Old, tired and tested international failures? Like who?

i bet he isnt in the squad.

[size=59[/sizeTo be fair, i reckon there's a few Quins fans that would say the same sprt of thing about Rob Purdham and for Saints, Wilkin is absolute mustard - doesn't mean they'll get picked for England, though. Same goes for JJB at Leeds.

Rob Purdham is a fantastic player for us, he makes a massive contribution to our side, he's got a very good, well rounded, versatile game and he's a useful kicker. I was glad that he got the nod for the WC and he certainly didn't let anybody down when he played. However, being honest Purdham isn't a world class player, he's not the biggest, the fastest, the flashiest or the biggest hitter, he just does the core things very well. In this respect he's more like a good, first choice NRL back-row, the sort of player who might be on the fringes of Aussie rep squads, not the star players, but the grafters who the Aussies blend with their stars.

Like Wilkin is for saints. Tops the tackle count most weeks, hits great angles, skilful ball player, can kick out of hand and even cover the halves when we're desperate. Unfortunatley, he appears just a little lightweight to transfer his game to international level.

Can't be bothered reading all the thread, but his defence against France at Headingley was pants. Great attacking skills though.

Good for Huddersfield then

Wild is a very good player dont think he's quite up to international standard though.

Westerman has played well this season but not quite as well as last. Like wild although he's played well not quite good enough for england this year. Although i deffo think he will in future.

Morley, peacock, Graham look certanties for front row. I would like to add Lynch and LMS to them

In the back row Ellis and Hock are certs.

Loose one of sinfield, purdham and o'loughlin. All 3 offer something different but none of them stand out at international level.

Beg to differ on that one.

His best games have been in a GB shirt.

His game is suited fantastically well to test match rugbyleague.

Not at loose forward though. He can tackle all day, but with the lack of ball playing halves in the England setup, a ball handler is required. If Wilkin could just get that bit more impact in his go forward he would be ideal. Unfortunatley he doesn't. Which leads to Purdham; hits hard and can work with the ball.

O'Loughlin has 6 try assists 'officially', and has probably been responsible for double the amount for creating space for tries, etc. He has really stepped his game up attacking-wise and that myth about his attacking play has been well and truly crushed.

It's not a myth at all. Try assist stats mean nothing.

Quote ="Bridger"Wild's stats aren't far off the best 13 in SL this season, which is....... www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2009'" not far off? lol -2 tries -5 try assists -610 meters -82 carries -68 tackles -13 offloads -13 kicks -12 d/h runs -9 tackle busts -20 marker tackles -4 clean breaks -22 kicks shock horror, he actually wins some 5 less missed tackles 7 less errors aye them stats couldn't be any closer

Quote ="Bridger"Wild's stats aren't far off the best 13 in SL this season, which is....... www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2009'" not far off? lol -2 tries -5 try assists -610 meters -82 carries -68 tackles -13 offloads -13 kicks -12 d/h runs -9 tackle busts -20 marker tackles -4 clean breaks -22 kicks shock horror, he actually wins some 5 less missed tackles 7 less errors aye them stats couldn't be any closer

Stats mean nothing. every year they tell us that Ade Gardener is the best winger in SL but is he international class.

They do not tell you that he plays inside Gidley or Lyons which is a far more important stat

Purdham is also the most consistent kicker in SL since he's regained full fitness and is kicking again, he missed his kick early season when he was injured.
Should of been in the England squad

Another superb performance by Stephen Wild tonight just shows why he should at least be in the GB squad.

What because he was playing against weak opposition

Exactly what is not required, it's been tried for the past however many years and failed miserably. Hanley, Farrell, Scully, Sinfield all ball handlers at 13 and all fail to make the impact that a forward is required to on the international stage. Funnily enough though, when we select a grafter at loose forward (S O'L Vs NZ 2007) then we go on to win the series 3 - 0. In my books there is no room for a extra pair of hands in the international arena, the 'ball handling' loose gets in the way and confuses things. It's got to be a hardworking, tough, mobile and agressive forward that get's through a ton of work and can damage the opposition with quality running in attack and punishing hits in defence. My personal choice would be Gareth Ellis for loose.

1.Briscoe 2.Gardner 3.Gleeson 4.Shenton 5.Hall 6.Pryce 7.Myler 8.Graham 9.Roby 10.Peacock 11.Burgess. 12.Hock. 13.Ellis Subs: 14.Lynch/Carvell 15.Morley. 16. O'Loughlin 17. Wild

Sculthorpe was excellent in a GB shirt.



Wasn't Sinfield at 13 when we won 44-0 in the second test? The tests were a lot closer with SoL at 13, so if you're using that series a reason for SoL being a better option than Sinfield then it's a strange argument.

then where would o'loughlin play???

becase wild is a far better player the he is......................

I'm not saying he wasn't a good player for GB, I'm just saying that the ball handling loose is not the type we need for the test matches.
Sinfield started the game at 13, he played about 40 mins and he had a shocker and was consequently dropped for the final test. S O'L was far superior to Sinfield in the second Test at LF, I don't see how it's strange at all.

A lot of this is due to our lack of quality in the halves, the Aussies have several options who can all control and organise a test match, which means they don't need a ball playing loose forward. They can have another ball carrier/defensive workhorse, without expecting a back-row to be particularly creative or organise things.

Strange that you included him in a list of failures that didn't make the impact required of a forward on the international stage then.





He picked up a knock and had missed the week before with a stomach bug.



Leon Pryce was "dropped" too, despite having a blinder. I wouldn't read too much into that 3rd test team.



I'm not arguing that SoL isn't a better option, just that comparing on the basis of that series (where Sinfield was ill and carrying a knock) is a little harsh.

FWIW I'd have SoL in there, just think you're being harsh on a few of the lads you singled out, Sculthorpe and Farrell in particular - both of whom have put in tip top performances in wins against Australia.