Ok stevie, just for you:
1. Marshalling. Mixed bag, some teams, some individuals. That saying when the teams are the London Tigers, who are one of the best reffing crews in the country, no-ones getting short changed. There are always issues with Marshalling the PA has some too. That saying if Marshalling is decided to be sub-standard, at least the D7 organisers arranged for games to be replayed. It's a commonsense approach to any issues, not a blanket the marshal is always correct. As an aside to the marshals I think the rules at the PA are too draconian, and although the D7 has some of the PA rules in it, is less draconian. We isn't all fairies and altar boys, that's all part of the fun. As for the PA's written exam, a good idea, they may want to include some practical though, cos their version of a "paint check" needs some work.
2. Netting. D7s has permanent sunk telegraph poles, which are far superior to the scaffolding I saw in evidence. It may now be different at the PA, but short of the Millennium system, the D7s is the best I've seen. They also use X Ball style sin bins for Deadboxes that are fully netted.
3. Player area security. Well considering gats have gone walkies from both events, I wouldn't really put one over the other. The PA may have an id system, but that didn't seem to stop non-players in the staging area when I was there. I was asked specifically about my Gun by non-players when helping teams staging so I don't think either event is better, Again the D7s pragmatic approach of allowing players to stage out of cars until a Hard Staging area was constructed was a good one. Whether this is in place going forward we'll have to wait and see.
points 4 and 5 are mute in my opinion, although when you get the big teams supporting the league and PB Celebrities playing it (Andy "Pudding" Piper, and believe me they come no bigger), the D7s ain't that bad a proposition.
Anyway, shake a leg England play in a bit.
