very scary squad for Aus, but gallen is no way a International 13, he is the worst 13 I have ever seen play for the green and gold, and IMHO only got in due to Ricky Stupot being the coach.

Good point about Gallen...after watching the 3 SOO tests i cant beleive Dallas Johnson doesnt get the nod at 13 for the Aussies.

Apart from being a dirty get, Gallen is a pretty awesome backrower imo

i believe falou has pulled out injured, so we have a chance (none)!!

You could make up 2 or 3 more too.

[uGB SQUAD[/u

Chris Bridge (Warrington), Shaun Briscoe (Hull KR), Sam Burgess (Bradford), Garreth Carvell (Warrington), Eorl Crabtree (Huddersfield), Kyle Eastmond (St Helens), Gareth Ellis (Wests Tigers), Peter Fox (Hull KR), James Graham (St Helens), Ryan Hall (Leeds), Danny McGuire (Leeds), Scott Moore (Huddersfield), Adrian Morley (Warrington), Richard Myler (Salford), Sean O'Loughlin (Wigan), Jamie Peacock (Leeds, capt), James Roby (St Helens), Michael Shenton (Castleford), Kevin Sinfield (Leeds), Lee Smith (Leeds), Paul Sykes (Bradford), Sam Tomkins (Wigan), Ben Westwood (Warrington), Jon Wilkin (St Helens).

1.Briscoe
2. Hall
3. Shenton
4. Eastmond
5. Smith
6. Myler
7. Tomkins
8. Peacock
9. Moore
10. Graham
11. Burgess
12. Ellis
13. O'Loughlin

14. Roby
15. Mcguire
16. Morley
17. Crabtree

Why is Lee Smith in the squad,The guys defecting thus making his inclusion the most pointless selection of all considering the team is meant to be in transition for the future.

And OK Kevin Sinfield is a talisman for the Rhinos but how many more times does he have to be shown up for his un-international class when it comes to playing teams that actually show him for what he is!The guys in his own within the Leeds team but within an International set-up he's been proven to be sub-standard on not just a handful of occasions.

Don't fancy our backline against the Aussies but were not blessed with English centres at present.

Nothing personal - but I think this is the kind of attitude that holds us back as a nation.

Sport is about winning - here and now. The Aussies play them for as long as they are available and producing the goods. In England we always seem to be building - never seemingly arriving where we are meant to be going. This is the same in football; cricket et al... even Yorkshire are using the excuse in sacking Hoggy - even though he is their leading wicket taker this year and deserves so much better treatment.

We are woefully weak in the backline this year - and Smith offers us a little bit of class IMO - so if he says he's available - I say run with it.

i understand your point but dont agree with any of it..

Smith offers nothing that will worry the australian backline (and unless he has a clause in his contract that guarentees he can only sign back to rl with Warrington... I can see no logic to the selection)... and the rest of the backs... well it realy is men against boys...

the danger is that plyers like tompkins. myler et al will be destroyed, and their confidence shattered.

Too many small lads for my liking in the backs. I generally like the squad he has picked but fear for the likes of Shenton & Eastmond out wide with probably McGuire and Myler against some huge Aussies and Kiwis

What do you suggest otherwise? Whatever team we put out i think we'll be totally outclassed...

Earlier on this season I got a freebie at Cas as the brother-in-law is a sponsor and I witnessed Michael Shenton get absolutely outclassed by Matt Gidley who many reckon he's passed it and nowhere near international standard anymore.Greg Inglis is going to think its a stroll in the park next month.

im gutted about dallas johnson not being selected,the guy is a tackling machine and more.Would love to see him in a wakey shirt

I agree that we dont have the class of player to challenge Australia...

But I would like to see how the Aussies stand up to a physical challenge... with a bit of old fashioned British ball playing... therefore my selection for the Australia game (and I await being ripped apart) is based on size and guile.

