Bored of Super League??

Quote: D.D. "It means it's more entertaining than Super League but still nowhere near as entertaining as the Rugby League we once knew and loved.

I have to agree with you young man, through my new relationship i've been to maybe 9/10 Roughyeds games this year in CC1 and each of them has been dramatically more entertaining than Super League. Conversely, the delectable Mrs has been to a dozen Saints games and the only ones she found remotely passionate or entertaining were Leeds & Wigan games and this was mainly because of the atmosphere and not the rugby on show.

Never before in 17 years of supporting Saints have i felt I’d rather be at home watching on TV, at KR I did a few times last year, I found myself turning Sky games off when Saints weren't involved too, because it was just slow, dull & repetitive (something most of us will have called rugby union for being exactly the same over the years)

Yes maybe Championship games are played by lesser athletes with less skill but they are played with at least equal passion & commitment, this from part time player’s who are paid peanuts in comparison. Teams actually try to score on every set, they look to make breaks & create tries at any opportunity, there is a bit of biff and its all smiles in the bar at the end.

I know a lot on here & RedVee blame Potter for most if not all of Saints in 2009 and won't be happy until he is sacked. I won't deny he is at least partly accountable for our style of play & results last season. But at the same time had we thrown the ball about behind the sloth like play the ball & it had backfired as defences got on the front foot & smashed us, the same people would have been equally derogatory about him, probably complaining that that we weren't doing the grinding out up the middle enough!

Under the refereeing directives all the coaches had to find the most effective way to play within the rules – despite everything Potter wasn't exactly miles away from success & given weaker squad than 2005-8 & the injuries we actually did very well, and while it was in very grim fashion, we certainly weren’t much less entertaining than most other clubs based on all the games I saw last season.

It was appalling at times for most fans, ref’s were letting players lie on for 5 seconds, then let them get to their feet slowly while holding the ball carrier, it sucked the life out of the game, defences were always set, breaks in normal play were seldom, getting the ball out wide was punished because lines had time to be up out wide before the ball got there, there were fewer gaps as players had longer breaks between tackles – teams were forced to go up the middle or they went backwards.

There are other ways to stop good teams getting on a roll like Saints / Leeds used to without spoiling the flow of a game and ultimately the highest level of competition in general in 2009 was the worst for entertainment value in memory.

Note to the RFL / things I’d like to see brought in for 2010 (in no order of priority):

1.) Teams kicking dead from sometimes from their own half to slow the game down (even more) – I’d go further than Clarke on this & make this a hand over from where the ball was kicked (similar to union), meaning ball will be in play more and more skill required when kicking.

2.) Instead of having to have touch judges in position & the ball on the centre spot, have some consistency and allow teams quick taps as soon as all attacking players on side and the ball is “roughly" in the centre of the pitch - splitting hairs over 1 foot either way is pedantic & unnesseceraily painful (take note Ian Smith)

3.) Play the ball to take no longer than a count of 2 from completed tackle, completed from referee calling “held” / carrier on the floor – obviously speed to be dictated by attacking team – if they want to cock about its their choice.

4.) Penalties for slowing the play down, offside, holding down, flopping, hands in the ruck etc – 3rd penalty warning, 4th penalty sin bin – no excuses or leniency for anyone.

These changes are just off the top of my head and would vastly speed the game back up make it vastly more open & allow for teams to vary attack to try and win games rather than a grind fest.