LEE Radford believes England’s World Cup anxiety is a sign that Super League needs to sort itself out and stop accepting ‘scrap’.
Questions are being asked after the Lions’ semi-final failure against Samoa when it looked like they could go all the way.
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One of the most important is improving the quality of club competition on this side of the world – too many games, not enough revenue, not enough opportunities to develop talent are just some of the problems.
IMG has proposed reducing the top flight to 22 matches per season, with the aim of growing clubs off the field to eventually boost it to 14.
And Castleford boss Radford, who helped the Pacific Islanders to their first-ever final, believes something needs to be done to bring it closer to the NRL.
He said: “Even now there is a financial impasse because players want more. We scrap for leftovers, literally.
“In that respect it’s depressing as a British rugby league fan and with my involvement in the game it’s depressing to hear this.
“One thing that has been an eye opener after speaking to some of the players and the coaching staff is the growth of the game in the NRL.
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“We let a pound go a long way, we make the best of bad situations, but it’s because of our popularity as a sport, we’re not as popular as we should be.
“Look at the two World Cup semi-finals and compare them to some of the rugby union games you watch, I’m baffled we’re not getting the support we should be getting.
“I really hope the IMG plan helps build the game here. Any help we get is greatly appreciated. The sport needs a boost one way or another, that’s a fact.”
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Radford may have a World Cup final against Australia to prepare players for, but that hasn’t stopped him from being at his day job as Castleford returned for pre-season on Monday.
And Tigers players can expect the same treatment as Samoa’s stars, as he added: “It was quite surreal but I wanted to show my face, first impressions are important.
“One thing I am is authentic, so I think how I am at Castleford is how I have been here. I certainly coach the Castleford players in the same way as Samoa.”