WN83

It’s a great point and what excites me about this England team and the future is that there is some young talent pushing through who can play a part going forward. Guys like Newman, Dodd, Smithies, Gannon, Havard etc are fantastic young players and as the older guard fall away, these guys (and more) will come through.

I long for the day it happens. I’ve been lucky as a kid to have grown up watching Wigan winning everything and to still win things now and again. I love cricket and football as well and out of the three sports I need to see England win something in the football but above everything comes England winning a World Cup or an Ashes in Rugby League. It would be pretty emotional. I can’t let myself thing we’re a shot of doing it because it’s the hope that kills you. I wouldn’t lose sleep if the Aussies get beat Friday but I do want to play them shouid we reach the final. Winning any World Cup would be special but doing it by beating the Aussies in a final would be something else.

Even a pasting in a final wouldn’t change my mind because it wouldn’t undo the good work already done and if the decision makers were thinking like that, there’s no point waiting. He will end up being judged on series against those two teams eventually but he can’t help the fact he’s not had the chance yet.

Mine would just be one change of Thompson for McMeekan but I think Wane might go same again.

That’s writing off some good sides. Let’s make no bones about it, Samoa and PNG are no mugs and we’ve absolutely battered both of them. I get what you’re saying regards wanting to judge him on games with NZ or Australia but unfortunately he’s going to get a maximum of one game against them in this comp and with a decision needed on a contract extension, you’re never going to make that call on a one off game. Hopefully he’ll get to coach the side in an Ashes series or against the Kiwis pretty soon and personally I couldn’t think of anyone better to be in charge.

So his whole job would come down to one fixture? (Potentially) I think that would be extremely harsh. He’s done a fantastic job, that’s easy to see. He’s so underrated as a coach IMO. There always seem to be this narrative around him that he’s some sort of table thumping, chest beating, tactic free coach, who just goes in to a room and says ‘smash um’ and walks out (not saying that’s your opinion by the way) but he’s tactically superb as well. I think we’re lucky to have him and he’ll hopefully stay around for a good while yet.

Plenty of gears in the Aussies yet I’m sure but they don’t make you feel there would be zero chance of an upset in a final, should we get there. We’d be a long shot but a shot all the same.

I wouldn’t put it past Kendall throwing his knickers at Josh Addo Carr.

Proof tonight (if needed) that we’re probably better just having an Aussie reffing us if we play them. Kendall has been like a star struck schoolgirl.

Thought it was just me! He kept saying to go back but surely it was forward the replay needed to go?! There was a contest for the ball after the bit he checked and it was that which looked like the Aussie touched it. Please don’t bring this rubbish in to Superleague.

It should be a great game. PNG have clearly benefitted from the PNG Hunters team and them having plenty of lads now in England or playing in the NRL. They look more patient in attack and defence then we've seen them look in the past and they'll need that in poor conditions. I do think we should have the ability to outlast them fitness wise, with guys like Radley, Knowles, Bateman, Lees etc and we should have the beating of them in the backs but it will be far from easy. One thing we cannot do is to start panicking if we fall behind. Any win will do. England by 16

Going to the England game and this one and can't wait for both of them. This one should be explosive and it feels like it could go either way. After a slow start for both, they've warmed in to it and looked like the teams we expected in week one last week. I'm finding it really tough to call to be honest. I think the coaching battle could be the difference, with Woolf clearly being superior to Parish. Tonga by 8

Wire have just announced their squad numbers and Kasiano has the 14 shirt. Ratchford at 4 and no number 7.

I’m just too kind..ha ha. I did consider tagging on a condition that people need save me a spot!

He’s still played pretty well but does look to have just lost that bit of competitive edge. He was far better in 2022, than he was in 2021 but I agree we could say he’s been at his absolute best. I do think we’ll be pretty short in the second row tbh if he goes. Faz and KPP is a good pairing and Isa is your back up. Nsemba is very raw and very young, so you wouldn’t want to overly rely on him. You can move Smithies in there but he’s made that 13 shirt his own and you could do the same with Shorrocks. It’s all a bit ‘make do’ if we go down that route and we can’t be like that when we’re trying to keep up with a Saints side who always seem to find a way of keeping their players. If we have a way of replacing him lined up, then I can go with it but if not, I’d rather hold him and then let him go for 2024. It’s not my money though, so it’s easy for me to say. You’d still get a fee but it would be lower and we’d have another season of paying him big money.

Great news for the domestic French comp all these guys signing up.

Is Drinkwater signed up yet? I’m guessing they’ll want him and a centre. You’d imagine both a half and a centre would need to be overseas players as it’s slim pickings here. Sacrificing Kasiano for those would be a wise move IMO. You’ve got more than enough prop options without him.

Feels like Wire might realise they’ve gone a bit far with the prop signings and have decided 19 of them will do. To free up a quota spot for more pressing matters won’t hurt them.

Plenty of free parking within a 10-15 minute walk of the ground. As somebody said you can park around Montrose Avenue and the surrounding streets but also you can park over the canal bridge, at the back of the East Stand. Google Savoy Timber and there’s plenty of free parking around that area and on Miry Lane around the industrial estate. It’s quick walk down the canal or over the bridge and you can also park in the streets around the Brickmakers Arms pub on Woodhouse Lane. You’ll see plenty making their way down from there, under the railway bridge and across the canal bridge. It’s easy getting away from that side of the Stadium as well.

As a young rugby league fan I was sold on the sports by its physicality, collisions and the ball skills on show. This game has it in spades.

Yeah, prime time on BBC2. Fabulous news for the sport.

100%

I got tickets for the final a couple of weeks back. I’ve not really seen much of the game before and with the mens final being on the Saturday and that on Friday night, I was a bit torn whether to bother getting them because we’ll make a day and night of the Saturday. After watching that tonight I’m absolutely buzzing for it. I think it might be the wisest decision I’ve made regards to tickets across the World Cups. Got everything crossed England make that final. What a night that could be.

I've expanded on my reasons pretty recently in the thread. I think he's been unlucky tbh. I personally would've played him in that first game but lads had really impressed against Fiji, when Oledzki was rested and they got the nod for the first game. Oledzki did not do much in his outing against France and his competition have played well, not only in the friendly but then against Samoa and Greece. He's been unfortunate but based on what we've seen in the comp, it's the right call IMO (and seeing as mine means diddly squat, it's more important that it seems to be Wanes opinion as well). As for Welsby, clearly he plays. His tournament sums up why I dislike him so much at club level. He's a big game player and the bigger the game, the better he is. His attitude is everything you want in a player. It also helps he doesn't have another 6 or 7 players in his position to go up against, unlike Oledzki.

I've heard Wane speak very highly of him. I think Oledzki may have just been a touch unfortunate here, he carried that injury through the play offs and was then rested for the Fiji friendly and the team hit the ground running straight from that game and it's been an uphill battle since then. He's a cracking player and will be around this squad for a long time, I'm sure of that but certain tournaments just don't fall a players way and sometimes it isn't their fault. I still wouldn't put it beyond the lad being involved in this one. A win Saturday with an injury or two or a suspension (or a poor performance) might open up a spot for him.