I have to agree with 'upthecats' I watched the game yesterday and was suitably impressed with Tim Smith. He looked head and shoulders above the rest, I will say he was selective when he got involved but he played at the line and pulled off some real quality which in the main let to scores.

In answer to other posts; I don't think the skills of the half back/5/8th are coached out of players, they are asked to play at the line which requires acute skills and timing coupled with good running of receivers.

Also mentioned was the desire for a quick play the ball having some bearing on the skills of the HB/5 8th, surely if teams get three in and fully control the ruck then we negate the QPTB and thus control the game, the HB then needs to develop lots of skills, kicking, passing and dare I say it running and then have the decision making skills to choose the right skill for that play.

As a coach I look for a spark of arrogance and attitude from my HB's, without it they will struggle to command the team and trust their skills. Also I encourage them to make decisions that push the envelope, this is how they learn.

I think it's probably a bit to do with rosetinted glasses and more TV coverage nowadays. Hence you "remember" how great things were pre Sky TV, ignoring the many dire matches / performances, but "recalling" great moments that you saw live, rather than those analysed and replayed endlessly on TV.

I understand Gaz E's comment regarding over coaching. I think we have all done that when we are trying to develop players - the only problem is we impose our game on them instead of allowing them to express themselves.

I have for sometime now tried to allow pivots to develop decision making skills without tinkering too much with their natural skills and vision, it does lead to frustration for all while they learn what works and what doesn't, but you have to guide them not dictate 'what they do next'.

TFB, I would agree to a point with what you have said, a lot of the changes to the FB mentality and the realisation that from that position the player has a great deal of insight into what is in front of them for the team - this lead to developing HB's in the role because of their vision.

With regards to AG's era I think most waited to the last couple of tackles to chime into the line with one aim, to score, now they chime in earlier and add sweep to improve numbers which leads to scores for them or by using their skills they create for others.

Actually, I think the game is so fast and furious now, alot of fans don't actually take in what they are watching. Many form opinions about a player after 1 or 2 games and that's it, nothing they do will change their mind. The abuse I heard being slung at Paul Wood and Chris Riley yesterday after they'd made errors was absurd.

Take Myler for example. In this thread alone, some have said all he does is ship the ball on, others have said he's just a runner! My view is that he is developing very nicely into a top all round half back. He can support, he can run, he can put players through a gap, he can link nicely with his half-back partner, he can send out long passes, he can kick and he can defend! He's also not afraid of running across a defence looking for a gap / runner. I'm often baffled at the criticism he gets.

All this nostalgia for the old days is just that. Yes there were some great players, there were also plenty of awful ones too. We have loads of talented skilful players in SL, I wish they got the appreciation they deserved. Sell-out grounds in the playoffs for example would be nice!

Speaking of Myler, how was he in the game yesterday? The radio commentary said he was doing a lot of organising, telling people where to be and where to go, which sounds good for his development - but I was listening to the BBC, so for all I know it was actually Briers.