just at the top level but right down to juniors, it's not on the same level.

In turn this hinders the competition as a whole, there is a clear divide between the top and bottom clubs in super league, no matter how many top stars they sign (look at Salford, look at some of the players Catalan have and have held too), the coaching just isn't good enough from that mid point to the bottom, I think the fact 6 different NRL teams have won it over the last 6 years, where as 3 super league teams have won our competition in that period and further back highlights this.

The english players must have been exhausted after the first few rounds going off the wcc results...

daryl powells sabbatical

Get rid of Association Football. Stop every lad in Britain dreaming of £100k a week.