gotta agree especially p wood tvery harsh to include carvell who hasn't looked the same after his injury and not include wood who's probably had his best season at wire.

id go with

1. Tomkins
2. Briscoe
3.Gleeson
4.Atkins
5. Hall
6. Widdop
7. Easmond
8. Morley
9. Sinfield
10. Graham
11. Ellis
12. Burgess
13. locky

14. Roby
15. Tomkins
16. Westwood
17. Crabtree

Widdop is playing most of his rugby at 6 and will play at 6 for the Storm next year. Tomkins is shaping up to be a very very special fullback, the extra space makes him even more dangerous and allows him to pick and chose his attacking chances.

Goulding needs service to make anything happen something he will not get nearly as much at this level, but worth a place on the plane. Briscoe is a far more dynamic runner and can make things happen.

Sinfield picks himself as hooker with Roby coming off the bench.

Props starters pick themselves, I would rotate the props with Burgess moving forward and a secondrow coming on as a direct sub.

Coley and Fielden have had outstanding seasons, but I have gone for Crabtree off the bench to give us that impact. he was very good last year and his style is suited to bench at this level.

Gleeson and Atkins are always going to be up against it regardless of who they are opposing in the Green and Gold but both are defensively strong, although I do worry about Atkins "smarts" in defence.

No matter who we pick though we are going to have to play at our best and catch the Aussies cold if we are to stand any chance, but I do fancy us against the Kiwi's and PNG especially with Smith on the coaching staff.

don't see how Widdop could get in the 1st team having played about 3 1st grade games all year. Doesn't say much for the English full backs in SL if he does

1. Widdop
2. Briscoe
3. Gleeson
4. Bridge (if fit) If not, I think we're stuck for a centre
5. Hall
6. S.Tomkins
7. Eastmond
8. Graham
9. Lunt
10. Morley
11. Ellis
12. Burgess
13. O'Loughlin

S Roby
S J.Tomkins
S Wood
S Westwood

no it does'nt....their all crap


1. widdop
2. hall
3. j.tomkins
4. shenton
5. briscoe
6. s.tomkins
7. eastmond or myler
8. morley
9. sinfield
10. graham
11. ellis
12. burgess
13. o'loughlin

14. roby
15. carvell
16. lynch
17. westwood

The more I've seen of Ryan Hall this season the more inclined I am to pick Goulding on the right and Briscoe on the left.

While I appreciate how solid Hall is and he's a strong lad he also seems to have lost some pace this year. Many times he lokks to be in the clear only to get run down faily quickly.

he's certainly not the automatic choice that he looked like being a few months ago.

I totally agree. I have not seen Hall have a good game yet this season. Goulding has been fantastic for Wigan this season and I dont think he has had a bad game. He scores plenty of tries and makes a lot of yards scooting. He is also very good defensively and is better than most under kicks. Indeed I dont think I have seen him drop one this year. He is also a good centre and offers versitility in the back line. Goulding also has developed a good understanding with Gleeson this year and McNamara could do far worse than pair them up for England to make our right hand defense solid.

Totally agree, Hall is a great athelete but at the same time he lacks the guile of someone like Briscoe. It's easy to judge a winger on the number of tries scored but to get 17 in 29 games in a very un-creative team as Briscoe has is a god effort. And very few of those have been walk ins. I'd love to see what he can do in a team that gets some good ball to him.

Whats up with Scott Moore? Seems to go missing / injured at this point in a season.

He would be my starting hooker with Roby off the bench.

Also with Eastmond, McGuire + Pryce out injured - I would go with Danny Brough at 7 with Tomkins at 6.

its a shame shaun lunt has gone missing this season, i thought he was the top english hooker last year.

i'd agree with the majority of the teams named above. my main concern would be 1/6, tomkins will play in one of those but who plays in the other is anyones guess. maybe danny brough at scrum half to play the paul deacon role if tomkins plays at stand off

a full back
goulding
gleeson
atkins
briscoe
tomkins
brough
morley
roby
graham
burgess
ellis
o'loughlin

westwood
j tomkins
crabtree
wild

widdop's earmarked for FB I think. Whilst I want to see an attacking FB, they need to be solid in defence - Tomkins doesn't impress me too much there.

If Eastmond can't make it (and he does seem pretty injury prone for a young guy) we may as well go for Myler and give him experience. I'd sort of like to see a gobby little git like Brough as well, as I just like that kind of halfback.

brough has gone back to scotland....

with eastmond unlikely to go...i'll be interested if rob burrow gets a re-call?

