It's too simple to say the NRL is too intense and Super League more entertaining. Look at the Canberra-Canterbury game I watched from the sideline just a week and a half ago – 41-34 and in doubt almost until the death. And then check out the first half of Catalans-Huddersfield on Sunday – almost as mind-numbingly tedious as that Wests Tigers-North Queensland Cowboys stinker. But what really stuck in my mind over the weekend was Jason Taylor's contention that no-one has had real success with attacking football in that competition since Wests Tigers won the NRL in 2005. The lesson I refer to at the top of the column is this: in Super League you can still have success with daring attack, in a way you can't in the NRL any more. The coaches of Canberra and Canterbury would have been as downcast at the way that game was played as their fans were thrilled. And that's a problem for the NRL. Taylor's comments – that he likes to coach attack and he has the players who can entertain, but they can't win doing so – should have alarmed everybody involved in the game.

An Australian player at a Super League club told me at the weekend that his coach instructs the players to give the crowd their money's worth, because then they'll be back. "It is actually a different game," he said. Compare that with the endless hit-ups (with no support) and kicking to the corners of the successful NRL clubs. The best players in that competition shine in spite of the way the game is played, not because of it. Something has to change. Brian Smith recently lamented that halfbacks no longer know how to control a game over the full width of the field. Hopefully when he arrives at Wakefield, he'll encourage Tim Smith to do just that – rather than fall into line with what is happening in the NRL right now. But most of all, we have to put the emphasis back on attack. It's so refreshing to see Canberra shift the ball in their own quarter and so depressing that we rarely see it anywhere else.

A couple of other observations from my couple of days in Tyneside, then. One, I saw so many trainers, medicos and other sideline staff smiling during matches and at first I couldn't understand why that was remarkable to me. Then it dawned on me that I never see it in the NRL. Two, one referee is a recipe for mistakes, guesswork and pure howlers. Going back to it would be a disaster. Three, an alarming number of Super League players do very casual things like trapping a downfield kick with their foot rather than bending down to pick the ball up. I guess that's the downside of the level of comfort that sees the trainers having a laugh. Four, playmakers being taken out is a real – not imagined – problem in our game. It happened all weekend.

The word in the press room was that Todd Carney would be speaking to the British media for the first time after the Catalans game. But then he tore his pectoral muscle and was escorted through the mixed zone by friend Ricky Wilby, who said Carney was in no state to be interviewed. In assessing whether we should have a Magic Weekend in Australia, there are a few factors which may not be obvious from afar. One is that the venue needs to be close enough to attract fans of all – or most – clubs but far enough away for it to feel like a bit of a holiday and for the city in question to be an attraction in itself. Proximity of the actual stadium to the city, and to bars, restaurants and hotels, is a big plus. Sydney is a no-go. Why would the NSW government pay to attract NRL games when there are already too many in that city anyway? Brisbane would work only as part of a Magic Weekend split between a number of cities but if the Broncos can attact 40,000 on their own, what's the point? Cairns doesn't have a decent venue. Perth doesn't have a big enough rectangular ground close to the CBD. Darwin's too small, so are Wellington and Christchurch.

In a year when there is no Origin in Melbourne, I like the idea of Etihad Stadium – it's right in town and could create the necessary party atmosphere. Adelaide Oval is also perfectly situated, even if you are too far from the action. And if the Nines aren't in Auckland, then the MW at Eden Park is a perfect replacement. But the NRL is big enough to split a round between three "magic" venues - maybe the criteria should be that there is no NRL team there. So, a double-header in Perth on Friday, three in Adelaide Saturday and three more in Wellington Sunday. If you're not playing the whole round at one venue, some of the concerns about size, shape and location become less important. Flying Rockets

I'd like to think that grassroots rugby league in Victoria is going to benefit from the Origin in Melbourne the way a team called Cramlington Rockets made the most of the Magic Weekend. They are seen as a bit of a template for an amateur club in a new area such as Newcastle. They have 200 registered players, we involved in all the lead-up publicity , sold 500 tickets themselves and filled up a section of the stadium with players and parents wearing bright orange t-shirts and wigs. I'm sure the NRL won't just take money out of the Melbourne market without using Origin II to promote participation in Melbourne. How good would it be to have local youngsters act as mascots, walking out with the teams and lining up in front of the players for the anthems? Click here for the forum

Click here for the podcast