This is the same in most junior sports, the "early developers" prosper due to physical size and strength and less emphasis is given to developing skills.
Again, although it's not the same at every club/sport, there is so much effort devoted to winning, the finer arts go out of the window.

Whether touch rugby is the answer, I don't know but, it would make the playing field more level at an early age.

Also, the move from 6 yards to 10 metres made the game more about power, rather than craft but, I don't see us reverting to 6 yards any time soon.

Agree entirely!

As a lad I know playing touch rugby improved both my speed and handling.
It takes some of the fear out of it that some kids have and also takes away a lot of the aggression/intimidation seen at too many amateur games both on the pitch and from parents.

Touch is also great for keeping adults involved, a part of amateur RL very much neglected in my opinion.

Think the time's past for Brough, Brown, Burrow and McGuire now as far as internationals are concerned. Why replace a 33 year old with another 30+ half back? Need to be looking at younger options. There may be Wigan bias here but I think a Widdop/Smith pairing would go well. A genuine 6/7 combination. Sneyd may well become a top class half back but I think he needs another decent season in SL before being considered for England. We've got some decent youngsters like Gareth O'Brian and Sam Powell who I don't think will ever be world beaters, we really are struggling for good English halves. You only have to look at how many clubs have an Aussie at 6 and/or 7 who wouldn't get near a NRL starting line-up to see this.

One of the main problems we're having when producing young halves in this country is a lot of the good ones are natural runners rather than an organiser, so they're more suited to the modern fullback role than playing in the halves. We've seen Tomkins and Lomax move from the halves to FB and it looks like the same is going to happen with Ryan Hampshire at Wigan.

Why has Tomkins looked more like a Half than a running Fullback for the Warriors then?

could go with the widdop/smith combo.. lomax too must be high on the list

or tomkins and hardaker at full back

Don't have you have to have played at international level before you can retire? I can't remember the forehead ever playing for England :s

Regards

King James

Great post! Dime Bar?

Great post! Dime Bar?

Yes, he takes all the kick-offs and drop outs and is heavily involved in the tactical kicking. He is now coming in a second receiver for many plays. I think now is the time to move him up at test level and have the more defensively assured and direct running Hardaker at full-back.

It would be Tomkins/Widdop for me with Hardaker at 1.

I agree.its not like Tomkins hasn't played half before and to have somebody like Hardaker kicking his heels in reserve seems a waste, and defensive side of his game is superior to sam's.

Hardaker shouldn't be selected because of his homophobic slur against warrington. Rugby league cannot be seen to condone homophobia.
Tomkins shouldn't be selected because he was caught on LIVE TV doing the 2 finger salute. Rugby league is a family game.
G.Burgess shouldn't be selected because he admitted damaging property in cairns. Rugby league cannot be seen to condone vandals.
James Graham shouldn't be selected as he was banned for biting billy slaters ear. Rugby league cannot be seen to condone canabalism.

If the above are selected it will cost rugby league millions in lucrative sponsorship deals.

Okay, don't forget Chris Heighington for impersonating an international quality forward

Sure it will, cos we have sponsors falling all over themselves don't we??

Suppose you can include Jarrod Haynes, Greg Bird and any the other Antipods who have past form in your statement about lost sponsorship?

Don't be so foolish.