Last week, halfway through the Wimbledon fortnight, I was walking along Stockton Lane past the fantastic facility that is Grappenhall Sports and Tennis Club. It was 8.00pm and a lovely Summers evening.

The place was closed and there wasn't a sinlge player on the 8 (I believe) magnificent all weather floodlit courts.

A crying shame.

In one of last week's MENs, Sam Tomkins had a column in there, and he talked about RL and RU in equal measure. Also Phil Clark often uses the term "...in either code of rugby..." when talking about a variety of things.

If I opened a newspaper and read a column by a RU player, or watched some coverage of a RU game, would I hear them mention RL even once? I watched the Lions games, from a point of view of comparing how it's coverage differs to ours. I don't think I heard them once mention Isreal Falou is a RL player who changed sports [twice]. Plus I felt the whole set-up was very professional; no in-arguing between the presenters, no calls of "that's forward a mile" when the replay shows it was fine and the comment just detracted from what was some good play, no confusion over the rules... I've got a feeling that Sky keep Eddie and Stevo on because they make things seem a bit amateur and that's how Sky want it. Now I'm sure Eddie and Stevo are nice blokes and big RL fans and embassadors but they aren't the best on camera on the mic's are they?

Everytime I watch that Super League Super Stars show I can't believe the music they have on at the beginning. It makes it seem like its a joke. It's only a little thing but it all adds up in the end.

Maybe I'm just being a bit over sensitive, but I suppose it all boils down to the bitterness I have that our game isn't as big as it should be and a lesser game gets so much more coverage, investment and support, when considering all the things that have gone on in the past where RL has been hindered by RU.

Why can't people just appreciate Murray did a great thing and applaud it ?

Why can't people just appreciate the Lions did a great thing too, and applaud that as well ?.

I dont get all this comparison of our game with those 2? all the ifs but whys and wherefores.
Ours is a great game in its own right, played by equally fit men with great skill creating for me the best sporting spectacle there is.
Where do we fall down ? .....Marketing.
Until our people at Redhall employ real Marketeers who can target all the
Media channels with the Brilliance of our viewing Package we will always be seen as a backwater non-mainstream sport.
Selling our soul to Sky has not helped us in my opinion, some small gains but huge losses.
But we are not blameless ourselves either. Looking inwards fat too much, rather than having a vision and making things happen in the world of Marketing of the SuperLeague brand, which is very difficult when its run by non visionary people who still personify the northern cloth cap image.
Until this changes we will always be a No 1 spectacle with a 2nd rate profile. Supporters will always jealously snipe at any other sport where we feel hard done by with the amount of exposure they receive and more worryingly our amazing game will continue to drift closer to extinction as a top line sport that is able to offer top line rewards to its stars in a UK based version of the game.
We should not only watch and learn from Australian RL. We should also bury our RedHall arrogance and watch exactly how the NRL do their excellent Marketing and interface with all areas of the media. It will be a lesson which would help transform our game within 10 years to one which is competing on a level playing field with all but our national sport.
.....and the answers to the 2 questions posed at the top ? Answer = A tad of jealousy mixed with anger.
Which I feel also, but mine is borne out of frustration of what we should be, but are not.

I thought the wire v wigan build up on SKY was as good if not better build up than any NRL game Ive Seen this season (not including SOO). I thought we had turned a corner with the coverage but then they go back to type for other games.

If SKY who plough millions into our game cant be ar$ed for 'regular' games then how can we expect anyone else....

I am shuddering at the thought of todays game coverage. My kids were watching some garbage on you tube today and an advert came up for the Cholmondley tough mudder race, I guarantee that advert was more professional than the rubbish the British Broadcasting coropration will put out.

the entire RFL want smacking plum in the face

To be fair Australia are one of the best rugby league nations in the world, where as the Aussie rugby team is crap and will remain crap, on account of nobody in Australia really cares for the sport.

The rugby league equivelant of the recent Lions tour would be GB coming back and beating Fiji 2-1