not if the world will end in 2012...

Is he?, No is he really?...
To me Sam Tomkins didn't look ready for the step up on tonights evidence where as Danny McGuire has proven he can perform on the big stage with Leeds Rhinos...

On the debit side we're so far away from actually beating Australia when it actually matters any improvement is purely academic. We're further behind than at the "watershed" of 1982 and have been for the last few years.

Just wait and see how good he gets when he "benefits" from Paul Deacon mentoring him at Wigan. The Aussies won't be able to handle his inside balls to the first forward and his steady kick into the corner in any attacking position.

I think the thing that sets them apart is the quality of push support. Every time they break there are 5 and 6 players pushed right up.

They dont react they anticipate and we simply dont do that. When you have a very high skill level if you have the push support more often than not, things will come off.

Australia will always make opportunities but they finish more of than other sides because of that push.

You can put in as many elite pathways as you want, coach what you want, but the desire to push up when chances are you wont actually get the ball or do anything but be an option is something you either have, or you dont.

There are more in Green and Gold that have it

When i feel deflated after this sort of tournament i refer myself to the wise comment made by the poster in my sig below.

[size=200PHIL CLARKE.

PLEASE SHUT UP.[/size

Shhhhh positives



We are miles behind and the international game is a mess, but if we can just beat them once in a big game which we could of done by the sound of it had we had a better kicking game and not let them play so much late on, we win a tournament, we don't have to be as good as them, we never will be.

Slater did this ^.



Slater didn't do this ^.

Yeah probably, but we've got to start somewhere. Last year we had a load of old tried and testeds embarrassing the country. This year, we have a load of debutants who have really stood up, it has been proved that people like Shenton and Tompkins can handle it at this level when people said they couldn't. Proving that we can throw talented youngsters into the mix.

Because of that, more youngsters will be standing up to claim an international jersey next year now that it is an obtainable goal for them, if we continue making the England shirt a contested item to strive for, the players who are honoured enough to wear one will put their all into it.

Building takes time, we were awful last year, we're much MUCH better this year, next year we should improve again.

But has McGuire done anything for England/GB? He's done about as much as Tomkins has and Tomkins has played fewer games. Tomkins deserved his place on international form. Anyway even if McGuire had played the result would have been the same... The reason we lost has nothing to do with the No.6 shirt...

So it was a knock on!

And that 'great try' was actually a clever bit of cheating? I thought it's a bit ridiculous to allow players to intentionally knock the ball so far forward to themselves. Might as well just let players throw the ball forward for themselves to catch.

They've done that for 30 years. We still haven't learned how to do it. Presumably, they just have more pace.

Be grand if they could all join big Sam in OZ for a couple of years, that i think is were we fall down at the moment SL not up to standard.

By the way how over rated is Sinfield, Cannon and Ball rave about him every time he plays but boy he`s poor.

That's what I thought, Mr Bentham thought otherwise.

Yes despite being International Loose Forward of The Year he's really poor, I guess you know more than the experts...

But it changed the whole game.

I don't think England would have won or anything, but it wouldn't have been the thrashing it was. Absolutely scandalous I think.

He obviously intentionally knocked it forward for himself.

I feel no shame as an England fan after watching that. Yeah it is disappointing, but considering the fact most people were expectiing us to get hammered in every game bar France and considering the fact that we were as weak in the 3/4 as we have ever been, I think we did really well.

I hope, if anything we've gained a bit of respect after this tournament as we have competed in every game. I think we need to stick with players like Shenton, Burgess, Tomkins and Eastmond as they have played very well.

If anything, this game will tell the coaches in Superleague that there is good UK talent and we need to stop looking to Australia all of the time to fill the important positions in the UK teams otherwise we will never win one of these bloody things!

What will this for the game in Australia?nothing as no one gives a about international football.People are more concerned about there club sides then the national side.

Stevo said Sinfield was key man pre match. Anonymous for me. Can't believe Tomkins got some stick in this thread. He is the novice as is Eastmond, Sinfield as senior man should step up and lead the two nippers. No leadership I'm afraid!

I think a lot of the England players were too busy blowing out of their aresholes to be able to support like the Aussies do.

After seeing that i can't even begin to imagine what a NRL pre-season conditioning session must be like.

Sinfield should never play for England again after that. But then again he's clearly the best player in his postion and probably at hooker too, with Roby more suited to the bench.

Absolute embarassment.

Haha Eddie has said "Where do we go from here?"



He shouldn't be so down. Compare the amount of caps between the backs and it's vast!

We should be proud to have finish about the world champions!

Just got back bit dispointed to lose to be honist l thought they where there for the taking and they wherte but we lacked composer.

To be honest mate I think the general cardio vascular profile of kids in Australia is so much better than here. Cleaner air and a culture of outdoor play and more active lifestyles.

Im a PE teacher. Our kids spend most of their time sat down playing X Box. We try really hard, but I just dont know hhow we can change that.