Jump to content

Great Britain to pick strongest possible side


Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, MZH said:

I agree, but we need a plan B. Personally mine would be Sneyd at 7, but I know how much he divides opinion. But he is a proven big game player with a skill set that would suit international rugby very well imo.

I'd be inclined to agree. Having someone who has a good long kicking game in the halves would be an improvement on what we put out last year and take some pressure off the likes of Williams. Plus we nearly lost the decider against the Kiwis because of poor goal kicking - Sneyd is probably worth 4 points a game if Widdop isn't playing and that's more than we can say for most of our halves.

Austin made his choice and he can stick with Portugal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 173
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Like someone (Dunbar?) said earlier in the thread, nationality is a complex thing and who should and shouldn't be available isn't always straightforward. 

The easiest way to check with an Aussie is to see who they want to win the cricket. If they want England to win the Ashes then they can play RL for us.

However, in the case of Austin and Hastings (Coote slightly less), these guys just aren't close to the quality needed for international football. I can't believe it's even a discussion for these guys.

I actually wonder if Bennett is laying the groundwork for other, better players.

People called Romans they go the house

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, MrPosh said:

Like someone (Dunbar?) said earlier in the thread, nationality is a complex thing and who should and shouldn't be available isn't always straightforward. 

The easiest way to check with an Aussie is to see who they want to win the cricket. If they want England to win the Ashes then they can play RL for us.

However, in the case of Austin and Hastings (Coote slightly less), these guys just aren't close to the quality needed for international football. I can't believe it's even a discussion for these guys.

I actually wonder if Bennett is laying the groundwork for other, better players.

Ironically Chris McQueen famously tweeted about watching Australia batter the Poms at cricket.

rldfsignature.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the BBC website:

Playing for Great Britain would not rule out any Aussie-born player from going on to play in State of Origin or for the Kangaroos, as the Lions do not have an official classification as a tier-one nation.

I don't much like the thought of someone playing for Great Britain, and then in future playing for Australia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

From the BBC website:

Playing for Great Britain would not rule out any Aussie-born player from going on to play in State of Origin or for the Kangaroos, as the Lions do not have an official classification as a tier-one nation.

I don't much like the thought of someone playing for Great Britain, and then in future playing for Australia.

Because Great Britain isn't a nation. Great Britain isn't part of the RLIF. It is a composite team of separate nations. It is not 1994 any more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Scubby said:

Because Great Britain isn't a nation. Great Britain isn't part of the RLIF. It is a composite team of separate nations. It is not 1994 any more.

I know, but I thought that you'd maybe have to commit to playing for one of the four nations that make up GB and I, in order to be eligible for GB.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

I know, but I thought that you'd maybe have to commit to playing for one of the four nations that make up GB and I, in order to be eligible for GB.

I don't think you have to do anything just be eligible. In theory, Daly Cherry Evans could play for GB and then play for Australia against England the following year. As could Blake Austin or Tyson Frizell. All those guys are eligible for Great Britain under current rules. 

Be careful what you wish for. Times have changed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

I know, but I thought that you'd maybe have to commit to playing for one of the four nations that make up GB and I, in order to be eligible for GB.

Why? It’s not a member of the RLIF so does not need to abide by the international eligibility rules. Any eligibility rules will be self-imposed and Sinfield et al have already been clear on this - they’ll pick anyone (incl Aussie citizens) if they meet those self-imposed rules.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, GeordieSaint said:

Why? It’s not a member of the RLIF so does not need to abide by the international eligibility rules. Any eligibility rules will be self-imposed and Sinfield et al have already been clear on this - they’ll pick anyone (incl Aussie citizens) if they meet those self-imposed rules.

Yes, I understand the situation. I'm just saying that I find it difficult to support things being done on that basis.

I don't mind heritage players being selected, but I would expect that to be as part of them making a commitment to represent GB regularly, as well as choosing to commit to one of the four nations.

