Rugby League players who could have/could make the switch

[The Rock]

Does anyone apart from Rebecca Wilson (as she espoused on Sky's Sports Night last night), give any credence to the notion that Burgess' motivation to change codes stems from critical comments made by his Souths team mate Inglis and fining by the club for doing unsanctioned promotional work?

Seems to me that there are more than enough positive reasons for his apparent intended move (rather than Burgess' disgruntlement as Wilson described it). Challenging himself in rugby and participating in a more authentic world cup are more likely to be much stronger motivators than a dummy spit with his current league team.

I know a few of the Souths Boys and what Wilson was saying is pretty spot on. I think the $$$$$ has a lot to do with it as well and yes, the opportunity to play in a World Cup would be exciting for the Pom, but I am sure after its all finished he will be back playing League and enjoying the faster game.​

Contracts seem to mean nothing nowadays as he still had a couple of years to run on his. Souths have looked after his family well, setting the family up in Sydney, bringing Mum out from England and providing extra finance for all of them. Anything they wanted, was given to them.​

 

[terry j]

is there a little summary of his story somewhere? I've heard his name but that's all, never seen him play etc but it sounds interesting the 'souths brought his whole family out from england' stuff. His mum seems to be mentioned a lot as well.

an interesting back story it sounds like.

 

[TOCC]

Give me a break, Rebecca Wilson is a tabloid journalist if there has ever been one, she has a history of putting the boot into players who leave the NRL for Rugby Union, only last year she was playing the exact same ego card when Benji Marshall said he was going to depart.

As for the Rabbitohs looking after Sam's family, of course they did, Luke, George and Tom are all NRL calibre players and the Rabbitohs needed some big bruising forwards and they were able to play the family card to recruit the rest of them.

is there a little summary of his story somewhere? I've heard his name but that's all, never seen him play etc but it sounds interesting the 'souths brought his whole family out from england' stuff. His mum seems to be mentioned a lot as well.


an interesting back story it sounds like.

Sam is a England international rugby league player, his elder brother is also a quality NRL player, his younger brothers(the twins) are massive units and will be in the England test team for many years to come. Their father died, all the brothers were living in Sydney so their mother moved down to be with her sons.

 

[Hairy Test Eagle]

is there a little summary of his story somewhere? I've heard his name but that's all, never seen him play etc but it sounds interesting the 'souths brought his whole family out from england' stuff. His mum seems to be mentioned a lot as well.

an interesting back story it sounds like.

 

[hawktrain]

I think one of the big issues for him if he plays 12 is how he adapts to moving laterally in defence. In league, he defends in the middle of the field where players are very close together and it is mainly big forwards trucking it straight up. If he defends at 12 he'll have to learn to deal with players running different angles, moving laterally in defence rather than just moving forward, making decisions of whether to slide or shoot up, backing up in cover defence etc etc, things that he doesn't have to do defending in the middle in league.

It'll be interesting.

 

[The Rock]

I think one of the big issues for him if he plays 12 is how he adapts to moving laterally in defence. In league, he defends in the middle of the field where players are very close together and it is mainly big forwards trucking it straight up. If he defends at 12 he'll have to learn to deal with players running different angles, moving laterally in defence rather than just moving forward, making decisions of whether to slide or shoot up, backing up in cover defence etc etc, things that he doesn't have to do defending in the middle in league.

It'll be interesting.

Look, he has the goods and he will go well, he can step, run and he can score tries. Union keep Sniffing around the League players as they know they are coached very well, their defence is excellent, they can catch the high balls, they are superb athletes and fit compared to most union players, who wouldn't last in such a fast game and where some of them are just plain fat. Doesn't show the confidence in the union system though, when they have to poach the league boys. If you didn't know already, it is harder nowadays to tell the difference between the Props and Wingers in league as they virtually look the same, fit and athletic.​

 

[terry j]

oh for fucks sake.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Just on the Rock's comments about excellent defence, haven't league converts generally been some of the worst defenders?

I can certainly recall poor defensive moments from Folau and Tahu a couple of the more recent converts.

