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Thread: Saints 2021 in the NRL

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    Default Saints 2021 in the NRL

    Just seen a debate about this with Truth Talking Maverick winding up some Oz folk. But just wondered given the achievements of our current squad how do people think they would fair in an NRL season?

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    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk The Wee Waa Womble's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by A.O.88 View Post
    Just seen a debate about this with Truth Talking Maverick winding up some Oz folk. But just wondered given the achievements of our current squad how do people think they would fair in an NRL season?
    If we could put out our first 17 every week then possibly finish around 12th-13th. A few injuries though and the depth just isn’t there to compete so realistically probably 15th. Give us the budget of an NRL team and a couple of years to build a team and it’s anyones guess.
    Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Wee Waa Womble View Post
    If we could put out our first 17 every week then possibly finish around 12th-13th. A few injuries though and the depth just isn’t there to compete so realistically probably 15th. Give us the budget of an NRL team and a couple of years to build a team and it’s anyones guess.
    I honestly don't think we'd be out of the top 8. Although I am a realist about the NRL and will accept it's superior, there are some shocking sides in it still. Their better players are spread out amongst the league and there are several clubs who's recruitment seems to be modelled on Wigan's. Disjointed and lacking planning.

    I'm more worried that this new team they're parachuting into Brisbane will come to us first for their new players. They've got to raise 30 players from nowhere.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Wee Waa Womble View Post
    If we could put out our first 17 every week then possibly finish around 12th-13th. A few injuries though and the depth just isnÂ’t there to compete so realistically probably 15th. Give us the budget of an NRL team and a couple of years to build a team and itÂ’s anyones guess.
    Sadly you're right, to be honest I don't think the WCC challenge is feasible anymore with the wage disparity between the two competitions, for example Luke Thompson's salary of eight hundred thousand dollars is equivalent to well over four hundred and thirty thousand pounds a year plus over here, just less than about a quarter of our new salary cap for our whole team, our wage cap is lowering and theirs is rising, Rugby League sponsors in Australia reflect the fact that it's their national sport, our sponsors reflect our standing in English sport, Mushy Peas, a ramshackle regional rail company and the cheapest car you can purchase, no offence to Dacia owners, without Betfred we would be in an even worse position and there must be a chance that eventually they will be banned from sponsorship.. I'm convinced that it's a class issue as far as the written press goes, the Northern sport being ignored as irellavent as far as sports coverage is concerned, whilst the big rugby union clubs which are mostly based in the Midlands and South are reported on ad nauseam , even Sky Sports is treating our game with contempt now, remember Boots n All, once in a studio, then in the works canteen, and now coverage from Brian Carneys spare bedroom
    Last edited by Woolyback; 12th October 2021 at 08:26.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Saddened! View Post

    I'm more worried that this new team they're parachuting into Brisbane will come to us first for their new players. They've got to raise 30 players from nowhere.
    This is a worry and it is really important that we tie down our better players.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Belgian Saint View Post
    This is a worry and it is really important that we tie down our better players.
    Sadly, if Welsby & Dodd keep developing on their current trajectory there is bound to be interest in the pair from Oz over the next 12 to 18 months.

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    Dodd harbours hopes of playing over there too. I worry by winning constantly the likes of Knowles etc will feel as though there’s nothing left to achieve over here. In terms of NRL we’d be 12/13th IMO don’t kid yourself at how far ahead these teams are to Super League sides. Remember we didn’t even finish 1st this year.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Woolyback View Post
    Rugby League sponsors in Australia reflect the fact that it's their national sport
    Sorry it's actually not which is the scary part. Cricket is the Australian National Sport.

    If you'd said their most popular sport you may have been correct. But the argument still stands.

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    Massive difference between NRL and SL in every aspect of the game.
    Holbrook's Gold Coast would be far too good for Saints and they came 8th in the NRL.

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    Quote Originally Posted by WidnesExile View Post
    Sorry it's actually not which is the scary part. Cricket is the Australian National Sport.

    If you'd said their most popular sport you may have been correct. But the argument still stands.
    That would be Aussie rules. Double the total spectators of league and double the average attendance. RL is second. Interesting that RU doesn't get a look in.
    Last edited by Belgian Saint; 12th October 2021 at 16:12. Reason: typo

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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Forber View Post
    Massive difference between NRL and SL in every aspect of the game.
    Holbrook's Gold Coast would be far too good for Saints and they came 8th in the NRL.
    No chance. Saints are a very good side and would be competitive in the NRL. We could beat Gold Coast, lots of areas lacking quality in that team as there are all over most of the NRL.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Saddened! View Post
    No chance. Saints are a very good side and would be competitive in the NRL. We could beat Gold Coast, lots of areas lacking quality in that team as there are all over most of the NRL.
    Can't agree with this. I actually think that the gulf is every bit as wide as it was in 1997. They are all much quicker and would kill us for speed of thought and movement. The Aussies like to throw the ball about these days and fashion chances.