1. Leon Pryce
2. Kyle Eastmond
3. Gareth Ellis
4. Rob Purdam
5. Ryan Hall
6. Paul Cooke
7. Danny Brough
8. Adrian Morley
9. Matt Diskin
10. James Graham
11. Sam Burgess
12. Ben Westwood
13. Kevin Sinfield
interchange
14. Sam Tompkins
15. Joel Tompkins
16. Luke Burgess
17. Eorl Crabtree

glad I am not the coach and have to select a losing team for real....

No Wakefield representatives in any of the forthcoming internationals means it's just another general sporting event as far as I'm concerned.
Very difficult to get behind players such as Chris Bridge who has made the squad/team merely on the back of his association with Tony Smith.
I might even chuckle a bit when the Aussies wipe the floor with England and be thankfull that none of our lads will be tarred with a brush somewhat like Stuart Fielden.

i totally agree with ya mate...i think our only chance against the aussies is to stick it up them... smash them about... ellis at centre for me is the only way of keeping inglis quiet ish... he'll walk over the likes of shenton but ellis would be more formidable

On several NRL forums practically every Wests supporter states that Gareth Ellis has been their best tackler this season.

Ellis for 1 centre spot does seem to be the only viable option to try to keep their monster backline at bay.

Ellis great p[layer, but his nimble quick feet, and decent ball skills are long past, infact from his Wakefield day's he has gone down a completly different track to RL. Ellis is a big very strong back rower, and the likes of Hodges who IMHO is by far the best centre in the World would take him to the cleaners with pace and foot work. I think we should keep Ellis where he is best, and thats now in the pack.

I also cant think of one reason why anyone would want Sinfield in an International shirt, good at Leeds, pants against the Aussies, too soft in defence, and not enough carries, Sean "I will take your head off" O@Loughlin every time for me, tough, and will have a go.

Was lucky enough to be in Aus for the Storm v Broncos game and that night it was Inglis that took Hodges so if you think Hodges is good wait until the Roos unleash Inglis next month against us.

As for Sinfield I can't agree more,The guy is a coward when it comes to the hard work up front at Interntional level,At Leeds he takes the glory that the hard working front row do each week.He's consistantly 3rd man in and as stated never takes anough carries for a forward.Possibly why he never gets injured.
He's been found out EVERY time he's put on an International jersey over numerous years of chances.
Lockers also for me too i'm afraid and its just a shame Gareth Hocks not available as he's the sort of 'fruitcake'we need to give it back when they dish out.

I will bow to your recent live sighting of Inglis and Hodges. Hodges is a very quick footed player, and my comparison was against Ellis. I do know one thing, they are both superb.

The Sinfield saga is down to Sky, and the fact that Eddie, and Stevo pull themselves off at every chance they get if Sinfield blows his nose. I also cant start with Myler, FFS that lad is the single worst defender in SL, he makes Kevin Penny look like Nathan Hindmarsh, but yet again its a sky favorite.

so we beat the Aussies by putting 2 backrowers in the centres, and halfbacks on the wing and fullback - ok we really must be struggling if that is our team.

to be fair we really are!

Exactly how I feel!

How is it Chris Bridge can change from Ireland to England but Danny Brough apparently isn't elligible for England yet? Or have I missed something somewhere.

Myler as said before is untried at the highest level and nowhere big enough to be thrown in against the worlds best.At least Eastmond does have the sort of presence of the likes of Jason Robinson(elusive style of runner).

Only problem with DB not being picked/available (I remember an article said the RFL wouldn't give him clearance until 2010 and I don't think Bridge played for Ireland in the WC? I don't know how Harrison got dispensation to be in the train on squad though...) is our kicking game which almost demands that we slot Sinfield into the squad despite his obvious deficiencies at international level



I don't know how we'll go in the halves. In Tomkins we have a good player with an attitude and we need that cockiness to take it to the Aussies... McGuire seems like the obvious choice to go at 7, I just hope Sinfield can actually step up with a good kicking game an organisation ...

I still think we're screwed.