Rubbish, the NRL is the strongest it's ever been.

Is it balls. You obviously haven't watched it over years.

When precisely were the halcyon glory days of the NRL that I missed?

'99 Bulls team got 51 points albeit over 30 games. One of the most ruthless sides I've seen in SL but they got knocked out of the CC in the semi final and got beaten in the GF... scary for Cas fans

Dont know what you have been watching, since they reduced the interchanges in the NRL there has been a lot more ball movement and I think the actually quality of the games is as good as I have seen.

I think the NRL has kept its standards. Ways of playing have changed, it hasn't got better, it hasn't got worse (well, it has got a bit worse as a spectacle because they can't shoulder charge or scrap any more, but that's nothing to do with quality of actual play). That's the NRL in general, but Melbourne this year are the best RL club side I've ever seen.

The Melbourne V Brisbane game this morning was pretty poor, some absolute howlers with the commentators trying to convince the audience it was still a quality game.

Get Craig Bellamy a microphone...... and a bleep machine.

Leeds 2004 by plenty, don't think there waseven a debate myself, but know doubt now. This cas side will be remembered about as much as the Huddersfield side which topped the League, maybe slightly More as they did actually get to Old Trafford.

Zak hardaker?

I recon they will go down as one of the best teams to not win it, along with us in 05 and Saints in 08

Our 04 side beats Cas 17 side. Our 05 team was even better though. So near, yet so far. That Saints team of 08 was very special (except for the GF!)

Biff - the 2007 squad was definitely a transition from 2005. Outs - Bai, Calderwood, Dunemann, McKenna, Ward, Mathers, Walker, Millard, O'Neill. Ins - Donald, Peacock, Toopi, Leuluai, Webb.

That's a pretty major set of changes in anyone's book.

This is a comparison that as others have pointed out is difficult to make.
However I do believe 2017 top Superleague/NRL sides are substantially physically fitter and fundamentally physically stronger
than the players of 2004, this would I think even up a lot if not all of any perceived skills gaps.
Backs are now almost the size of forwards and forwards are as fit as backs.

This increase in physicality is I would suggest a major contributor to the perceived/possible "game quality" issues.
I think this is particularly apparent, positively in the physicality and quality of goal line defence and
very negatively in the excessive wrestle at the tackle.
It is also causing high rate of injuries to what are after all very fit people.
( I also believe you can see exactly the same "quality issues" due to the increase in physical size/fitness of players in rugby union.)
All things being said I have enjoyed this season as much as any in the last 13 years.
Its just a different game now!!!!!
P.S. leeds 2004 would win but that may just be rose tinted glasses!!

I'm really glad for you, but from my view the SL regular season was pretty bad and a real hard watch at times across the board (some cas games apart). Obviously the last couple of weeks were great and we are on a high still but it doesn't change all that went before it.

Agree with this and I think the game in general has to address the issues that flow from the 10 metre rule, increased physicality and fitness of all the professional game and the consequent and hugely damaging increase in the number and severity of injuries to key players pretty much across the board (imagine how frustrating it must be to have been a Wigan fan this season) and the ugly farce that the ruck and PTB have become. I suggest that nobody wants to watch the wrestling at the ruck