48 replies to this topic

[HappyDave]

He's got a bloody good squad & experienced assistant staff to help him out. He may have done poorly at Bradford but for eff'sake give him a chance at International level before you slate him. Man-alive!

Edited by HappyDave, 10 July 2010 - 11:24 PM.

[Rogues Gallery]

There is an U20 tour to New Zealand at the end of the season so a lot of the young talent will get their opportunity on that.

Edited by Rogues Gallery, 11 July 2010 - 10:23 AM.

[AndyCapp]

How is Macca taking Widdop "downunder"
He lives there already. If he thought he wasn't behind 10 other better fullbacks he would have aligned himself with Australia

[HappyDave]

How is Macca taking Widdop "downunder"
He lives there already.

Yeah, fair enough but you knew what I meant...

Edited by HappyDave, 11 July 2010 - 10:31 PM.

[petero]

have you ever read biting back???????????

No.

[petero]

So petero, would you go for the England 'A' under 23s Vs Wales & France idea then?

Sorry for the delay in replying, absent from the spot.

I do not advocate anything actually and in fact I would, paradoxically, also like to see how our younger lads would fare against their S/Hemi counterparts I suppose. But I cannot feel anything but apprehension for them in the event of such a contest being arranged.

Since the sky decision to stop showing the NRL, what two/ three seasons ago? I have been amazed now that MSK has shown us those games just how many of the players that I am watching, in first grade NRL, are total unknowns from before and more importantly still, just how good in the main that so many are also.

We do in this land have a tendency to overstate the merits of our sportsmen ( football proving that enormously) for although I do believe that Tompkins (both) Eastwood and a few others could do just as well in the NRL as in S/L, that would leave a full touring squad very well short of lads who could fill all the positions to an adequate standard.

It could do more damage, yet again, than what it is worth.

[HappyDave]

So, we may aswell just give up internaional RL in the England/Britain?... [who said sarcasm is the lowest form of whit?... ]

[HappyDave]

[Darn iPhone!]

Edited by HappyDave, 12 July 2010 - 06:10 PM.

[petero]

So, we may aswell just give up internaional RL in the England/Britain?... [who said sarcasm is the lowest form of whit?... ]

Got me there . I confess that I have not a clue as to what you are inferring with that reply?

Look I can recall some four or five, maybe more, seasons ago when the nearest we came to beating the Aussies was when a young England side played them and lost narrowly to what was almost an Oz test side. As usual the Aussies pulled out enough to beat them but not before they had been given one hell of a fright.

However, that does not mean that had that side been chosen to play again V Oz in the tests, that they would not have received a hammering, they would.

I mean to say that there are times when an introduction of fresh players would benifit the rep side, be they young or not and I agree that they ought to be pitted against the best opposition too, not given easy games V Wales and France, that in the long term prove nothing and do not aid any improvement to player development.

Yet I do not think that we could match the best of the young Australians and that a good hiding at that stage of a players development would only engender once more the fear factor and mental problems that our current top players face when competing with Oz and to an ever greater degree these days also V the Kiwi's.

I did attempt to explain that I would be happy to see how the young players would fare in a match/series! Against the best of young Oz, but that I would also be affeared of the consequences and the long term defeatist attitude that it could impose.

So a better idea would be a continuation of introducing some of the best young players into the mix but maybe not an entire squad of them at once.
Whether or not I believe that McNamara will be the man for that job, well thats altogether another question.