Andy Farrell One of the greatest

[TykeMerc]

I've met a few although only really union players (with the exception of Jason Robinson) and they have all been pretty intelligent.

Maybe the League boys just aren't as clever as the Union boys.

This is my view as someone who used to play Union at a fairly high level before a nasty knee injury and is a firm fan of the League game as a spectator sport.

To a fair extent what you said used to be true, prior to the Union allowing professional payments all of their top level players were either independantly wealthy (so well schooled), professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountants, civil servants or well paid employees of firms run by Union fans, the vast majority of them were the products of top end Universities and Public schools where they take time to play the game. These were the only people who could afford to play the game at the top levels, take time off for international tours and training.
The League players were up until quite recently semi professional players who held down "ordinary" jobs, Carl Harrison (former GB captain) was a plasterer and general builder, Mark Preston (GB winger) worked for AXA as an auditor, Dave Watson (Kiwi Center, but played in the UK) is a Policeman. While some of the League players were University educated it's fair to say that most of them were in ordinary jobs and trades.

There certainly used to be a bit of a social class and education divide and it's reasonable to argue that it still exists to a certain extent.

To get back on topic Andy Farrel was a superb League player who in my opinion was marginally past his prime when he switched codes and then got quite severely injured which compounded the damage picked up over his many years in the League. Don't forget he was in the national League team in his late teens and League is a more physically punishing game than Union so the players tend to have shorter careers as a result.

[Sysman]

This is my view as someone who used to play Union at a fairly high level before a nasty knee injury and is a firm fan of the League game as a spectator sport ...

I agree wholeheartedly. Union was reserved for the professional classes, and League was for the builders and milkmen etc. However, League was always the better spectator sport, at least at local level.

WYS for the rest of your post, really.

[TykeMerc]

I agree wholeheartedly. Union was reserved for the professional classes, and League was for the builders and milkmen etc. However, League was always the better spectator sport, at least at local level.

WYS for the rest of your post, really.

Rugby League is a far better spectator sport than Union and it shows Association football up as incredibly dull. Purely personal opinion, but I feel its only rivals for entertainment value as field sports go are the Gaelic (football and hurley) and Aussie games.
I've never understood the hugely dominant popularity of Association football when there are far more exciting games on offer.

[ookook]

To get back on topic Andy Farrel was a superb League player who in my opinion was marginally past his prime when he switched codes and then got quite severely injured which compounded the damage picked up over his many years in the League. Don't forget he was in the national League team in his late teens and League is a more physically punishing game than Union so the players tend to have shorter careers as a result.

Totally agree, a fantastic League player and his unsucessful Union career will never overshadow all those years with Wigan and GB.