All great publicity for the sport of RL, no really...............

TBF tight ends(the position he trialed at) do a fair bit of blocking,some of the guys that play this are bigger than him,must be something in the water lol

Tight end is probably the most technically demanding position on the field. Not only do you have to be able to run passing routes and catch the ball like a wide receiver, but you're also expected to be able to block like a lineman. As a backup TE you're also more than likely going to be asked to play on the mayhem that is kickoff and punt teams to justify your spot on the roster.

To be able to do it well enough to make it as a starter in the NFL, you really need to have some sort of grounding in the sport IMO.

That's half the issue though isn't it? I think some of these players watch NFL and think 'I can do that' because they focus on the non-technical stuff. Hayne's problem was errors - didn't read a blitz compounding his fumbles, some of which have been caused by his inability to decide which kicks to simply not even go for. Those errors can't make up for the odd half-decent play (despite the hype when actually selected in real games he did nothing that special).

I think the other mistake that can be made is assuming that you'll somehow get given time to learn the game. Hayne's been written off by one of the worst sides in the comp and no others wanted him when he was freely available. I've no doubt he'll convince himself that he can come back next year, when the reality is he'll be up against a raft of new college recruits and desperate journeymen pros, all of whom outmatch him for experience by years. He also won't have the element of novelty. He may get a gig on a training roster somewhere, but the saddest thing is I expect him to hang out there until the last team closes its doors on him, rather than come back to RL, where he's a star.

That's half the issue though isn't it? I think some of these players watch NFL and think 'I can do that' because they focus on the non-technical stuff. Hayne's problem was errors - didn't read a blitz compounding his fumbles, some of which have been caused by his inability to decide which kicks to simply not even go for. Those errors can't make up for the odd half-decent play (despite the hype when actually selected in real games he did nothing that special).

I think the other mistake that can be made is assuming that you'll somehow get given time to learn the game. Hayne's been written off by one of the worst sides in the comp and no others wanted him when he was freely available. I've no doubt he'll convince himself that he can come back next year, when the reality is he'll be up against a raft of new college recruits and desperate journeymen pros, all of whom outmatch him for experience by years. He also won't have the element of novelty. He may get a gig on a training roster somewhere, but the saddest thing is I expect him to hang out there until the last team closes its doors on him, rather than come back to RL, where he's a star.

Oh, hark at her.

Rugby League in Australia has been working in/with NFL clubs for many years - Jack Gibson used to go over there and Salford have trained at the Jacksonville Jaguars camp on several occasions more recently. Either it's a positive - gets Rugby League mentioned in the Press if he does go, and if it's a really just a learning exercise for him then he hopefully comes back a better and more enlightened player. If the Flat Cap Brigade were more open minded this is something we as a sport would be encouraging.

Surely, if RL players are now considering the NFL, we should raise the salary cap to the same level as that of the NFL. Otherwise we won't be able to compete will we?

Don't need to raise the salary cap, just the white flag.

IF the NFL were to come along and poach our best players, we simply couldn't compete.
For all that it would be superb IF some positive publicity could help drive RL in the USA, the flip side could be a drain of the games best talent to a different sport.
Maybe we should be looking at this the other way and try to find some of the many, many "failures" from the NFL and get them into RL, which if successful may provoke some interest in our game from over the pond.

Agreed. I was just being a tad mischevious at the expense of those who say we need to scrap or raise the salary cap in order to "compete" with the NRL and Union.

I think the only way RL would get any decent interest is if an RL convert became a superstar in the NFL. Which is very, very unlikely.
Its the same with converts to Union. Its only players at the very top like Burgess who gain us any attention, and does that really convert into increased interest? I'm not sure.
As you say we'd be better off trying to find suitable "failed" NFL players to convert to RL rather than us losing our top players to the NFL and desperately hoping somebody pays attention to us. Whether the money is there to do that is another matter.
I do think we should look at Union players who are just below the England squad. I'm sure there'd be some who could make the transition and I think that would give us better media interest than our top players going the other way.

Personally, I'm happy if RL players cant make the transition into NFL (or Union) as this would inevitably mean the game of RL losing it's better players to a far wealthier sport which, lets face it, RL just cant hope to compete with in terms of wages and it would generate far more interest, if we can entice players into our game from Union or NFL.
Even if the are at a lower level, it ma encourage others into considering League as a decent option

How about that young Fijian (?) lad Bath just got as a 9? He looks like he'd make a good Segeyaro-style dummy half. Also impressed by the Harlequins centre I saw on the highlights the other night. He has real pace, which doesn't seem too common in Union centres.

I would be more worried by the fact that Union seems to be getting a pro-league in the USA. If that takes off they will sign up the whole of the of the NRL staff.

I don't really watch Union for more than the 5 minutes it takes for my boredom to override my laziness and I eventually get up to get the remote.

But it's apparently been a professional sport for a while now so there must be some of their participants who aren't entirely talentless, even in the Aviva Premiership.

The NFL doesn't need to go on a mass recruiting drive for new players. They get heaps of new NFL-ready college players every year. The main shortage ATM seems to be young quarterbacks - who will never come from anywhere other than colleges.

Specific clubs might have a look around, but they're far more likely to look for kids with the right build and athletic ability who they could put through the college system than bothering to look at guys in their mid 20s who've never played the game.

I'm not that enthusiastic either, but I do generally watch the highlights during the league close season, and you do occasionally see some decent tries scored by the better sides like Northampton and Bath. Spotting players who look like they might have the wherewithal to succeed at league (and there's not many) is my main interest.