Very sad to say it but this is very true!

What I admire most is the tightness and intensity of the NRL.

Canberra 16-40 Cronulla
Cowboys 44-18 Rabbitohs
Broncos 53-0 Knights

Yep, no one-sided blowouts in the NRL. Is there a category of NRLWBR, William?

I haven't been following much NRL so far this year but Newcastle, Parramata and Canberra(although they seem to be on the up) have taken some hidings in recent years.Probably put Gold Coast in there too.

Quote: Sal Paradise " Nobody seems to know who owned Leeds utd during Risdale's tenure - some off shore trust, certainly no one of the gravitas of Caddick, Moran etc.'" Not true at all. Leeds United was a PLC during Ridsdales tenure so the shareholder details were publically available. The name you seem to be avoiding here is Allan Leighton, who would generally be regarded as a successful businessman, but in cahoots with Ridsdale let all common sense disappear in an illogical, emotional financial gamble to "live the dream", making LUFC a great example of successful businessmen gone nuts. Something that seems to have been airbrushed from his Wiki entry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Leighton

Quote: Sal Paradise " Nobody seems to know who owned Leeds utd during Risdale's tenure - some off shore trust, certainly no one of the gravitas of Caddick, Moran etc.'" Not true at all. Leeds United was a PLC during Ridsdales tenure so the shareholder details were publically available. The name you seem to be avoiding here is Allan Leighton, who would generally be regarded as a successful businessman, but in cahoots with Ridsdale let all common sense disappear in an illogical, emotional financial gamble to "live the dream", making LUFC a great example of successful businessmen gone nuts. Something that seems to have been airbrushed from his Wiki entry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Leighton

Who mentioned blowouts, in a league of sixteen there will be a spread of squad strength, class and form. Two of the three you've pulled out this week feature the Broncos and the Cowboys who so far have continued their form from last season and look like the teams to beat. Every game features players I love to watch but it's also the officiating and attitude at the PTB and the innovations referenced above - the sooner they're adopted in SL the better.

One of the selling points of the NRL constantly used by those who hold it up as an example to SL is the "intensity" and the fact that "there are no easy games". Clearly not the case.

Well I'm enjoying my first taste of the NRL after several seasons away, from a skills on show and entertainment viewpoint.

I know it's a major sport in parts of Australia and they have serious money in comparison to SL and it shows - on the field, how it's officiated, how it's presented to it's audience.

Rugby League is still IMO the greatest game but it's comfortably at it's greatest in the NRL.

The simplest thing we could adopt is 7 tackles for a kick that goes dead in goal. God knows why we don't have that rule. Then start to clean up the PTB area and get them to actually play the ball with the foot, which apparently is still in the rules up here, not that you'd know it.

It assisted Leeds no end on many an October night in Manchester (and why not if the law allows) but it overly rewards an unskillfull, game slowing, containing tactic.

I don't really mind it as much as others seemingly do. Yes I know it's not an entertaining tactic for the spectator but I have no problem appreciating smart tactics and especially if it's coming from the team who is leading then they've earned the right to do that tactic. I don't expect a team in football to bomb towards goal instead of go towards the corner flag in the 90th min when they're winning 1-0 even though I'd like to see another goal.

What I can't stand like many is when we do get a good kick in-goal and the FB/winger is allowed to stick his foot behind the line and pick it up. That rule really does have to go.

Yep agree on both counts.

I'm wary of changes that further complicate an already complicated set of rules and I don't see the big deal over kicks that go dead. If the receiving team don't like it they can position a defender or 2 to stop it. I'm also wary of further forcing play down one particular route, speed. Now who isn't in favour of a quick game but I think we have to be careful we don't further sacrifice other areas of the game for making the game faster still.

As for the rule where you can take a ball dead, that's just daft and I don't know why it was brought in, especially when we have very small in-goal areas in RL anyway.

There is no better example than Fridays kick by Burrow that was absolute class and stopped inches from the dead ball line, but then saw Hull straight on the front foot due to this daft rule when they should have been on the rack. Like you say, a terrible ruling which penalises skill.

I think its a very negative tactic - is that really what we want to see in the game. Just deliberately kicking it dead isn't even particularly skillful either. In soccer they removed the ability to simply pass back to the goalie - Liverpool haven't won a championship since IIRC.

I would agree being able to put a foot over the line to make a ball dead is a terrible rule and should be removed from the game.

The other three games were relatively close or very close and there have been five golden point games already this season. In SL there has been one draw this season and we have played four rounds more. Although, like any league, there are some very good teams and some comparatively poor teams.

The NRL has and always will be the pinnacle of club RL. Look up comments made by Ellery Hanley, Adrian Morley or Gaz Ellis, they'll settle any doubts you may have.

But I think we have to allow some form of negative tactic, you could argue kicking the ball into touch is just as negative. It's just made harder because receiving teams generally drop wingers back to cover the touch lines.

Yep, I think the taking it dead rule is something where the RFL have successfully united the whole sport for once. It's a terrible rule that, to me anyway, smells of someone making up a rule without thinking about it for a few minutes.