Rugby League Tri-Nations 2005

[Blaze]

Lockyer has had a mediocre year.. I am surprised you guys didn't run at him more.

 

[steds]

Lockyear has had a mediocre year.. I am surprised you guys didn't run at him more.

It's because we're scared of reputations.

 

[Blaze]

It's because we're scared of reputations.

Your forward pack wasn't. They outplayed Aus but your backs just couldn't create anything.

 

[BoyBrumby]

WRT Gasnier, what makes him special for me is that he's like schisse off a wet shovel & he runs straight & hits gaps hard. He has what all great centres need, that instinctive eye for space. It seems to be something SH players have better than our boys, in both codes.

 

[chalky]

Your forward pack wasn't. They outplayed Aus but your backs just couldn't create anything.

Yeah the backs were terrible no pace, invention or class. Morely, Fielden and Cunningham where immence - even though Noble left Fielden on for too long.

 

[Tim]

Looks like it'll be an NZ/Aus final unless Britain smash both NZ & Aus in the final 2 games.

 

[steds]

Yeah the backs were terrible no pace

Very valid point there, my friend. Of the backs who played last night, only Pryce, who obviously hates playing on the wing, and Carney, who's a crock, possess any real pace. Wellens usually makes up for it by being one of the best defensive full backs in the world. In my eyes, it's only Minichiello's pace which seperates him from Wello. Had a shocker last night, though. Anyway, yeah, both Deacon and Harris are slow. Deacon's a total waste of space who would fit in yawnion well because all he's good at is goalkicking, and as Sinfield does that, Deacon's just wasting a jersey. The quickest halves pairing we could probably get is Long and Horne.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is my theory about this. The rugby league heartland does not produce too many really quick playerswhilst places like Australia does, and I think it's down to genes.
The Australians obviously get their pace from the original Australians, who had to be pretty quick on their feet to avoid the police. This is the same way Liverpool has produced all those socey players and the reason I was so excited about young James Graham from Maghull making his Saints debut....then I realised upon seeing him that being a 6'5" ginger is another way to stop the bizzies messing with you.
Most of New Zealands rugby players are descended from Maori warriors, strong as oxen and as fast as the wind. No mystery there.
The North of England, the heartland, has never had a need for quick blokes, so it's the big, stout miner's/factory worker's genes which have become dominant and been passed down.
Of course, there's always an explanation for the exceptions. Carney's pace obviously harks from his forefathers chasing leprichauns and haring towards the end of every rainbow in search of the pot of gold, and if you can add 2 and 2 together, know Sean Long is from Wigan and have seen his hairstyles in the past, it becomes fairly clear that Longy gets his pace from his gay great-uncle Frank, who, back when homosexuality was illegal in Great Britain, had to dodge the police in the same fashion as the Aussie convicts.

 

[Zinzan]

The $64000 question for me is will NZ ever get their top team on the field at one time!!!

Just imagine if Jones plays again next year (they say he may play again) and we have all of the following players playing together.

Stacey Jones
Benjee Marshall
Lesley Vainakolo
Sonny Bill Williams

and the rest made up from our current squad.....

That would be a devastating lineup !!!!!!

 

[Blaze]

Yeah.. and Halatau.

I doubt we will ever see them on the field together. Just can't see it happening. Still we have enough talent as it is. But I know what you mean, at full strength we have the most talented team in the world.

 

[Zinzan]

Yeah.. and Halatau.

I doubt we will ever see them on the field together. Just can't see it happening. Still we have enough talent as it is. But I know what you mean, at full strength we have the most talented team in the world.

Of course...I forgot about Halatau. I also agree that it probably won't happen, even if everyone is fit the Australian judiuary would no doubt pull some suspension out of the bag with their usual bad timing

 

[thewizard1o1]

Sean a couple of things ( my opinions)...
Mini doesn't have blinding pace, but it is his leg drive that is his best asset, which allows him to break through tackles. If you watched the origin games Slater and Matty B left him for dead.

On Deacon the only reason i can think of that he is there is because the coach thought it was the Bradford, English & Irish Lions

 

[steds]

I never said Mini had blinding pace, just that he's a hell of a lot quicker than Wellens, which is true.

And you're right about Deacon.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I never said Mini had blinding pace, just that he's a hell of a lot quicker than Wellens, which is true.

And you're right about Deacon.

Shaun Briscoe? Anyone? Although Mathers played for England, so Briscoe's obv well out of the reckoning.

 

[steds]

Briscoe's good. I rate him more than Mathers, who, I feel, has a reputation based on one good season were Leeds won everything, just like Danny McGuire. Mathers and McGuire have failed to back those reputations up somewhat this season, performing well without tearing the ground up before them.
I'd still take Wellens above both Briscoe and Mathers, though. He's been the lynchpin of the Saints side these last couple of seasons when Sculthorpe and Long missing pretty much the full last 2/3 seasons, and he makes up for being slow with superb postioning, safe hands, some brilliant try saving tackles and amazing consistency in his performances. As long as Jamie Lyon or Andrew Johns aren't on the the field, I'd bet my house on Wello comfortably being the best player on the pitch in any game.


....i'd have lost it on Saturday. My mum wouldn't have been pleased.

 

[Tim]

Not that I want him to but I reckon in a season or two Karmichael Hunt will be playing for the Kiwis. I'd rather see him play for no team at all and laugh at the mistake he made, but I can't see him getting anywhere near the Kangaroos and having players like Sonny Bill & Marshall in the Kiwis team might make him change his mind.

Although, he'd also have to displace Brent Webb who's doing a fairly decent job right now.

 

[BoyBrumby]

More comebacks than Frank Sinatra! Stacey Jones back in the fold for Saturday's test:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/international_and_australian/4427816.stm

 

[steds]

So predictable

 

[shaka]

He doesnt want to give up the kiwi jersey even though he says he will. Good to see him in the match.

 

[Blaze]

ffs Jones. Make a decision one way or the other.. the question has to be asked, before Hohiha was ruled out why did he make himself unavaliable?

 

[Zinzan]

ffs Jones. Make a decision one way or the other.. the question has to be asked, before Hohiha was ruled out why did he make himself unavaliable?

I'm just stoked he's playing TBH.