batleyrhino wrote:For me the standard had been in decline for around 10 years. Even when we did the treble, it was already sliding. Being good and being competitive aren’t the same thing, the league is becoming more competitive but the standard of play is noth8ng like what it was in the 2000-2013 era.
If the true barometer of the strength of domestic competition us the international game you could argue that standards have been in perpetual decline since the mid 90's. Somebody mentioned the Bulls game from 2002 on a thread the other day. I caught it too. Great atmosphere, great game with some super players - but absolutely littered with errors that would have driven this forum into a frenzy. General standards have improved markedly since those days, but crucially the level of talent our clubs can attract from the NRL hasn't. When you were watching the likes of Trent Barrat, Lyon, Vainkola, Webb etc, you knew you were watching players of genuine world class. That's what I miss, but the rosy lens of nostalgia is conveniently blind to some up the absolute rubbish which was also served up.