Hard to compare for me because it’s a totally different game now to what it was 15 years ago. It’s literally a different sport in some ways. I’ve been playing Union for the last couple of years and that’s even more structured but I’ve kinda played through the era’s we’re talking about and to be fair it amazes me how structured the game is now. The majority of sets are pre-planned, SL teams will have a book full of set plays and players are restricted to certain parts of the field. Players are a lot more restricted these days and I think that’s one reason why the quality isn’t what it was. Dux mentions a brilliant player there in Jason Smith, I really enjoyed watching him play but he would never have been able to play like he did back then in today’s game. He could cut three players out with a pass in his sleep, if he was playing today he’d have to organise a set up play to get the ball into that space.

Teams like Hull KR and Huddersfield or teams towards the bottom of the league basically play as 17 robots. I think the good teams are the ones with players who are able to recognise when something is on outside of the structure and can turn that chance into a try.