Dunbar

Ok, that's fair enough. I guess I jumped too heavily on the 'wouldn't '.

I think this is right. None of us can say whether Edwards would make a great Rugby League coach, the best we can say at this point is that he is an unknown quantity. However, we can look at the available evidence and try and form an opinion. When you look at Edwards attributes as a player and his subsequent reputation as a coach in Union I think there is a strong argument to say that he would have made it as a League coach. One thing I do know, Rugby League is poorer for not having the likes of Edwards and Farrell in the sport - in whichever role they would work best.

I don't know how you can say Edwards would never have made it as a coach. There is no evidence at all to back this up.

If Edward's doesn't come I would be very disappointed. If I had to name one player who I watched through the 80's and beyond who would make an outstanding coach it was Edwards. He was ultra professional, tactically fantastic and passionate about the sport. In every role he has had since he left our game he has shown dedication and innovation. I would love to see what he could add to Rugby League.

I'm sure that's heartwarming news to the 60 people they made redundant last year.

I can't agree with this. If you agree to take up a new position and agree terms and then 9 months later your potential new employer hasn't produced a contract for you to sign, you start looking for other options. I would have started looking after a month.

He topped the metres gained for the match and was also the Raiders top tackler in an 80 minutes effort. I do agree that the fact he was on debut and an Englishman playing his first NRL game increased his attention but his performance would have stood out whatever the circumstances.

A good Round 1 for the NRL brits. Three of them picked up Dally M points - Sam Burgess (2 points) for Souths and John Bateman (2 points) and Josh Hodgson (1 point) for Canberra. Tom Burgess was strong up front for Souths while James Graham and Gareth Widdop went reasonably well in a losing St George team. Bateman started his NRL career with a boom game and many thought he was man of the match (surprised he didn't pick up the 3 Dally M points) while Ryan Sutton was solid off the bench.

Always makes me laugh when people say that anyone could have played well in that star studded Wigan team. What you don't mention is how did Edwards force his way into that star studded Wigan team and make 467 appearances. Did Wigan assemble one of the best teams in modern Rugby League history and leave one place open for an average player to prove that anyone could play in it? Edwards was a fantastic rugby player. Yes, he was a good support player yes (as was Garry Schofield and Terry Lamb and others) but that doesn't make the rest of his game poor. I don't think he will be back in League next year but that shouldn't effect his legacy as a player.

They face up against a very decent forward pack at the Titans, it will be a good test of where the Raiders are at. 8. Jarrod Wallace 9 Nathan Peats 10 Shannon Boyd 11 Kevin Proctor 12 Ryan James 13 Jai Arrow

I agree the wording is ambiguous but in the context of the point he was making it seems reasonable. He is saying that even though he was born and brought up in New Zealand the cultural influences of Samoa and England are there from his parents. No point saying (in this context) "I was raised by my mum" so it was either 'raised by an English woman' or 'raised by my mum who is English"... but it seems strange to say raised by your mum as that is usually a given. Wikipedia states that he has a Samoan father and English mother and as there is no reference to an extended family I assumed biological relationships.

He was born in New Zealand to a Samoan father and English mother. I would say it is perfectly fine that he is eligible to play for each of these three countries. Having not been in such a position myself (born in England to English parents), I am in no position to understand his feeling belonging, identity, loyalty and preference for each of these countries. These things are very personal and always individual. Whether he is good enough (for any of these countries) is a different question.

Full back and wing Born in Sydney but eligible through his English dad if he puts his hand up Agreed Agreed

Leigh’s Kevin Ashcroft (left) and his son - team mascot Gary - celebrate the 1971 Challenge Cup final win with Peter Smethurst.

Does anyone have a status update on Andre Savelio. He was named (and played I think) in the first Broncos trial and then hasn't been named again - including the extended interchange bench for this weeks final trial against the Titans. I would have thought that after a full season out the staff would want to give him some decent game time.

My last comment was a light hearted quip. He has already played for England youth so he is definitely going to be an English rep if he is good enough. He is only young so need to put pressure on him too soon, none of us know how good he is going to be. Looking at his Norths Devils profile to find his age, I notice he is listed as being born in March 2018 and officially 0 years of age. Now that's a prodigy. https://northsdevilsrlfc.com/player/herbie-farnworth/

Is Corey Oates still touting for a move to the back row, maybe that offers a chance for Farnworth?

I'm a bit worried about the interview with Farnworth though… when he talks about Darius Boyd he says "I look up to Boydy heaps" Surely anybody who uses the word 'heaps' is destined to play for Australia!

A feature on Farnworth on NRL.com https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/02/22/farnworths-epic-journey-from-red-devils-to-red-hill/

Yes, I think you are right. If the Burgess babies grow up in Australia then I expect they will 'feel' more Australian than English. But who knows, (if they play sport at all) they may decide to represent England as a homage to their dads and indeed their grandad Mark who was a Rugby League player and would no doubt be remembered by the whole family. In some ways, being away from a country could heightens a sense of patriotism and the Burgess kids may have it drilled into them from a young age with English Rugby jerseys, caps and medals (we hope) around the house that they will be English League players. I would be ok with whichever choice the kids make. My daughter is born and is being raised in the UK but she has an Italian mother and a very strong connection to the Italian side of the family. I would expect her to identify as both English and Italian in equal measure. This is all ridiculous speculation of course but my point is that identity is a very personal thing and the factual stuff like place of birth is the tip of the iceberg.

Identity and nationality could be more complicated than just saying he is Australian. George and Sam Burgess have both had kids in Australia, in about 18 years should we expect all of the Burgess kids to turn out for Australia?

He definitely is. Canberra have lost both Shannon Boyd and Junior Paulo so they needed to strengthen the front row

Hope Savelio goes well... such bad luck to have his whole season wiped out last year before NRL round 1.

Bit of both. Been going over to Australia (Brisbane) to develop since age 15 or so but has played junior rugby in the UK and for England youth. https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/14459222.herbie-farnworth-has-a-stepping-stone-for-england-rugby-side/

Good luck. I hope you achieve your goals. (unless they are evil like some kind of Bond villain of course in which case I hope you don't)