Carl Ablett
Ryan Atkins
Tom Briscoe
Danny Brough
Rob Burrow
Garreth Carvell
Josh Charnley
Rangi Chase
Eorl Crabtree
Leroy Cudjoe
Ryan Hall
Gareth Hock
Jamie Jones-Buchanan
Lee Mossop
Sean O’Loughlin
Jamie Peacock (captain)
James Roby
Kevin Sinfield
Danny Tickle
Sam Tomkins
Jon Wilkin

England Knights face Ireland at Langtree Park, 1630h kick off, before the Exiles game. Squad:

Jodie Broughton
Chris Clarkson
Paul Clough
Mike Cooper
Rhys Evans
Liam Farrell
Dale Ferguson
Mark Flanagan
Lee Gaskell
Zak Hardaker
Josh Hodgson
Danny Houghton
Ben Jones-Bishop
Jonny Lomax
Shaun Lunt
Jermaine McGillvary
Larne Patrick
Stefan Ratchford
Chris Riley
Matty Smith
Scott Taylor
Liam Watts
Gary Wheeler

totally confusing. Is this supposed to be a squad building for the 2013 World Cup?

6 players from the currently woeful Leeds squad??? Jon Wilkin?!?

9 of the forwards picked are over the age of 28. Come the World Cup that would be 9 forwards who are aged 29 and over. It's not any better given that 30 year old Ben Westwood is one who missed out through injury.

Are there really so few decent young forwards? Don't we want young players to be ready to step up once the current group of players are past their sell by date?

The absence of McIlorum sticks out for me.

Burrow JJb and Peacock shouldnt be there.

If Mcnamara wants to go with a speedster around the ruck to interchange with Roby, Robinson is in better form, JJB is working his way back from injury, and Peacock has looked poor all year.

Hall deserves his place, Sinfield is clearly a big part of Mcnamara's plans and Ablett has been a rare bright spot this season for us.

Dont know how Chase has got a place, and Larne Patrick should have a place imo.

What does Andy Lynch have to do to get a shirt? Play for Leeds?

What a joke that squad is...

We have Wigan (as much as it pains me to say it) who are streets ahead of every other team in SL, the majority of their players are English and in form, and yet they have less players picked than Leeds (who arent even in the top 8 at the moment)

Rangi Chase has been poor this year, was poor in 4 Nations last year and isnt even English, yet he is picked over young English half backs such as Lomax. Danny Brough, as much as he is playing well, has changed his nationality more times than I have changed my underpants and is also included (a ridiculous rule imo). Carvell and JJB have spent large parts of the season out through injury and other players who have been in form havent got a look in, such as LMS, Chris Hill, Andy Lynch, Liam Farrell, Larne Patrick. Jamie Peacock and the likes have been very good players, but moving forward shouldn't be in England set up any more as players.

Think there are a few players far more deserving to be there on form than the ones picked by McBanana

Ah the name and reputation game returns to England RL.

Yawn..

The Knights squad looks excellent!

If you're one of the best performing players in your position, then you deserve to represent your country, no matter how old you are. There are plenty of young forwards in the Knights squad, and it's up to them to mature, get better and dislodge the current incumbents, not be granted a place purely due to their age.

Don't forget the lads over in Aus too, Burgess, Graham & Ellis will (baring injury) be in the World Cup squad.

I'd rather watch the England Knights team than the main England team..

He will be playing against the Knights won't he?

Tomkins

Briscoe
Atkins
Cudjoe
Charnley

Chase (rate him better than Sinfield atm)
Brough

Carvell
Roby
Mossop
Tickle
Hock
O'Loughlin

Crabtree
Peacock
Burrow (where's Robinson or McIlorum?)
Wilkin

A joke of a squad really, no Westwood, no Lynch. And why the f**k are Peacock, Ablett, Burrow, Wilkin in there?

More try assists then any other player in the league despite missing 4 games this season.

I suppose we must remember that the NRL based players aren't here this time around.

So come the end of the season, you'll have Burgess, Ellis, Graham, Widdop, Heighington and Reed replacing some of those names.

At some point you have to try to build for the future. By all means have a strong group of players who are very experienced but there have been plenty of young forwards who have been playing well this year. Persisting with players who have been there and done very little is hardly progressive. It's hardly going to help England increase the number of available options for the World Cup should those experienced players lose form.

Have Wilkin and JJB really been among the best in their position? Fair enough if they have but it's quite frankly embarrassing if that is the case.

I think its fair to say that some of them names will be in the England squad till THEY either retire or choose themselves not to be included.

I agree that the Knights squad looks far more exciting than the main squad.

Westwood must be injured, he's on of the first names on the team sheet normally.

My big gripe though, is what is the point in playing very average, older players (such as JJB and Wilkin) when you could get a younger player who may not be as consistent now, but it sure to be around the England team for a few years, Liam Farrell for example has been miles better than JJB.

I was quietly optimistic Steve Mac might have gone with a more youthful touch, and perhaps taken a punt on one of our lads, like an Elliott Whitehead.

From a Bradford point of view too, I would have liked to have seen Bryn Hargreaves in or around either squad.

The only Leeds players that should be in the squad are Hall and possibly Ablett, and that's coming from a Leeds fan. Though Peacock won't take a backward step and will no doubt lead from the front he is 34; we should be looking towards the future more. Goulding should be in there on current form. Why put Charnley outside Cudjoe when we know the Goulding/Charnley partnership works so well?

I hope Mossop gets to start looking at the selection of props, i would imagine Peacock is guaranteed to start as the other prop being the captain. It'll be interesting to see who gets the 2 wing spots out of Hall, Briscoe & Charnley, all 3 very good and whoever misses out will be unlucky. I would imagine Hall after last years 4 Nations efforts will be one even though he's not having a stand out year (due to lack of service rather than poor play) so a straight fight between Briscoe and Charnley.

I tend to agree that the Knights squad looks like a more exciting prospect, although I suppose that's the point.

From that squad:
1. Tomkins
2. Charnley
3. Cudjoe
4. Atkins
5. Hall
6. Chase
7. Brough
8. Carvell
9. Roby
10. Peacock
11. JJB
12. Tickle
13. O'Loughlin

14. Burrow
15. Mossop
16. Hock
17. Crabtree

Leroy Cudjoe??!?!? He's been off form this season, Darrell Goulding should have been picked ahead of him IMO, so should Andy Lynch and Westwood ahead of Peacock or JJB. And as much as it annoys me to see the Pies fans go on about him all of the time, McIlorum should have been a dead cert. The only reason I can conceive for him not being selected is that McNamara plans to play Roby for the full 80 minutes, but why in that case was Rob Burrow picked?

I know that no matter what squad McBanana picked, he would be criticised, but he's not helping himself too much!