Is it the fault of the salary cap or super league or both that kids weren't developed properly in the late 80s and early 90s (the golden era of spend to win?)

About 3 of them???

Skerrett/Dermott/Hall????

The rest played on for more than 3-4 seasons after that at a pretty good level if not Top level.

But hey, sweeping statements are better than facts aren't they!

Overall I don't give a toss but as I have said many times before I don't fall under the spell of the Eddie & Stevo Super League Spell!

We got closer to the Aussies 86-2001 (2001 ish was when the cap in it's current format started to bite BTW) than we are now!

Please Don't tell me that the next generation at Saints to replace KFC/Wellens/Scully/Long/Newlove are as good as they were! And or lot of Edwards/Farrell/Robinson/Radlinski/Connolly/Newton were just as good if not better!

Add to that the emergence of the Bradford Mob circa 99 of Fielden/Peacock/Lowes etc and there's no doubt were going backwards


We've already seen what the likes of Gardner/Wilkin can do at international level

This is a thread comparing current top level RL to past top level RL in this country though, that's nothing to do with RL played in other countries.

I don't think anyone seriously believes that we are on par with the Aussie game as a whole, but then we haven't been since the 70's.

Don't be silly FTV.

Wigan's Decline, errr, I mean the decline of RL in general of course, Global Warming, The Credit Crunch, even Meli dropping yet another bomb, it's all the fault of the Communist Cap.

How dare you suggest otherwise.

Well, if you're going to come on to a Wigan fans board and make strange comments about a legend of RL like Farrell (or indeed comparing Sculthorpe favourably to Hanley) then you can't expect to escape criticism, though I didn't insult you.

If I went on the Saints board and said absurd things about Alex Murphy for example - not that I would, he was an immensely gifted player - then I could hardly complain if Saints fans took me to task over it.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

What on earth are you on about??????????

Not developed properly in the late 80's early 90's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Conolly/Robinson/Offiah/Newlove/Hunte/Goulding/Edwards/Clarke/Betts/Dermott/Lee Jackson/Skerretts/Platts/Joynt/Curriers/Mike Gregory and I could go on for hours if you wanted!!!!!!

Most of them went and played in Oz at Top Level and were classed as successes!

Add to them established stars like Gregory/Schofield/Hanley/Ward and dozens more and I begin to wonder were you actually alive at that time!

I wouldn't go as far back as the 80's however the way super league/sky money was squandered by many clubs in 1996 was an utter discrace.

Persoanlly I also blame the greedy, money grabbing Aussies for having their dummy spitting war just as rugby league standards in this country were hitting a 20 years high. Call it a co incidence but i still smell a rat due to the timing of the ARL/Super League split that affected rugby league in this country and set it back at least 5-10 years.

Super leaue did improve and the standards peaked between 2000-2003. Sadly poor club management, a salary cap that needs modernising and a lack of direction at the top of the game from the RFL in terms of player development and top class coaching resulted in a fall in standards. I wouldn't get rid of the salaray cap completely however it needs over hauling if the game is to develop and improve as at the moment it is stagnant and standards are slowly slipping.

At 20, Farrell was worthy of place even though he was still nowhere near his peak. Radlinski at 19/20 was not worthy of place, so I considered him "chaff" for the purposes of the debate.

If you want to continue to deliberately misconstrue my point then that is entirely up to you.

If anyone with a short memory wants to see how close we were to Australia in this "golden age" of the 90s before a salary cap I suggest they study the following results:

Brisbane Broncos def. London Broncos 42-22
Auckland Warriors def. St Helens 42-12
North Queensland Cowboys def. Leeds Rhinos 42-20
Adelaide Rams def. Salford Reds 50-8
Canberra Raiders def. Halifax Blue Sox 70-6
Hunter Mariners def. Paris-St Germain 28-12
Perth Reds def. Castleford Tigers 24-16
Wigan Warriors def. Canterbury Bulldogs 22-18
Penrith Panthers def. Bradford Bulls 20-16
Adelaide Rams def. Leeds Rhinos 34-8
Hunter Mariners def. Castleford Tigers 42-12
North Queensland Cowboys def. Oldham Bears 54-16
Auckland Warriors def. Bradford Bulls 20-16
Canterbury Bulldogs def. Halifax Blue Sox 58-6
Canberra Raiders def. London Broncos 66-20
Sheffield Eagles def. Perth Reds 26-22
Penrith Panthers def. Warrington Wolves 52-22
Brisbane Broncos def. Wigan Warriors 34-0
Adealide Rams def. Oldham Bears 42-14
Cronulla Sharks def. Bradford Bulls 30-10
North Queensland Cowboys def. Salford Reds 44-8
Paris-St Germain def. Perth Reds 24-0
Brisbane Broncos def. Halifax Blue Sox 76-0
Canberra Raiders def. Wigan Warriors 42-6
Canterbury Bulldogs def. London Broncos 34-18
Auckland Warriors def. Warrington Wolves 56-28
Penrith Panthers def. Warrington Wolves 48-12
Leeds Rhinos def. Adelaide Rams 22-14
Oldham Bears def. North Queensland Cowboys 20-16
Perth Reds def. Sheffield Eagles 48-12
Auckland Warriors def. Bradford Bulls 64-14
Hunter Mariners def. Castleford Tigers 26-8
Canterbury Bulldogs def. Halifax Blue Sox 40-22
Brisbane Broncos def. Wigan Warriors 30-4
Cronulla Sharks def. St Helens 28-12
London Broncos def. Canberra Raiders 38-18
Auckland Warriors def. St Helens 70-6
Adelaide Rams def. Oldham Bears 18-2
Cronulla Sharks def. Warrington Wolves 44-0
Hunter Mariners def. Paris-St Germain 32-4
Perth Reds def. Castleford Tigers 24-14
Brisbane Broncos def. London Broncos 34-16
North Queensland Cowboys def. Salford Reds 24-14
Canberra Raiders def. Halifax Blue Sox 42-12
Penrith Panthers def. Bradford Bulls 54-14
Wigan Warriors def. Canterbury Bulldogs 31-24
Perth Reds def. Paris-St Germain 18-8
Canterbury Bulldogs def. London Broncos 44-22
Cronulla Sharks def. Bradford Bulls 40-12
Auckland Warriors def. Warrington Wolves 16-4
Hunter Mariners def. Sheffield Eagles 58-12
North Queensland Cowboys def. Leeds Rhinos 48-14
Salford Reds def. Adelaide Rams 14-12
Canberra Raiders def. Wigan Warriors 50-10
Penrith Panthers def. St Helens 32-26
Brisbane Broncos def. Halifax Blue Sox 54-10
Auckland Warriors def. Bradford Bulls 62-14
Hunter Mariners def. Wigan Warriors 22-18
Brisbane Broncos def. St Helens 66-12
Cronulla Sharks def. London Broncos 40-16

? Stop posting drivel on the thread.

hes made a very valid point

The 6/7 year olds being developed in 1980 were the 26/27 year olds getting mullered by NZ in the world cup semi in 2000. Even the class of 2008 did a better job.

It will be another 5/6 years before the focus forced by the salary cap on player development bears fruit, along with high intensity, close games on a weekly basis instead of blowouts - we can then decide whether the steps taken have been good for the international side.

Then again, if they win nothing they'll be the same as every other GB team since the 70's, included the Wigan all stars.