The Doggies are stuck in a time warp - they haven't changed the style of play in years - huge over-reliance on the 'mean machine' and they have a pair of halves that are simply not fit for purpose - put Thurston or Milford on the end of that forward pack and you would see a huge difference. Hassler like McDermott has reached the end of the line - he is a dinosaur and his teams play like they are stuck in the stone age.

The game in Australia is in transition - some of the attacking play this year has been extraordinary. The emergence of teams like the Raiders, Sharks Broncos and Panthers who play a more expansive style is the future and it no surprise the likes of South Sydney are nowhere to be seen. The lead boots they wear to help the wrestle only stops them falling over when they are grasping thin air when the more agile sides just run past them.

Melbourne are the only rigid format team still left in the comp. they have the best coach and the best technical players who play to a system that accommodates everybody - they

On the Panthers they played without half backs today - one pass apart Cleary did nothing in open play and Cartwright plays as a back row forward. Moylem and Mansour ran the show both were superb

Yeah, i think childish defensiveness is pretty accurate,

Where i got going the length in 6 phases from was... well its kind of the aim of our game. For our game to work, it kinda has to be a fairly common occurrence.

You are saying that union get around the lack of space offered in attack, im pointing out to you that they do it less, and with unlimited phases.

I would say League teams going the length of the field in 6 tackles is a bit rarer than you might think. Excluding penalties or line breaks I would say most sets that start deep in your own territory often get just about over half way.

For what it's worth I don't think changing the offside rule would help, as has been said elsewhere, the ruck is the problem on both sides of the ball, and it is attempts to get around it by changing other areas that has lead to the mess it is in now.

One example of this is actually a shorter 10. Referees, often when they say a player with the ball is diving forward will not move them back to the mark, but not take the defending team back any further with the inference being that the short 10 against you is the punishment for moving off the mark. One of my pet hates at the moment.

There you go again showing total rugby ignorance. There is pretty much nothing correct in that post. Calling you out for being clueless is not defensive, only your ego sees it that way.

There are 5 definitive statements in that post.

That going the length of the field within 6 phases or tackles is the point of our game.

that for our game to work that needs to happen relatively often.

that you have said union get around the lack of space.

that Union go the length of the field less often

and that union have unlimited phases.

Perhaps you would like to elucidate us all to which of those are wrong and why? Or you could carry on with your childish defensiveness and hiding behind unimaginative ad hominems.

Hes right about moving off the mark. It drives me nuts. Its a clear tactic from some teams, stride forward and to the left or right 1 or 2 meters pushing past defender who are trying to line up against the mark. Refs virtually never penalise it yet will quiet often pull the defenders for 'not being square' when they are and its the attacker who has moved. it frustrates players and fans alike but some have it coached into them