About 4k short of a sellout, considering that it was between Melbourne & Nth Queensland in Sydney, thats not too bad

no idea who you are talking about

But if i'm making too much sense for you & your ilk i'l go away, i realise you probably don't like being told some home truths

I don't know who the poor man's league freak is but he's hit the predictable trifecta.

Called us soap dodgers- check
Whinging poms - check
SOO more important - check

Either come up with something good, or prepare to be ignored by everyone on here.

You don't like the truth???

You tell me the narrative that i should stick to, the one that makes you happy & i'll do my best, ok???

Ignored.

guess he don't like the truth then

People still hell bent on telling everyone they can that they don't see the point of the rugby league world cup.

We get it. You are not interested!

That would be lovely, thanks

I am sick and tired of these discussions being hijacked by trolls.

sacré bleu!!!!!!

You don't like the truth either???

So apparently i'm the troll?

All you knuckle draggers do is go on about how crap the crowds are, how disinterested the Aussies are, how SOO gets more exposure blah blah blah

You get all exasperated because you think Rugby League is huge in Australia & it should be a massive event & a showcase for the game

I don't think you realise that Rugby League, on a national level, really isn't that big & really isn't that important, we forever hear things like "well Australia should be better than us English, they have more players more resources, its a bigger game" its just not the case, its not THAT MUCH BIGGER, we struggle in the congested sporting arena also

You can't rely on us, you have to drive your own game, perhaps with Canada & the states moving in it might spark things

Seconded.

Why anyone is even humouring this Richard is beyond me. Just ignore his waffle and he'll have no-one to engage, simples!

As for the game I think it's clear to see the weaknesses within the starting XIII. Fullback, SH & Centre. Stick a Radlinski, Newlove & Gregory in that team and we win that match IMO. Some poor individual errors cost us a couple of tries yesterday and a couple of more than generous refereeing decisions.

On a plus note I have to give massive credit to our wingers. Hall has been bang average in SL for the past couple of seasons but he just elevates his game to another level for England and JM was outstanding. I'd give Williams, Percival & Walmsley (pending illness) a run out in the next match. As for Gale, I don't want to knock the guy but he's the perfect example of a player who excels within a certain structure, playing alongside certain players. That Cas team have been superbly coached and the combinations just work. He was undoubtedly the best 7 in SL and as such deserved a crack at claiming the England starting shirt. I'm not convinced he'll be anywhere near as effective at International level tho and if he fails to shine in the next match I'd be tempted to go Widdop/Williams.

All in all, whilst losing to the Aussies is never nice, there are plenty of positives to be taken. If we can get through to the final we have to be faultless. Complete sets, build pressure and they're not infallible. Kick the ball down the throat of Slater every 6th tackle tho and we'll be starting defensive sets on halfway and will be asking for trouble.

Errors aside I thought Lomax was pretty good, and his footwork could cause problems later on. Gale wasn't very good - we'd be better off with Hodgson at 7, as he at least challenges the defence.

Main lessons for me were England's inability to control field position. Even in the second half where we did better, there were a number of sets where Australia rumbled 50 yards upfield on the back of quick PTBs and one-out rugby.

Defensively that area around Gale was a clear problem, and if Gale/Bateman play again expect them to be targeted. Both of Australia's first half tries could and should have been stopped. for the first as well as Gale the inside defence was lazy - at this level nobody should be able to score simply by stepping inside. The second was a misread, but Bateman was glued to the line - in that position he couldn't have stopped anyone. The potential plus for me is that defence in those areas can improve - its not like Gale is a poor defender due to his size like Milford.

Hopefully Hall/McGillvary showed why they are easily the best wingers we have at this level.

AFL (34k) is the most attended football sport in 'stralia followed by NRL(15k) and then Union (?)...in Summer it's Cricket (30k) and Soccer (12k).....the only reason you'd think that League isn't big is if you were in Western Australia, where there is now no rugby of either code.
The TV audiences and financial contracts point to the NRL being pretty important.