Interesting stuff from Graham Lowe

[mave]

I personally don't like the direction the game has been going for the last 15 odd years.

Administrators and coaches have made teams have too many "atheletes" and not enough "footy players".

Slowing down the play of the ball and reducing the interchange to 6 would be a great start in my opinion. Force teams to play some footy. Not rely on robotic plays.

Bring back the "Paul Shaw's" of the game!

 

[Jerry1]

[/QUOTE]

How good was wangman & hicks on the wings. Them were the days.

 

[rmd]

I have to say in all honesty that while up to 3 years ago I'd watch 4 or 5 games a week and would attend almost all Manly Gaines in Sydney, as I said some weeks ago, I have never been less enthused about a season and I have only watched one game so far on TV and that was on Friday night and then only part of it. I was going to go to Brooky on Friday night with my daughter, who is also a massive fan, but she convinced me to stay at home with her and watch it at home (something about rain and her hair). And then guess what? She got bored stiff with the Manly game and wanted to watch the cricket instead!

 

[winnyason]

Look i am totally discheartened by the game.
* the game is being run by idiots who have never played and media.
* fans the most important commodity are being forgotten.
* players needing 12 months in advance to sign elsewhere what a crock of ****, why can the nba, nfl, afl, soccer all have transfer or trade windows the players are just as bad as the admin.
* the game is getting away from its working class roots, simply fans are still loyal to there colours. I would say game is getting away from its fabric.
* the salary cap - is not a level playing field, 3rd party deals cannot be even it is unfair as simple as that.
* seeing our champion halfs poached, with dodgy deals with the league invovled smells. Why weaken a traditional powerhouse who fund a dead horse the Gold Coast will never ever work. A weak manly is like having wwe without triple h or wcw with the nwo. We are hated and play it well.
* state of origin have hinders development nations look at state players that are other nations claimed uate, teo, tamou, hunt, james segearyo now blues trying to get semi radradra it's a joke it is we should be trying to make 2nd tier nations stronger.

 

[Ryan]

For mine, it's the players who lie, and have complete disdain for the fans that has created apathy for me. Drove me to the ice hockey.

Back 10 years ago, it was all about your community, the passion and each other.

There's none of that anymore. It's all a buck, buck, buck. They show so little duty of care to goodwill it isn't funny.

 

[winnyason]

For mine, it's the players who lie, and have complete disdain for the fans that has created apathy for me. Drove me to the ice hockey.

Back 10 years ago, it was all about your community, the passion and each other.

There's none of that anymore. It's all a buck, buck, buck. They show so little duty of care to goodwill it isn't funny.

Yeah it's pathetic with the players, and it's just not us Manly fans. Dragons fans are similar to us losing merrin and Brett morris.

 

[Killer03]

Remember the late 90s when Manly would have an attacking scrum 20m out and the back line would be spread back as far as the half way line! Even when scrums were fed on your own 20m line, you would attack and you would see a lot more long range tries.

Everything is over analysed now, the refereeing is poor, the games feel more mundane, due to the amount of wrestle. It's all about field position and waiting for the opposition to make an error. But you still have to marvel of some of today's athletes. Sometimes I think it's a slower game, but to put it into perspective the players are so much bigger, faster, stronger. It's definitely a more physical game and played at a higher intensity that 10-15 years ago. Look at that semi final against the roosters in 2013. I do miss how the game was, a lot more ball movement and less technical, but also have some great memories of the past 8-10 years, such a skilful side. One thing I would love is to have most of the games played during the day. Bring back Saturday afternoon footy and more sunday games. At least play the GF in the afternoon. Channel 7 have the AFL played in the afternoon, surely channel 9 can get that right!

Some short videos for comparison between the years.

That try where Killer knocks the ball back against the Raiders and is it Robbo scoring? Remember when Inglis did that and the carry on? I always used to say 'Killer did the same but better! Where's his recognition?'

