This must go down as the worst dream team ever.At least 5 of the side have been selected on their early season form and 1 solely
because of who he represents

Who should be in that isn't?

I think that applies for nearly every year. Think it's probably more accurate than a lot of other years and doubt you'll ever see a year without a very questionable pick, this year is O'Loughlin.

I think you are right on every year it never matches the opinion of all. There will always be club biase anyway.

But in terms of O'Loughlin this year though, that really is taking the michael. He probably wouldn't even be in the top five looseforward in most peoples honest assesment based on this years performances. He can't even manage half a season for a start.

Agreed, I think ward is unlucky to not get a space in the back row but in fairness he started the season slow.

Cuthbertson has been nearly as good as he was in 2015 but our outside backs havent been able to convert as many of his offloads into tries so the idiots who decide the dream team probably will not have even considered him.

Also Walmsley seems to cause absolute havoc every time I see him play and Im pretty sure he is the top meter maker in the comp so his unselection is a much bigger miss than any of our players tbf.

think we are bit biased towards our teams, but for us Watts and manu have been standout, what ive seen walmsley has been really good, parcell has imo been outstanding for you guys,

I think Watts is the best prop in SL, couldn't complain if he was in. But Ward?

Yep agree with Gotcha. Would have had Watts ahead of the Huddersfield lad and O’Loughlin in is just silly.

Ward doesnt get the headlines but gives at least an 8/10 performance every week and when he played against SO'L a few weeks ago he absolutely had him on toast.

Ward's had a good season but not quite enough to be in the Dream Team, it was a bit stop start earlier in the year with little injuries also.

I'm not sure how these teams get picked but wonder if e Cuthbertson, watts are in the list of potential props, ward in the 2nd row list etc. So o'loughlin may be up against Massey for example at Cas etc. Ellis probably in that list but not too many proper loose forwards about.

Plus the fact o'loughlin is a great player. I understand he missed 9 league games this year, Wigan won none of them. Apologies in advance if this is incorrect

Cuthbertson was named at loose in the 2015 team. I think they've been a bit selective in the past. Andy Farrell was named at prop in 2004 even though he only played about a third of his games in that position.

Anyone surprised Shenton made the team? He's stats are average and his try assists are boosted by having a good winger outside him, I don't think he made 19 tries. Watkins has scored nearly double Shenton's tries too!

Hardly Shelton's fault if he passes to his winger who scores is it?!

Leeds could learn a thing or two from it.

This ^

Whoever has been outside Shenton has scored a bucket load. Arthur Askey would lead the try scoring charts outside Shenton. I don't think Eden is anything special tbh.

Shenton has also always been a good defender. Arguably the course of the 2011 Grand Final turned on his injury with Leeds overcoming an eight point deficit in the final quarter.

If England have any chance of giving either Australia or NZ a game this autumn I'd say we need a "Powell-like" approach to attacking which means picking Shenton and having our best winger outside him (Hall).

Was having a discussion earlier in the year when somebody was saying we should just pick all of Cas' left edge including Eden on the wing. Pointed out though that in Wayne Bennett England will not play ANYWHERE near the Cas style.

I'm sure they'll be some moans when the England squad is announced and probably doesn't feature enough Cas players for some people's liking but there's no point picking them and asking them to play a complete different way which is what would happen.

I agree. They might have a chance if Powell were in charge and he'd had opportunity to get the squad together to develop his kind of style.

Unfortunately England haven't a prayer, they may give NZ a game if we're lucky but no chance versus Australia, especially playing the style employed last time.

Suppose what i was trying to say is that Eden made a quite a number of tries with his acrobatics, a different winger may have been bundled into touch and the try not scored. In my personal opinion had Shenton had a different winger outside him I don't think he would/should have made the team!

If Hall or McGilvary had been outside him they'd have used power to score rather than acrobatics. Don't deny Eden has taken some very well but he's not as amazing as the try scoring charts suggest. A lot has been down to the service he gets. For that you have to look not only at Shenton but the players inside him that guarantee his service. Even Egodo scored 3 last week thanks to the way Cas play rather than any amazing unique ability on his part.

I don't think Hall and probably McGilvary would have got a fair chunk of the tries Eden has scored this year. Forget the power, still not scored. Cas work really hard specifically on those acrobatic things you mention in training, and have been rewarded for it.

Of course there will have been other opportunities that Eden has blown which the likes of Hall or McGilvary would have probably scored. I don't think that makes Eden any more special, but it would be wrong to say Hall or McGilvary would have scored the tries he has scored, as they simply don't have that skill set in their locker.

Eden had a good season, and this years try tally alone has got him into the dream team, and thats fine. But most of his try's are handed on a plate, but you can't compare him to a consistently good year in year out winger like mcgilvery or arguably one of the best two wingers ever in super league in Hall. (along with big Les)

I didn't compare him to anybody, and you would be wrong to say most were handed on a plate, although some were. I mearly stated that of the tries he has scored, a fair chunk of them, would not have been scored by those other wingers mentioned, and nothing more than that.