PERPETUATING THE MYTHS

It happens every year, at the end of every season. GB (or England these days) get their international arses handed to them on a silver or bronze platter by the Aussies when it really counts, and every single English player bar none are discovered to be hopelessly out of their depth... AGAIN! That's the reality of the situation year after year, but what about the myths?

One particular myth about the British game doing the rounds for a number of years (and particularly during the Stupor League era) is they possess a strong pack of forwards who are at the very least the equal of, if not better than any other pack of forwards in the world, and that includes being better and stronger than the Kangaroos or Kiwis in that department. This particular myth is perpetuated year upon year by Sky Sports commentators (Eddie, Stevo and Phil Clarke) but we all know that's their job. They are paid handsome sums of money to hype up their employers Stupor League product on their employers subscription-based satellite TV channels. Speak to them off record and in private and they'll offer you a different and more realistic appraisal.

However, one of the worst offenders for perpetuating this myth are the two main RL publications in this country, the weekly League Express and their monthly Rugby League World magazine. They sponsor a number of end-of-season awards like the Golden Boot and the annual World XIII which is supposed to represent the very best current players in the world. They also make claims over their award nominations being fair, above board, and selected by members of the worldwide Rugby League media. Hmmmmm. Could they provide us all with a complete list of all those members of the worldwide Rugby League media, who they nominated and who they voted for please? At least that way, we can work out who the worldwide Rugby League media fuckwits are and give their published articles a huge swerve!

Because year upon year, no matter how embarrassing the results for GB or England, no matter how ordinary the performances of sundry GB or England players, they still get nominated and selected for the annual World XIII awards, whilst sundry GB or England players are nominated for the Golden Boot (best player in the world) award despite being dominated by their opponents on the international stage.

In recent years, World XIII announcements have awarded the likes of Keiron Cunningham, Andy Farrell, Jamie Peacock, Stuart Fielden, Paul Sculthorpe, Adrian Morley and Gareth Ellis as being among the world's very best forwards with monotonous regularlty, and this year has been no different, despite a 16-46 hammering in the Tri Nations Final at Elland Road last month.

And if that isn't embarrassing enough, the very same publications have seen fit to nominate Jamie Peacock , Gareth Ellis and Kevin Sinfield (Bwahahahaha) for the Golden Boot Award, but haven't dared go that one embarrassing step further since awarding Andy Farrell the award in 2004, a mere 24 hours prior to ignominiously skippering his team to a 4-44 thrashing. Jamie Peacock had to make do with the international Forward of the year award two years running instead, if only to perpetuate the myth of the English forwards even further.

Apparently, English players make up the bulk of the World XIII pack of forwards with James Graham (again), Gareth Ellis (again) and now Sam Burgess (several more awards earmarked for him now surely?) all making it into the 2009 World XIII selected by Rugby League World magazine.

Hello? Wake up. They lost 16-46! Those English forwards are only capable of competing for 60 minutes before collapsing into a weary shitheap and getting battered and run over. But hey, the myth of forward dominance must be perpetuated at all costs, eh?

During the late 80's and the 90's when we had Martin Offiah, Jason Robinson, Gary Connolly, Paul Newlove, Jonathan Davies, Shaun Edwards, Garry Schofield and Andy Gregory et al in the backs, the myth perpetuated back then was the forwards weren't good enough otherwise GB would wipe the floor with Australia. I'm just guessing that Ellery Hanley, Denis Betts, Phil Clarke, Andy Platt, Lee Jackson, Andy Goodway, Kevin Ward and Lee Crooks might have been a little pissed off at the accusation back then.

The myth has merely been turned on it's head in recent times. It's the backs that aren't good enough these days otherwise we'd wipe the floor with Australia. Though it still didn't prevent Rugby League World magazine from nominating in their World XIII an international turnstile called Keith Senior as the best centre in the the world three years running in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Doh!