Rugby League

Tony Baloney · October 04, 2008, 10:58:18 PM

League players are as hard as nails. You don't seem to get the same variation in the size of the players like you get in union so they're just all big men. The nature of the game too means it is always moving so the players take a big hit and just get up and get on with the game.

milltown row · October 04, 2008, 11:04:07 PM

d**kheads beat my weekend bet. put them in as banker

if ya didn't laugh......

come on Gaelic bet

Minder · October 04, 2008, 11:08:37 PM

Quote from: milltown row on October 04, 2008, 11:04:07 PM
d**kheads beat my weekend bet. put them in as banker if ya didn't laugh......

come on Gaelic bet

Milltown your like Paul Merson, he used to bet on the Ice Hockey !

milltown row · October 04, 2008, 11:11:22 PM

aye minder, small guy loads of skill and a serious lifestyle

Hoof Hearted · October 04, 2008, 11:13:01 PM

tony, milltown and minder i know yous boys are hurling men and yous boys are all hard hoors but as yous say these boys are unreal. But i suppose if your training 2/3 times are a day 6/7 days a week theres no reason not to be in that shape

Asal Mor · May 28, 2014, 10:39:05 AM

Just a reminder to anyone who might be interested. The 1st State of Origin game starts in less than an hour.

stephenite · May 28, 2014, 12:19:24 PM

NSW up 10-4 at half time.

Asal Mor · May 28, 2014, 01:16:13 PM

Quote from: stephenite on May 28, 2014, 12:19:24 PM
NSW up 10-4 at half time.

Delighted and not just cos I had a tenner on NSW at 15/8. Jarryd Hayne gave one of the all-time great performances. He can do it all. Great entertainment. They could break the 8 or 9 year winning streak of Queensland now.

stephenite · May 29, 2014, 09:48:01 AM

Savage game, the hits were huge. 2005 the last year NSW won a series

Walter Cronc · May 29, 2014, 09:51:18 AM

Rugby League gets hammered a lot but you'll go far to find Union players with the skill set of those playing State of Origin!

AZOffaly · May 29, 2014, 09:53:46 AM

Skill set? Running straight, buck lepping on the ground with a lad on your back, and forearm smashes are hardy a great skill set. It's a physically and aerobically demanding game, but for all round skills I think Union is better. Union players have to run, pass, catch, kick, and then use all the technical skills at breakdown and set plays etc.

Walter Cronc · May 29, 2014, 09:57:13 AM

Disagree AZ. The lines of running, off loading, grubber/chip kicks are all of a higher standard.

For years Darren Lockyer and Andrew Johns were the best footballers in Australia.

I still prefer Union but League gets a hard press, especially in this neck of the woods as its the working mans game in England.

AZOffaly · May 29, 2014, 10:05:03 AM

Nothing to do with it being the working man's game at all, as far as I'm concerned. (BTW, serious question, who are the working men?)

Anyway, I like watching RL, and some, SOME, of the players are good offloaders and good at running support lines, but I think the far more rounded skillset is the Union player. Rugby league players very seldom kick unless they are on 5th tackle, and usually it's the dummy half or whatever they call them. They seldom if ever kick a ball high, and never have to catch it under real pressure. Any back in Rugby Union has to be able to kick the ball.

That's not even taking into account the technical skills they have to master in Union at ruck time, in a maul, lineout, scrums etc.

You're probably right about lines of running, and I'm sure there are some skills RL lads are better at, but to say the 'Skill Set' is better is not correct in my opinion.

Walter Cronc · May 29, 2014, 10:14:56 AM

I mean working mans game with regard to media coverage/newspaper reporting etc. The north/south divide still exists in the UK media IMO.

I just feel there are too many Union players who are the stereo type robots nowadays. You cant really compare League and Union forwards and I'm not. I'm talking more about backs and broken lines of running, thats where I feel League have the better handling, running skills and spacial awareness.

AZOffaly · May 29, 2014, 10:23:20 AM

Quote from: Walter Cronc on May 29, 2014, 10:14:56 AM
I mean working mans game with regard to media coverage/newspaper reporting etc. The north/south divide still exists in the UK media IMO.

I just feel there are too many Union players who are the stereo type robots nowadays. You cant really compare League and Union forwards and I'm not. I'm talking more about backs and broken lines of running, thats where I feel League have the better handling, running skills and spacial awareness.

Funnily enough the criticism I'd have of Union now is that it's turning into League, especially in these islands. Crash ball centres, biff bang wallop. England style.

I just picked up on your use of the word skillset, and even in the backs, I think a Union back is required to have a more varied and rounded skillset than a League back. Catching and Kicking are two that the League back seldom does (not counting the grubbers here). Kicking for touch, which any Union back does regularly is also a skill not used in League much. Running, Offloading and Passing would be similar I'd have said, but League lads might be very good at that. Tackling and being tackled in Union is also a more 'skillful' situation, in the technical sense, as you have to negotiate the technicalities of ruck play, presenting the ball, releasing the tackle, contesting for the ball etc etc. Even as a back.

I'm not saying that League backs don't do some stuff better. Probably they get more practice at it than in the more structured Union game, but in my view a Union back has to be able to perform more skills than a League back.