So are Sl clubs, what's your point?

Most of the SL clubs are too.



I think burnout is a major part of the failure at the top level, it is something i have mentioned on several other threads.



Not only are we playing significantly more games a year, our seasons are longer played in more difficult conditions and rest periods shorter.



Its all well and good stating about the intensity of the game but how many NRL games are played on heavy tracks in the wind and rain/snow? Of late 80% of games in the SL have been played in poor certainly not summer conditions.



The most significant point though in this entire fatigue equation that seems to be lost on the Aussies is that for years season in season out England GB have had to relly on the same players, in the NRL the larger pool of players means a drop in form and you are gone. Internationally we as a nation have put players such as, Peacock, Morley, Fielden, Ellis, Long,Senior,Gleeson,Wellens,Pryce, Locky, Sinfield through this no rest constant playing cycle, added to which the squad is made up from players mainly from the teams that make the final/play the most games and have just been peaked by the clubs physically.



Sadly though until the SL clubs stop looking at the financial side of things there will never be a reduction of the fixtures and the players will continue to limp into the end of season tournaments.

I don't think it holds much weight when you consider how tough the nrl is wekk in week out, plus origin.

In order to even get close to recovering fully for a new season you need a minimum of 4 weeks active recovery off prior to getting into pre season.



The top players we have to relly on year on year never get this, the accumulated effects of this over the years can be devastating.



Look at the Aussies regards International Caps i would guess that in the team apart from Price, Petro and Lockyer the other players will be lucky to have at most individually 7 caps each, with a good few gained in the midseason Anzac test with is played mid season, they are not being asked to have no off season year in year out as our better performers have as they do not get the rest/recovery performances drop off during the season, they do not make selection for the rep sides, due to increased player competition, not having that pool of players to pick from in our case means we relly on the same players year in year out and throughout there careers they get no recovery time, not just for 1 or 2 seasons as is often the case with the Aussie players.

AUSTRALIAN forward Brent Kite has played more games than almost every other NRL player this year and yet he couldn't feel better. The Manly prop is enjoying his finest season to date and he believes it is all due to being controversially overlooked for the NSW State of Origin team. Missing NSW's third straight series loss meant Kite didn't return to club football tired and emotionally drained. www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 66,00.html

AUSTRALIAN forward Brent Kite has played more games than almost every other NRL player this year and yet he couldn't feel better. The Manly prop is enjoying his finest season to date and he believes it is all due to being controversially overlooked for the NSW State of Origin team. Missing NSW's third straight series loss meant Kite didn't return to club football tired and emotionally drained. www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 66,00.html

Very good points jonh.



Could one of the moderators rename this thread "Workload for England test players must be reduced"? This might clue other posters in to the main focus of this thread.

I think you will find all the St. Helens players have not had a decent off season break for 3 years..................and it shows.

Its time clubs outside of Leeds and St Helens stop recruiting between 7 and 10 overseas players and contribute some home grown talent, instead of going for the short term gain.

Hopefully the no relegation policy will start to put clubs in transition for the international future of the game.

I should point out Barrett said hw went to the SL so he did not have to deal with the NRL off season, which is like an Army style boot camp

Workload could be a factor but tbh, imo it is excuse making, fair enough the English players may have played more games but at the end of the day if say a player from Saints has played 37 games, you can knock 4/5 off that total already because 1/2 were probs a Challenge Cup game vs NL2 opposistion and the best players at Saints could probably be out on the lash the night before that game and still beat them by 40 points at least. Also 3/4 games a season probs more for the Saints/Leeds contingent in the England side are played with less intensity for example and its no disrespect to a team in the lower echelons of SL here but around 9/10 times Saints play Cas how many times are Saints's players giving it 100%, probably never, more like 60%/70%. In the NRL there really are no easy beats, fair enough SL has seen a reduction in 40+ point results but you still get far more than in Aus. The competition is more intense thus a player playing 28 intense games a year is probably on the same workload as a player who played 38 games a year with around 9/10 games not at 100%.

Another problem SL has is you look at all 14 teams in the SL, how many of them have 2/3 star players, eg : 2/3 of the best 60 players in the world. I would probs say 7. In the NRL every side has at the very least 2 star names. Even NQ Cowboys who finished bottom of the NRL last year have Thurston, Penrith have Wesser, Civoiniceva. The really top sides in the NRL have say 5/6 star players, eg Melbourne - Folau, Inglis, Slater, Johnson, C Smith.

IMO many fans are understandably upset at England's failure in RLWC, but the popular reasons (that the test players are not good enough, too many overseas players in SL) merely serve to create convenient scapegoats of those players. Those reasons are excuses, at best secondary reasons.



Even if the talent pool is widened, and even if the the number of imports is reduced, unless the major problem of the season structure is addressed, nothing will change and England will still be beaten.



Player welfare is not just a physiological phenomenon, but a mental one too. England players need a 3 month off season to mentally take a break and freshen up. The 2 month offseason is inadequate compared to Australia's 3 months.

what about the chat for aussies test players before the thread being renamed

IMO SL should have 12 teams and 22 games, it seems daft playing more because it gives some teams an unfair advantage, I'd still keep the play offs as they are though.



Challenge cup from January to April, that way most teams can treat the early easy games as pre season friendlies, assuming they don't draw a decent team in which case they might need a friendly or two. Plus this means you can't just rely on hitting form around july in order to win trophys.



Add to that a mid season international friendly (ideally Lancs v Yorks but this seems to have gone down the pan so England v Ireland/Scotland/Wales/France would do.) Then a friendly just before the internationals start.