Are the same people saying that the mid 90's were better than now the same people moaning that Cardiff will be cold in february?

I think they're are some things from both eras that stand out. The "experience" nowadays is a lot better, facilities are better and at most grounds pre/post match entertainment is better (some is better than the match to be fair)

But you can't get away from the fact that the games profile is a tenth of what it was despite "expansion", the international scene is a joke at times, the number of mediocre imports is hugely inflated to what it was and we no longer have the number of "star" names/characters in the game that we had previously.

you must be watching a different game to me.

I would love to know how you've figured out that "fact".

Its media profile is plainly less than what it was. Pages in national newspapers have been replaced with column inches.

Other than in the lead-up to major finals or when its players have been involved in off-field scandals, when has RL ever had "pages in national newspapers"?

Certainly not on a regular basis, and certainly not since I started watching the game in the late 70s.

There was always proper match reports and pre game analysis in the vast majority of the major papers. With the Times now getting rid of their RL correspondent i don't believe any national newspaper has a full-time RL person in their ranks anymore just using copy and freelance.

It used to get quite a lot of coverage in the northern editions of the red tops, much more than it does now.

Yes, but that space is now being taken up by football, football and more football. As has been said, football now dominates every sport in this country, even during it's off season.

And no matter the fact that the national team has only ever won one major final, and only ever reached a semi-final one other time.

Another factor, apart from the ludicrous growth of football since its spread to pretty well every TV channel, is the fact that newspapers have been on a bout of sustained cost and staff cutting for a good 20 years now.

Regionalised editions contain far less differences than they used to - because all regional offices have been cut back on in favour of freelances and stringers - and the concentration of printing (nearly all papers are now printed by one company) leaves much less flexibility in edition times.

The RFL has many powers, but it doesn't actually control that.

But what came first the cuts leading to a lack of interest in the game from the media or cuts because of the lack of interest.

I just believe if the game had been managed/marketed better than it has then its profile would be bigger/better than it currently is.

10 years ago (pre salary cap) Andy Hay, Darren Fleary, Scott Naylor, Chev Walker and Tony Smith were helping England to a 6-49 flogging at home to NZ in the world cup. Paul Deacon was also playing stand off and Paul Wellens was on the wing.

I think I'll take today's standards thanks.