The thing that bugged me with them talking about KPP on one of the review shows, was how surprised they were after his debut that he could cope that well with the physicality and pace of the game. They made it sound like a Superleague commentator would talk about a guy stepping up from League one here. Now he might not have been playing games against Saints every week but KPP had just come off an English Grand Final and is used to playing in big games.

The step up is over egged and I’m surprised after over a decade of English players going there and thriving, they’ve not realised that these lads might actually be able to play and might just be in good nick, without needing to be spoon fed.

The NRL is streets ahead of us.

They might blow smoke up players, but at least a few of them deserve it & they pick the right ones. SL, or Sky will laud over guys like Sneyd & McShane, telling us how great they are and how wonderful Salford, Cas etc are. All whilst guys like Wardle or Smithies last year hardly get mentioned. It's laughable.

I think a good few clubs in the NRL would love someone of Sneyd’s ability.

They are desperately short on quality play makers hence the reason Wigan and Saints are being so protective of theirs.

Someone like Sneyd walks into a team like Souths at the moment.

I’m not saying the league is not superior but they are lacking depth of years gone by in certain positions such as halves, 5/8ths and 9s, yet their strength in fullbacks in particular is ridiculous.

Athleticism has replaced guile in a lot of cases which has seen the likes of Sezer go back and nail a starting spot.

I don’t think anyone would deny it is but there is sometimes a narrative that goes around in this country that it’s 17 supermen per side going at it each week and it’s just not the case. Dozens of Superleague players would get games in the NRL and some would go extremely well.

It's utter garbage anyway. French wouldn't be average anywhere. He has too much natural ability and x factor for that. Was he average against the NRL's reigning premiers the other week? I think a MOM performance would suggest otherwise.

Some players can just do things others can't so will always stand out.

French took a 4 year deal because he would probably only get a 1 or 2 NRL deal.
Good economic sense but to really test yourself you need to play in the NRL. Watch a couple of NRL games and then watch a SL game. SL is like slow motion.

Apart from a few games, like Saints v Wiggin or the play-offs, SL isn't at the same intensity on a weekly basis. You only have to ask how many current SL players would walk into a NRL team. Not many. How many current NRL players would walk into a SL team. Quite a lot.

Smithies and Pearce-Paul.

And you could add Thompson & Leeming who were both regulars last season and French and Smith who both had offers and that's just from Wigan!

Will ask again, how can you in the same post label 11 gone Sailor excellent….but then say French would be average in the same post.

Just trying to understand your logic there.

I think Bevan French would improve most, not all, but NRL sides. As I never cease to gleefully explain to posters on Aussie sites, he is a much better and complete player than the guy who left Parramatta. And of course I'm delighted he's playing for Wigan.

That’s something that gets ignored. Guys like French, Field, Amone, Lam etc aren’t the same guys that left the NRL. They’ve now had regular first team rugby, have more experience and are better and more confident players.

It appears some of the knuckle draggers on other sport forums think that these contracts are being funded by the Latics.

Are we just going to completely ignore the 47 NRL games that French played in then where he scored 35 tries? And it was said at the time that the reason for him being dropped was a dosagreement with the coaching staff on what was his position.

He is definitely a better player now also than the one that joined from Parra, and in the last year he has seen massive improvements to the area of his game that was regarded as his weakness, which is his defence.

i'll disagree re Sneyd

he hasnt had a gig at a top club over here (Salford, Cas and Hull), and there must be a reason why. I'll admit on his day he can play (or kick), but i just dont think he is consistent enough within a game, let alone over the course of a season, hence why he's never gone to Wigan, Saints, Leeds etc