Id like to see something like

Widdop
T.Briscoe
Gleeson
Atkins
Cudjoe
Tomkins
Brough
Graham
Sinfield
Morley
Ellis
Burgess
O'Loughlin

Roby
J.Tomkins
Fielden
Westwood

We need a good kicker and Brough is the best imo. Burgess to play the 80 and moving up to prop when needed.

BROUGH HAS GONE BACK TO SCOTLAND!!!!

plus widdop has a excellent kicking game...and kev sinfield can kick a ball too...

I was thinking the same thing. I reckon with Eastmond and McGuire crocked and Burrow out of form we might see Sinfield at 6 with Tomkins at 7. I wouldn't have any problem asking Roby to do the full 80 at hooker and stacking the bench with some big hitters. Play to your stengths

I think Roby should be on the field for 80 mins too, no matter where he plays

Taken from an earlier post on the Cherry & Whites, It might go some way to explaining why.

[iAnd that is the problem in the UK, since the A team folded there is no longer a pathway through for emerging players to cut their teeth, they are put straight into the 1st team and its a case of sink or swim, and if they only just tread water we are ready to slag them off because they are'nt cutting it, we should be looking at better pathways to break in future emerging players.

Widdop had 2 years in the Acadamy (U1icon_cool.gif at Melbourne Storm, 2 years at U20 Toyota Cup and was voted Player of the Year at fullback and named in the U20 Dream Team of the Year, 1 year NSW Cup playing fullback and stand off and also picked for the NSW Residents, State of Origin Team at stand off, was stand off of the year in the NSW Dream Team of the Year.
He made is debut during the last year playing centre in place of Greg Inglis, then played two further games at fullback and centre. And then we all know about his debut against France.

I,m not trying to big up Widdop in anyway, but am trying to highlight the probable reasons for what seems as an earlier than normal call up than that of a Uk based player, the different pathways he has received in Oz as opposed to the pathways that are on offer in the UK to other emerging players are far greater. The Storm have nurtured him through their feeder teams, as they have done with many other players in the past, (Ingliss, Slater, Smith, Cronk, Hoffman, D Johnson, Blair, Lima, etc, etc, all Internationals) before releasing him into fulltime 1st grade,
he will move into the 1st grade team next year at stand off.

So as far as the question of experiance goes, he has had quiet a good pathway to be considered for the England squad, he has already played against many of the players that you will see in the Aus/NZ Squad so mentally you could say he is more prepared than most debutants, physically, only time will tell. If infact Steve is getting a team together for the World Cup, then I think he should allow more of the younger emerging international players to tour irrelevant of wether we win or lose, they will gain valuable experiance playing against some of the best players in the World, I'm not saying fill the whole team, but take some of the names thrown up above instaed of bringing back some of the old guard.

Going off thread a bit here but I have listed below the pathway's that most NRL players go through beforte reaching grade.

Harold Matthews U16
SG Ball U18
Bundaberg Red Cup Open Age (Feeder Teams)
NSW Cup Open Age (Feeder Teams) Qld Cup Open Age (Feeder Teams)
Toyota Cup U20 (2nd Grade)

Then NRL 1st Grade.

Also you have the Arrive Alive National School Boy Comp (U1icon_cool.gif and the National School Boys Chamionships (U1icon_cool.gif that the Junior Kangaroos are picked from.

All the above are good standards of Rugby League and are heavily supported by the NRL.

There is not anything like the same pathways in the UK?

THE END [/i

1widdop
2hall
3shenton
4atkins
5briscoe
6tompkins
7 eastmond
8 morley
9 sinfield
10 graham
11 ellis
12 westwood
13 burgess

14 lynch
15 crabtree
16 frodo
17 roby

18 gleeson
19 goulding/riley
20 scruton
21 carvell
22 myler
23 westerman/ j. tompkins
24 lunt

Tomkins
Goulding
Gleeson
Atkins
Riley

Eastmond
Sinfield

Morley
Roby
Graham

Ellis
Clint Newton

Burgess

J. Tomkins
Robinson
Lynch
B.Harrison

Well i never Alex

Widdop at Fullback, Sam tomkins and Sinfield in the halves and Roby at hooker.

Not just saying this as wigan bias, but surely Mickey Mcllorum could fill the 2nd hooking roll? He's been top draw in the play-offs against leeds and saints and outplayed Cunningham last night. He's a tough little bstard with great defense which lets face it, we will need against the aussies

if i was planning a tour to take in the games i would re plan and avoid the embarrasment we are going to face!

I hate to say this but I think we are going to get mullered.

Dont be too downhearted CJ.

The Kangaroos are missing a lot of big names.