- Paul Gallen has set the quality of pre-season football on fire
- NRL legend says the standard he has seen is ‘appalling’
- The NRL season starts on Saturday, March 2 in Las Vegas
NRL legend Paul Gallen has labeled last weekend’s standard of football in the competition’s pre-season as ‘appalling’, with the start of the 2024 season just weeks away.
For the first time in history, the NRL season kicks off on American soil when the Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs, Roosters and Broncos play at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 2.
Excitement is building for the historic double-header, but Gallen is not happy with the quality of football in the preseason matches.
Sixteen of the seventeen clubs scored a goal this weekend as the Penrith Panthers headed to Great Britain for the World Club Challenge against Wigan.
“No, it was horrible – another word for shit… it was horrible,” he said Broad world of sports radio.
Paul Gallen has been less than impressed with the quality of football he has seen in pre-season
Gallen said the standard of footy has been ‘appalling’ and says trial matches should be scrapped
“Let’s take the Indigenous (All Stars) game out – they’re there for their culture and to promote rugby league, I understand that, they’re being brought together for two training sessions.
‘But I thought the rest of the matches were ordinary. They had some players whose names you don’t know and that’s why the quality of the games was very ordinary and I can’t wait for the big players to come back.
‘I do have doubts about the depth of the competition and the gap between the first grade and the reserve grade. To be honest, none of the players this weekend are capable of doing that.”
Gallen is not a fan of the trial matches and says players and coaches aren’t either.
“I think the days of test games are over,” Gallen said.
‘NRL has tried to incentivize the clubs (with money) … but nobody likes them, coaches don’t like them.
“Players train hard enough these days and do enough scrimmage sessions during the preseason.
Gallen says he doesn’t see the point of trials, nor do players and coaches like them
‘I don’t see the point in risking players these days; no one wants to play against them. I don’t think it’s a necessary evil anymore.’
The second week of trial matches starts next Friday.