Quote ="the flying biscuit"Glad you think the same I watched that game a while Back and the speed of the whole pack was astounding ...it was a forwards game no doubt about it. but people Like Sally cinnamon keep telling us we are simply misty eyed and modern day players like Paleasina and gareth hagerty are fitter and more mobile and more skilfull....
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I think you're mixing me up with someone else biscuit. I normally come on telling everybody that the game then was better with class acts like Hanley, Gregory, Edwards, Davies and Offiah who were streets ahead of anybody around today. I've had arguments with some delusionals on here saying things like "how do you know they didn't just look good because everyone else was part time....."
The handling from the forwards in those days was a lot quicker because they had less space at the ruck so the line was in their faces, even big men had to have some guile to create space. When I was at school Mike Gregory was always held up by the teachers to us as the model of the classic loose forward, but today in SL there isn't any loose forward out of the Gregory mould who does switch passes, run arounds etc. Same with the props I agree with you there was far more skill with the ball from the big men, todays game has too much emphasis on producing battering rams who smash themselves into early retirement or burn out eg Martin Lang and Fielden.
