Vyvyan

Staggs is better at the Broncos but Farnworth is still decent and will be in the England squad I reckon.

Entertaining match. Well done Trinity.

I thought the first half was OK but the Bulldogs play really uninspiring rugby even allowing for the conditions. Their hooker's service from dummy half is sooooo slow and Averillo isn't good enough to make up for it. Thompson was steady. The Bulldogs had to win that one as the Cowboys are wooden spoon contenders. Whether they've got rid of that soft underbelly remains to be seen IMO.

Hall's best years are behind him now. If McGilvary's fit and in form I might consider him as his carries out of defence are a big plus. But as a finisher I think there are better options. Shame Regan Grace isn't English!

Harry, obviously Bennett thought he had that ability and he's a better coach than you or me. I wouldn't pick him there myself even if you think I would!

Welsby, Makinson, Newman, Percival, Johnstone.

Same here. Only one duff game at North Queensland. The rest were really entertaining.

I'm not saying I'd pick him there. I said I can see him getting picked there. We're not short of back row forwards but in the centres we lack solidity in defence. Bateman offers solidity even if he offers far less in attack out wide.

The GB tour was the clincher for me if we're discussing Bennett. That was a disaster. But whoever coaches England is always going to be up against it. Australia, NZ, Tonga and possibly Samoa (if they get a new coach) are all better than England on paper.

Obviously there are a lot of question marks at the moment. We've no idea what injuries players will get. I'd love to see Newman and Johnstone get a shot but they're both a bit brittle. Young, Pearce Paul, Dodd and Pryce have a whole season in front of them to show what they're made of. At the moment I'd say they all have a few rough edges - some more than others. We look pretty steady in the pack. Losing Roby is a bit of a blow. I'd go for Welsby at fullback. Tomkins has never been a great success internationally. I'd pick Lomax as skipper at stand off. Centre is a difficult position given that England will be coming up against some very big and powerful runners on the edges. It's one area where we lack a bit of quality. Newman could be a solution if he's fit. I'd probably pick Percival for the other. Farnworth and Gildart as backup. I can even see Bateman figuring there again if we need a better defender out there.

Was a tough watch was that Cowboys vs Bulldogs match. Thompson worked hard but the Dogs are dullsville. Cowboys nailed on for the spoon.

Bit of a pointless game this one. A foregone conclusion that nobody cares about.

Leigh by 30

I thought we were comparing Barrie and Fielden.

Fielden was a far better player than McDermott. He was more disciplined and made more metres. His period at Bradford 98-06 were his best years. By the time he went to Wigan he was heading for burnout. His style of play, head up, straight running, no footwork or subtlety meant he got some awful punishment. He never spared himself and it took its toll. McDermott was more suited to a previous era when you could get away with the high shots, brawling and intimidation. That elbow on Sironen in 94 was absolutely awful. He could've been more effective if he'd toned down the aggression a bit. Off the field McDermott seems to be a more well adjusted individual.