Not the production values of Match of The Day, but it's still good and an improvement on last year.
Montages and interviews suggest it's been put together by people who know the sport.
Tanya looking very slim, trim and knowledgable.

The music on it still sounds a bit 80s and the egg chaser bit was a bit cringy but it is a vast improvement on the previous offering.

Have they got a margin meter?

Pretty much sums up my thoughts too.

Thumbs up here too. Much better and better questions too. Good opening guests who are articulate and have something to say. Would be great if they could get some sort of tactics section going to steal a step on SKY. Might force them to raise their game in that area. There must be a good tactical coach out there looking for some media work.

Much improved. Three articulate, enthusiastic individuals who knew what they were talking about in an atmosphere that wasn't stilted, it was altogether refreshing and I enjoyed the programme.

The egg and spoon thing is a direct copy of the Sky effort they tried out during 2010 I think it was. Baz and Tez were involved in it. I can't remember what they called it but it appeared during the Superleague Superman show.

Baz and Tez. How are they still around? Sky are out of touch. I think it's ironic that the Beeb, who are commonly accused (possibly with justification) of reinforcing the northern flat cap stereotype have Lady Balding of RL for the Challenge Cup, Tanya Arnold for the Superleague show and all their pundits (a) can string coherent sentences together, (b) are not walking cliches and (c) provide insightful discussion. Sky fail on all counts, bar Jon Wells and Brian Carney (who are still both men, regardless of how long Brian grows his Irish locks).

Do they still tell you who won at the beginning? Always annoys me that, Bill Arthur's thing did it too.

think Milner handling the egg will cost Cas the title

Just watched it now, thanks to iPlayer. 3.15am is too late for anything on a Monday night.

It was a huge improvement on previous years, much more professional, and Ian Millward's always good value. So long as they can keep on getting decent guests who are conversational, insightful and can speak beyond the usual cliches - which usually means coaches, rather than players who want to keep their jobs - it looks like it'll be worth watching the whole season.

i don't get why they can't use the fancy "motd-type" studio that bbc uses for most of its studio based sports coverage these days...



i mean they used it for the super bowl last sunday

Is it (the SLS) filmed in Leeds or Salford?

Its filmed in Leeds. superleague.co.uk/article/arnold ... show/24154

Its filmed in Leeds. superleague.co.uk/article/arnold ... show/24154

Gonna try and watch the BBC Super League show tonight - really happy we have a regular timeslot and if we could only get for national coverage - I would be a very happy man.

Great to see Sky run a Super League Full Time show - great concept on the back of NRL Full Time but why oh why did they employ Barrie and Terry to do running commentary.

The pair are as thick as 2 planks and are so embarrassing + inarticulate.

An NRL style commentary would have been sufficient and would have been a cheaper way of producing the show as well.

Bit harsh, I think Barrie and Terry provide the more watchable bits when it comes to Sky coverage.

And since when has "articulateness" being an issue when watching a predominately northern based, working class sport?

So providing articulate, interesting comments on an RL show is a waste of time, because the average RL fan is too thick to understand them - is that what you're getting at?

Yes

I have always found Terry cringe worthy in front of a camera but used to think Barry was OK. In that 1st SLFT show though he was constantly getting his words mixed up and at one point stopped talking for a good 5 seconds because he got tongue tied. I'd have much preferred Wells and Carney who are very knowledgeable and very good when it comes to presenting and the such.

As for SLS, I enjoyed it. I even liked the egg and spoon race thing. It was light hearted and fun but it needs to be after all the highlights at the end of the show for me.

Glad it's available on iplayer as it means I can watch it. Might be able to pick up a few ideas



Anyone know how long it's available for?

Ive just tried to watch it on the iplayer and it says its not available outside the UK...

Yeah, you can't watch anything on iPlayer outside of the UK.

A UK-based proxy may help, I don't know.

The Egg Chasers thing was proper cheesy but that sort of Soccer AM-type thing seems to work a bit. The feature on Ryan Hall put him in a good light and it would be great to have similar features to show not every player suffers from BDL syndrome.

Not a fan of the 'mention the result before the highlights' although there again who doesn't know the scores by then anyway?

Excellent start, long may it continue.

Agreed, I didn't mind the eggchasers bit. I just wish some highlights shows would show some of the build up play and maybe do 'tackles of the week' or 'plays of the week'. Maybe a great pass, hit, kick or tackle. Seems Rugby League highlights consist of seeing players putting the ball over the line.

Spot on there Jonny, best "hit" of the week gets my vote

That gets my goat too. Sometimes BBC only show the final pass and the player going over to score. Show the whole play goddamnit!!! You don't get a feel for what went into making the try otherwise. The free SL highlights on YouTube are great for this. Shows the full lead up to the try including the previous plays of its relevant.

Most of the pundits and studio guests bore me to death on both SKY and BBC. Barry and Terry say a thousand words without actually telling you anything and none of the current or ex coaches or players actually say what they think because they're all in the same little cosy clique. Whether you like him or not, Garry Schofields column in this weeks League Weekly sums up the poor state of Rugby League punditry and analysis,
"Mcrae offered the opinion that Widnes had done enough to show that they'll be competitive this season. Really ! They lost at home by 18 points to a side that most people think are bottom-three certainties"
Couldn't agree more Garry, nobody wants to bite the hand that feeds them or to upset the apple cart, unfortunately it makes for bland and comprimised opinions.
Amongst the bland and idiotic I'd say Brian Carney is the only one that adds anything worthwhile.