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HKR AWAY DAYS · (This post was last modified: 06-15-2012 12:32 PM by HKR AWAY DAYS.)

English Origin will be better...

I must praise the bloke for taking all the positives from a concept I support but I think that suggesting it'll be better than State of Origin is a bit over the top...

CherryPie · 06-15-2012, 02:53 PM

Except it won't be better, and it certainly doesn't look like it has the potential to grow because the clubs, encouraged by the RFL, are turning to home grown players instead of signing overseas players. The best overseas players now look likely to remain in the NRL which means the quality and quantity of overseas players in Super League is likely to diminish over time.

HKR AWAY DAYS · 06-15-2012, 03:19 PM

It did cross my mind about the timing of the Exiles concept in relation to the focus on homegrown development and the salary cap changes in the NRL. I think we will still see decent foreign players over here in 5/10/15 years, but maybe not as many and maybe not of the same standard as our top Exiles, Finch, Manu, Soliola etc.

Farmduck · 06-15-2012, 05:56 PM

Two big problems here:

- the Exiles aren't a state or an ethnic group. They don't represent anyone and the TV rights will have minimal value outside England. Despite all the on-field drama, SOO's strength has been built largely on the massive TV ratings which have allowed the ARL to build it up. I watched last year's but I didn't feel anything. Nobody hates England enough to follow "whoever plays England, " unlike the Rhinos, where I always go for the other team.

- NSW has played Qld at a whole range of sports for over 100 years. It wasn't a manufactured rivalry. I don't think Englanders take their sports (other than soccer) as seriously as Ozzies either. Qld spent 100 years trying to win our interstate cricket comp. They bought Joel Garner, Ian Botham and Viv Richards just to win - and they still didn't until Allan Border retired from Tests and played the whole season for Qld.

CherryPie · 06-15-2012, 06:15 PM

That's a good point. On Saturday there will be a pitiful number of people at Langtree Park to watch the game but more importantly it will still be 99% behind England. The Exiles have pretty much no fanbase so how exactly does this rivalry grow? Who is this rivalry with exactly? The fans and the passion that they bring is one of the great things about the SOO and it's one of the things that makes the game as big as it is. It will always have massive support in those areas.

The England vs Exiles game doesn't even have the same intensity as a good SL derby and it doesn't get the support either.

Baldboy · 06-16-2012, 07:45 PM

Watched to Origin game in midweek and just finished watching the England v Exiles match.
Oh dear.
The ball was the same shape and that's where the similarity ends.

Cheese · 06-16-2012, 08:30 PM

glad someone else noticed.

**The Swede** · 06-16-2012, 08:44 PM

(06-16-2012 07:45 PM)Baldboy Wrote: Watched to Origin game in midweek and just finished watching the England v Exiles match.
Oh dear.
The ball was the same shape and that's where the similarity ends.

Haha, brilliant! Big Grin

CherryPie · (This post was last modified: 06-16-2012 08:45 PM by CherryPie.)

That game was absolute garbage. England might as well play with 13 forwards on the pitch because they seem to have no intention of using the players out wide. Roby might well be the best hooker in England but everything he does draws the play right down the middle. He shows no desire to encourage the ball to be spread out wide and neither do the halfbacks.

We have two of the most dangerous attacking players in Tomkins and Hock and they rarely receive the ball in attacking positions. Atkins is supposed to be a fantastic strike centre yet never has any sort of gap to work with.

I wish I had just watched the football instead.

**The Swede** · 06-16-2012, 08:51 PM

I've noticed that with Roby to be fair, likes the short, 'punchy' ball too much. I think at least with a Lomax or a Myler outside him you'd entice the ball further wide, thus, obviously, dragging our threats into the game more. Atkins is no strike centre for me. He's a big b*stard who fits into Super League well but would get found out big time for the unstructured nature of his game.

I think all this proves to show is that England are a team of basic football, and they beat a group of 17 players.