The tall poppy problem in the NRL - Soapbox Sermons Episode 002

This week:Nathan Cleary's defence is under fire and people reckon he doesn't deserve the wraps. I'll tell you why he does, and why the real issue here is good old fashioned tall poppy cynicism.I was on a pod today with a Bulldog Dean Ritchie who said Laurie Daley deserves respect. I didn't agree then and I don't now. He gets respect when he wins the series, simple as that. The rookies like Radley, Strange, McLean and Koula overperformed. The champions went missing. So who's actually carrying who?A quick word on the series. Game 1 was the one Queensland had to win, because NSW can only get better from here and Queensland can only get worse.Then I run through what might be the best round of footy all season. The Sharks were unreal in that first half. Storm and Roosters went down to the wire despite 18 Roosters errors. The Dragons did the impossible and actually won. Bulldogs and Tigers right to the end. Warriors and Panthers was a cracker.And the big one. Fix this, Peter. V'landys keeps telling us the players need more discipline and the figures speak for themselves. Well the players have finally spoken for themselves, and a recent RLPA survey on their site does not back up the idea that the game has never been better. 96% say it's faster. 95% say they're more fatigued. 84% reckon refs have more influence on results. 66% fear they're more likely to get injured. 38% are enjoying it less. I'll break down what that data actually means and why the fix is so simple it's almost insulting.