For us to catch up to the NRL we need to do the following:-

1. Get rid of the salary cap. Pay players from here and Aus whatever you like.
2. Get rid of the quota/non-fed rules. There aren't enough top quality English Kids being produced yet.
3. Play less regular season games
4. Reduce the amount of sky money each club gets and plough it into grass roots to get more kids playing.

All this is my opinion. No doubt someone will come along and give lots of reasons why this shouldn't happen.

But honestly, what did people expect. Saints have looked poor this season, Wigan have looked poor despite winning and I suspect the Leeds game will go the same way. There is a lot of rebuilding going on at the top teams and it looks like that improvement is not going to come overnight.....in my opinion

Surely, the fact that the Australian game has got far more money and investors in their game is the biggest factor?
we could do almost anything to try and close the gap, but the simple fact is they have much much more money to put into the game.

also despite it being a "regional" game in the Australian sense, how many people play the game in those regions compared to our whole country?

My thoughts to.

I think this year it's more down to the SL teams involved being weaker than they were last season. They are three teams going through transition. I think it's more a quirk of timing than Saints, Wigan, and Leeds being in crisis. There's certainly an argument to say that SL needs to pull its socks up with regards to competition quality, but the signs are there already that teams outside the top four are getting competitive. At the moment, this is what has caused the current feeling in some quarters because our top sides have struggled so far at this early stage of the season. It's not that the competition is declining, it's a lot to do with other teams becoming competitive at the same time as the top teams having their own problems.

The issue is at junior level. Not enough players in the junior game and rules actively pushing them out.
E.g My lad has been playing since he was 6 in the "same" team. He goes into u12s this year and he's the last one still there who's come right through. Most haven't gone to another league side but have given up playing league altogeer- a few have gone to union (asthe facilities are better?) They have just 13 players signed for the season ATM. Another who "may" come back when the union season has finished and a lad who is signed for Bradford city and is only allowed to play for approx 8 weeks in the football off season.
Three other local u12s either have folded or are likely to due to lack of numbers BUT due to junior league rules my sons team are only allowed to take on 3 of their players as they are classed as transfers- regardless that the teams have folded. So unless we get players who haven't played for a team last year his team will have no subs for the entire year and those players who's teams have folded will likely fall out of the game! Well done those in charge 20+ youngsters lost

Even if we get thrashed by the Aussie sides, it has to happen every year just to provide realism through the spin.

The reasons why we lose are as obvious as they are unpalatable to some, and we wont address those ussues because vested interests within the game push their own priorities and that goes for the top, middle and bottom of the game.

The fact is that the game in this country has been convinced that because the top clubs are so much better than the middle and lower SL sides, and light years better than championship sides that they are well run, fact is they arent. They are average made to look brilliant by being surrounded by dross.

The other fact is, we arent ever trying to address those issues. This season we will have fewer academies than last, and last year we had fewer than before.

Since 2013 we have upped the quota and have more overseas players and fewer british players playing without upping the SC so we have simply bought in 28 year old dross because its quicker and easier than training a 20 year old up to and past that level.

Amateur participation is falling and the RFL have proven so bad at administering it that sport england money has been diverted away from them

but not to worry, leigh v hull kr in front of 4k is the silver bullet the game needs.

Our schoolboy teams regularly beat the Aussies so it's not like our kids aren't good enough. What happens to them after that is a mystery because rarely it transitions into playing regular full-time, top class super league.

Last nights heavy defeat for Wigan highlighted the gulf in class with down under once again, particularly at half back and fullback where Brisbane had too much pace and all round skills and decision making ability which successfully exploited their multi-player plays with such great effect. Currently SL seems to have a dearth of quality at halfback and great predictability in general back play. SL urgently needs an injection of class.

Often there is an age gap between the two teams.
Sometimes it our 17 year olds playing there 15-16 year olds.

Interesting. Did not know that, thanks.

Indeed. The Roosters had two untested rookies in the halves and they looked a class above anything in Super League. The difference in quality in this position is frightening, especially considering Wigan supposedly had the England half back combination out there.

The NRL has had 11 of the 16 clubs win the comp.
The NRL's star players are spread more evenly across the clubs.
The NRL has intensity of competition.

The SL tries to achieve the same competition intensity by reducing the number of clubs in order to concentrate the TV money and hence the best players across a handful.

Are all those calling for the WCS to be scrapped, the same ones who complain that we don't play the French enough? You know the ones, they regularly post comments like "how are the French ever meant to become competitive if we never play them...."