Not gonna cop the comment about showing a lack of confidence in the union system by poach the odd bloke for publicity. Fucking works both ways. Didn't show that much confidence in the system when the Bulldogs signed Elsom out of Nudgee college. Same could be said for Hunt out of Churchie, Cooper Cronk and Lagi Setu out of Aus Schoolboys, JWH out of the Central Coast Rays and Tahs.

Union consistently loses young talent to league simply because there is a lack of professional roster spots in union. The odd player from the top end comes the other way and there's a fucking uproar.

 

[TOCC]

Look, he has the goods and he will go well, he can step, run and he can score tries. Union keep Sniffing around the League players as they know they are coached very well, their defence is excellent, they can catch the high balls, they are superb athletes and fit compared to most union players, who wouldn't last in such a fast game and where some of them are just plain fat. Doesn't show the confidence in the union system though, when they have to poach the league boys. If you didn't know already, it is harder nowadays to tell the difference between the Props and Wingers in league as they virtually look the same, fit and athletic.​

Yeah mate you've got me, i can't tell the difference between forwards and backs?!?

 

[oztimmay]

Least I know who ate all the pies...

 

[Hawko]

Look, he has the goods and he will go well, he can step, run and he can score tries. Union keep Sniffing around the League players as they know they are coached very well, their defence is excellent, they can catch the high balls, they are superb athletes and fit compared to most union players, who wouldn't last in such a fast game and where some of them are just plain fat. Doesn't show the confidence in the union system though, when they have to poach the league boys. If you didn't know already, it is harder nowadays to tell the difference between the Props and Wingers in league as they virtually look the same, fit and athletic.​

This poster is clearly too young to remember all the poaching that league used to do before the end of the amateur era. It coincided with a time when Rugby in Australia did not have a lot of depth and hurt our national team for many years. Why were they poached then? They were superb athletes, highly skilled, well coached - need I go on?

As to the tackling bullshit and the fitness - they used to say that back in the day too, till they pinched Ray Price in his prime and he taught them a thing or two about tackling and fitness.

Rock is right about the convergence of League body types by position. The whole game has been dumbed down so severely that there is now no need for props to be able to scrum or for players to have much in the way of special skills and peak power (as compared to fitness and endurance). Thirteen players all very aerobically fit with reasonable power characteristics and maybe two of those have to be able to kick a football. That's what you need to have for a good team for the ADHD masses.

 

[terry j]

^ too, but I find it funny now how 'they only leave league because of the big dollars'. In other words, leave the 'better' game because of money, yet twas never the reverse when union was amateur eh?

 

[USARugger]

Words escape me.

 

[RugbyReg]

yeah, so let's move on and not let this thread turn into a rugby v league shit fight. No more comment on the history of poaching and Vichy government etc. The thread topic is pretty clear.

 

[Ruggo]

Beats me why people would waste energy crapping out on another code. Is it not enough that you enjoy rugby?

 

[The Rock]

Yeah mate you've got me, i can't tell the difference between forwards and backs?!?

No more like these, Prop, Outside Back !

 

[terry j]

I have a fireman calendar for you if you want rock, let me know and I'll post it to you.

they take their tops off, think you'll like it

 

[USARugger]

This poster is clearly too young to remember all the poaching that league used to do before the end of the amateur era.

I think it's more that he's a little busy living life with both eyes closed and both ears plugged.

After 5 minutes at Churchie training I'd met 3 or 4 boys being courted by the Broncos or other NRL clubs.

 

[The Rock]

I have a fireman calendar for you if you want rock, let me know and I'll post it to you.

they take their tops off, think you'll like it

Lol. No thanks, you can keep it and your Georgie Rose photo. Trying to give an example. Georgie Rose I hear, is being constantly monitored by Bellamy at the Storm, so no more Mcdonalds Happy Meals for him and Idris does not look like that anymore, a very old photo.

 

[Pfitzy]

The reason they never played there is because it's not. The backline can be a lonely place in defence and with more space a player can easily be shown up.

I never said 12 was easy defensively - as a front rower I quite enjoyed the fact I didn't need to worry about what happened once the ball left the scrum, especially in my own 22, only the phase after that. Out in the backs with 60 metres of width to cover that would be fucked.

But with players either side of him calling the shots, 12 would be easier because he's not having to initiate a line or lead a defensive spot on either the blind or open side, or from 8.