Brian Carney's three eye-catchers - Crowd sourcing, Steve McNamara's challenge, golden mistake?
Tuesday 27 March 2018 10:49, UK
Brian Carney picks his big three talking points from another busy weekend of Super League action.
On the Big Stage
Last Friday at Elland Road, Leeds Rhinos put on a marvellous show and an audience of plus 23,000 produced a brilliant atmosphere at the iconic football ground before the hosts lost 25-24 to Castleford. It felt like a big game, and not just because it was a Grand Final rematch, but because of the energy created by the crowd.
It's obvious but the more people in a ground, the better the occasion. And this contest served as a reminder to me that clubs should never stop trying to come up with new ways to get people through the gates.
I think Castleford and Leeds delivered a game that suited the occasion and in the opening quarter, Tigers resembled the Castleford of 2017 when they played with an obvious swagger and belief.
As ever, Leeds didn't know when they were beaten and trailing 24-0, no one would have guessed that Kallum Watkins would end up with a final-play conversion attempt that could have won them the contest.
Did Castleford blow it? Not in my mind. You have to remember they were up against the champions. However, both teams would have gone home happy. Castleford for showing their fans the version of themselves from last year and Leeds' supporters saw their team again deliver on the spirit the club has become famous for.
It was an important night for Super League and a reminder that the game delivers at its best when on-field commitments are matched by the commitment of fans off the field. Congratulations to both clubs.
Next up for Castleford is a Wakefield team, who were beaten 34-24 by Warrington, showed they are an outstanding rugby league team.
Some Slack
I was, in the past, critical of Steve McNamara's appointment and reappointment as England coach. I didn't think he was the right man for the Catalans Dragons job when he was given it. It wasn't an attack on Steve. It was both a critique of where I see his strengths and weaknesses as a coach and the job description as I perceived it to be.
Having said that, I think there should be some breathing space afforded to him now by the people who decided he was right for them.
To explain, I need to draw the curtain back and given a proper sense of the unique challenges this Catalans Dragons job in 2018 poses. Set aside language issues for the minute, they are massively important but not a game-breaker.
Because there are legacy issues here and McNamara has inherited a team and a culture that was in decline in terms of professional application. What I mean is there has in the recent past been groups of senior players who have helped to set the culture at the club lower than where it needs to be.
Often, off-field activities have been allowed to distract the team. Not only has this impacted on performance, but also created an uneven balance between playing and lifestyle off the pitch in the eyes of the club's younger players.
You don't fix this is a short space of time and these challenges would be a big job for any coach, not just Steve McNamara.
Live Betfred Super League
Not so Golden
The Golden Point! What do you think? I'm genuinely interested to know how rugby league fans this side of the equator feel? For me, a draw as a third result to winning and losing is totally acceptable. I don't need to see a win or a loss every time.
This feels like an American concept where teams can't finish tied. And what we are now in danger of seeing in the NRL is a pattern of teams - tied on the scoreboard in the game's closing minutes - attempting pots at goal, and then 10 minutes more of such attempts when the contest enters the Golden Point period.
This fundamentally changes the way the game is both played by players and refereed, heaping more pressure on officials.
It is now being suggested in some quarters that a try and not a drop-goal, decides the contest. Personally, I see no legitimate reason for having to decide a regular game by either means. Granted if it's a cup competition and there are time constraints then there's justification.
But this rule shouldn't feature in regular rounds of competition. By this rationale, we may as well just let players keep playing until we get a result because a draw is so distasteful for some.