 

[mickqld]

1st step to fix rugby league.
SACK GREENTURD

 

[TokyoEagle]

http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/nrl-announce-review-interchange-rule/

An article from RLW reflecting this topic.

Whilst a reduced number of interchange would skew the bench from forwards to backs for the purpose of skill, my only concern would be the fatigue factor and its impact on the health of the forwards taking the field whereupon they may be forced to play for periods longer than 20 min they are accustomed to. Admittedly there are a number of forwards who could sustain longer playing time
but one needs to remember its the forwards who provide much of the go forward and make the most tackles. Having to endure more off this could reduce their overall playing careers. Bear in mind they will still need to abide by the 10 m rule and six tackles per set.

Don't get me wrong I'm all for a more open game but the above should also be considered.

They might have to spend more time out on the training paddock rather than in the gym. Coaches and trainers will soon bring them up to speed.

 

[TokyoEagle]

Is that our issue, we are a little older than many on here and remember the game as it used to be and crave for those days again ??

It's funny, I love cricket and love how the players of today play the game and the changes they have made have been fantastic !!

Why can't league do the same?

The difference is cricket doesn't make changes as a knee jerk reaction.

 

[sean1976]

The game has changed and the crappy administrators havent.

The 10 metre rule was meant to open up play, but paradoxically meant that the attacking focus of teams was playing the metre percentages up the middle. Trying to catch out backpeddling defences then became the focus, and led to the defence focusing on holding up the play the balls through the wrestle. Combine that with the ridiculous gridiron like interchange rule which allowed constant replenishment of the forwards and you have a recipe for a game that is static and one dimensional. IF the rules didn't reward this one off stuff up the middle, attacks would be forced to go wide and try more creative play. Tired forwards from a more restrictive interchange would encourage speed and creativity further.

The one dimensional character of the game always hits me when I go to a live game. Unless you're sitting on the halfway line, its like watching two static parrallel lines of men. Five hitups and a kick on the last.

The fact that the rules of the game are not encouraging expansive play is the reason why we are all wondering why the game isn't producing any five eights like Brett Kenny's or Cliff Lyon's. Instead we have a relative plonker like Foran being heralded as a game breaker. Cliff Lyons did more creative things in one game that Foran would achieve in a year.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

The game has changed and the crappy administrators havent.

The 10 metre rule was meant to open up play, but paradoxically meant that the attacking focus of teams was playing the metre percentages up the middle. Trying to catch out backpeddling defences then became the focus, and led to the defence focusing on holding up the play the balls through the wrestle. Combine that with the ridiculous gridiron like interchange rule which allowed constant replenishment of the forwards and you have a recipe for a game that is static and one dimensional. IF the rules didn't reward this one off stuff up the middle, attacks would be forced to go wide and try more creative play. Tired forwards from a more restrictive interchange would encourage speed and creativity further.

The one dimensional character of the game always hits me when I go to a live game. Unless you're sitting on the halfway line, its like watching two static parrallel lines of men. Five hitups and a kick on the last.

The fact that the rules of the game are not encouraging expansive play is the reason why we are all wondering why the game isn't producing any five eights like Brett Kenny's or Cliff Lyon's. Instead we have a relative plonker like Foran being heralded as a game breaker. Cliff Lyons did more creative things in one game that Foran would achieve in a year.

Good thoughts but you'd have to wonder how a player like Napper would go in the modern game?

Such a pity though as those days ( and Phil Blake before him) were heady days,that was real excitement!!

 

[HappilyManly]

Lowe Interview

 

[Budgie]

I think Cliffy would be brilliant in the modern game. Question is: what coach would play him?

 

[Hamster Huey]

I think Cliffy would be brilliant in the modern game. Question is: what coach would play him?

Who of todays crop is the closest match to him? There are so few guys now that take the chances he would, anywhere on the ground and at any time of the game.

There are clearly elements of Cliffy in JT, Foran and Johnson, but none are the package he was. I think that it is perhaps our own DCE that best matches the skillset and timing of the great Napper.