    Let's not beat about the bush. Most of us on here were talking about this Super League being as weak as it's ever been. We can't start to revise all that now and make out that the quality is better than that just because it suits our agenda as Champions.

    In 1997, Bradford won the title here before they'd lost a single game. Their bottom team put 60 points on the Bulls twice. Now, I'm not saying we'd lose by that kind of score to Canterbury, but we could well do if played Melbourne or Penrith. They both put 60 on South Sydney, let alone and English team.

    My gut feeling is that we might just be better than Canterbury and would give a few of the other bottom four a game, but that would be it. The rest would mince us. We wouldn't have the attacking quality to trouble the vast majority of NRL sides.
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Wee Waa Womble View Post
    If we could put out our first 17 every week then possibly finish around 12th-13th. A few injuries though and the depth just isn’t there to compete so realistically probably 15th. Give us the budget of an NRL team and a couple of years to build a team and it’s anyones guess.
    I seriously disagree with this. Coote ,Makinson ,Percival, Roby, Walmsley, Knowles and Mtautia would easily get in any of the bottom half of the table teams. Its also debatable Dodd and Welsby in a year a too also. Some of the first 7 players would also get into the top teams .Makinson Percival,walmsley Roby and knowles would for sure.

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    Not a chance..

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    Quote Originally Posted by Northstand View Post
    Dodd harbours hopes of playing over there too. I worry by winning constantly the likes of Knowles etc will feel as though there’s nothing left to achieve over here. In terms of NRL we’d be 12/13th IMO don’t kid yourself at how far ahead these teams are to Super League sides. Remember we didn’t even finish 1st this year.
    I think Knowles is on his way to the NRL when his current contract ends, that's why we've signed Bell.

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    You can't blame players wanting to go to the NRL and there are lots of reasons a professional player would want to.

    The best English players have been standout players in the comp without doubt but I agree with DD, their league has improved since the catastrophic fail of the 97 experiment and our has declined.


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    Quote Originally Posted by WA10 View Post
    I think Knowles is on his way to the NRL when his current contract ends, that's why we've signed Bell.
    That's my take.

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    I think we would win 5 or 6 games so somewhere near the bottom of the ladder

    No shame in that, it's a completely different league with a much larger budget. It’s almost a small sport vs a big sport

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    I think we'd hold our own defensively. Our defence is the best I've ever seen in the British game and on a par if not better than a lot of NRL teams.
    Our problem would be scoring enough points to trouble teams.

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    What a divisive thread. Really interesting how a similar amount think we could do well as who disagree and don’t think so.
    I’m an avid watcher of the NRL and over the course of an 80 minute game we wouldn’t / couldn’t live with that intensity week in week out. Our NRL type of players are Knowles, Walmesley & (Roby 5 or 6 years ago). We have a lot of top quality Super league players across the side but remember some of our best performers, Coote & Naiqama were effectively ‘retired’ from the NRL (what they like to call it) 3 or 4 years back.
    My opinion would be we could win a few games but would likely finish in the bottom half. Roll it back to the Daniel Anderson team of 2006 and we’d be a lot closer to the top half back then.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Wee Waa Womble View Post
    If we could put out our first 17 every week then possibly finish around 12th-13th. A few injuries though and the depth just isn’t there to compete so realistically probably 15th. Give us the budget of an NRL team and a couple of years to build a team and it’s anyones guess.
    Would agree with that, its the salary cap factor that is the issue a £2million team competing against £5million pound teams, that would raise the question for example is Makinson worth 2.5 times more salary playing in the NRL. We also consider all our overseas players have played well in the NRL. For me we would be bottom 4, if Dodd + Welsby had the skill and experience of Long and Martyn in their prime we could get a few places further up the NRL league ladder.

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    apples and oranges I'm afraid as only a handful of players from SL would maintain a place in an NRL side atm.
    Learned comment from The Don

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    I would think Dodd's card has already been marked by NRL teams, it is only a couple of years since he wiped the floor with them in the Academy Tour.
    On the Back foot looking for the front one.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greengrass View Post
    I would think Dodd's card has already been marked by NRL teams, it is only a couple of years since he wiped the floor with them in the Academy Tour.
    Melbourne came in for him 2 years ago and offered very good money.


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    Would the NRL teams be able to play the way they do in the cold weather and muddy pitches we get over here at some stages of the season?

    We have some very good players who would do well in the NRL, I have my doubts we could cope for a full season with their sides especially if we played down under but if we played all of them at home we'd knock a few off imo

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