Slowly but surely we are bridging the gap but there are definitely more quality players Down Under.
Rugby League is the main game in Australia and is a very high profile sport .
To put things in perspective, over here, 17 or 18 players at any Super League club are equally as talented and as good as those in Australia.
The big difference lies with the other 10 squad members who are not as strong as those in the NRL. We saw in the recent World Club Challenge just how strong Manley are. They were convincing winners against Leeds and showed what they are capable of.
Super League has definitely improved considerably since the last time I played at this level. I spent six years in Australia and can honestly say that standards have risen considerably but the improvements must be maintained if we are to close the gap.
One encouraging sign has been the reduction in what some term second-rate overseas players.
At one stage our game was being flooded with them. Personally speaking I don't want to ban imports altogether. The top players from Australia such as Trent Barratt and Matt King who have come into our game have certainly added a great deal and raised the profile even higher.
These are the kind of players who can help develop our game, they put bums on seats and we need them.
What I don't like seeing is a player coming from overseas whose sole intention is to pick up one last big pay packet and go through the motions. That's not on and it needed to stop.
Wigan, Leeds, Bradford and Saints always used to dominate our game but at long last we are finding an even competition and that's good.
The salary cap is working wonders and it is helping our game. It's now very refreshing to see the likes of Hull KR and Huddersfield coming through and challenging.
There are no poor teams in Super League but now we need more quality and greater strength in depth.
I AIM to be back for Warrington in Saturday's clash at Hull. I was due to have an X-ray on my hand today and hoped to be given the all clear.
We will be looking to build on our professional display in our Challenge Cup win at Featherstone last week and to really kick on in the second half of the season.
NEXT month sees the international clash between England and France in Paris. I want to play for my country and still feel I can do a job at international level.
The World Cup in Australia was hugely disappointing. We didn't do ourselves justice, the French also did not perform. Bobbie Goulding will take charge of France for the first time and will certainly have his men fired up.
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Rest assured the gap is not getting closer. As for your statement about 17 players at each club being equal to their Australian counterparts, AM i MISREADING THIS? There is not 17 English players in the whole comp who could hold down a regular spot in any RFL side. Jordan Tansey will go back an absolute superstar in superleague and the reality is he is so far behind the Aussies in defense it isn't funny.Easts are such a poor outfit this year he is very fortunate to be getting the experience.
Of the English halve that could hold down a spot I think Myler, McGuire and Price would be the only ones even looked at. Moore is the best prospect Ive seen from England for a long while.The outside backs in England are so far behind the NRL standard it isn't funny, They haven't the defensive know how, the size or the speed to get anywhere near NRL standard. The current England Pack has three players that could possibly get a look in with an Australian team Moore Hock and Burgess. Burgess is a second row or prop not a lock,and has the same mongrel in him as you and would be a big hit out here.
The two ref system absolutely stinks but has sped the game up out here once again and widened the gap further. How the game will ever be truly international is beyond me, Australia are just stretching the gap all the time.
I have not seen anything to make me feel the next thirty years will be any different than the last.