Otherwise, it's possible that an Australia born and bred kid, who is desperate to play for Australia but is eligible for GB because of ancestry, could seek to represent GB in 2024, purely as a means of putting themselves in the shop window and hopefully showing why they are worthy of selection for the Kangaroos. I'm not saying that's likely or will happen, just that it's a possibility.

That's not really what I want for the GB that I grew up watching Hanley and Schofield etc. represent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Scubby said:

I don't think you have to do anything just be eligible. In theory, Daly Cherry Evans could play for GB and then play for Australia against England the following year. As could Blake Austin or Tyson Frizell. All those guys are eligible for Great Britain under current rules. 

Be careful what you wish for. Times have changed.

If GB isn't under the rules/criteria set out by the RLIF then surely they can quite literally select who they want? Akin to a World XIII side. Seems the criteria for (self imposed) eligibility is loosely based around heritage but no actual concrete rules. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

If GB isn't under the rules/criteria set out by the RLIF then surely they can quite literally select who they want? Akin to a World XIII side. Seems the criteria for (self imposed) eligibility is loosely based around heritage but no actual concrete rules. 

Nope they would still have to qualify for GB to represent GB. My point was that Cherry Evans (English Mum), Frizzel (Welsh Mum) etc. would qualify for GB like they do SOO, without harming their eligibility for the Kanagaroos (RLIF member). The world has moved on from the 1990s. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Scubby said:

Nope they would still have to qualify for GB to represent GB. My point was that Cherry Evans (English Mum), Frizzel (Welsh Mum) etc. would qualify for GB like they do SOO, without harming their eligibility for the Kanagaroos (RLIF member). The world has moved on from the 1990s. 

Yes it has but you and scotchy keep pointing out that GB isn’t a country and it doesn’t represent anyone. Why are there selection criteria for them? What is the point of them?  It’s a waste of time and money.

rldfsignature.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 19/06/2019 at 13:05, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

In what shouldn’t in anyway be news, Wayne Bennett has said he will pick the strongest available side for Great Britain. This is excellent news but something that should be an absolute given. My current team is below, if Gareth Widdop can return from injury I expect him to play, but put him at 18th man for now.

1 Coote

2 Makinson

3 Connor 

4 Atkin

5 Hall

6 Austin

7 Hastings 

8 Graham 

9 Roby

10 Burgess 

11 Whitehead 

12 Bateman

13 Burgess

14 Burgess

15 Thompson 

16 Hodgson 

17 Currie 

18 Widdop 

Where's Ash Handley?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

Yes it has but you and scotchy keep pointing out that GB isn’t a country and it doesn’t represent anyone. Why are there selection criteria for them? What is the point of them?  It’s a waste of time and money.

Eligibility is a different thing altogether. You are eligible for a senior railcard. I'm not ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, roughyedspud said:

The RFL have it well within their rights to stipulate that to be eligible for GB you must have been born in the British isles..

But nah...that's too obvious 

But isn't the reason for not doing so that they need to have a different look to the team than England?

If it doesn't, you have the somewhat strange spectacle of a set of players putting on a different shirt and playing under a different name, for no real reason.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

But isn't the reason for not doing so that they need to have a different look to the team than England?

If it doesn't, you have the somewhat strange spectacle of a set of players putting on a different shirt and playing under a different name, for no real reason.

But that’s probably going to be the case anyway.

rldfsignature.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 23/06/2019 at 20:58, deluded pom? said:

So who is it representing? Certainly not me if we are choosing Australians with tenuous connections to GB.

The Tongans don’t care if they pick players with similar links to Tonga. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, roughyedspud said:

The RFL have it well within their rights to stipulate that to be eligible for GB you must have been born in the British isles..

But nah...that's too obvious 

Hang on, the idea that you could play for England but not GB is silly. If this is supposed to, long term, be our equivalent of RUs Lions, rather than what GBRL was which was a genuine national side, then the mixing of the 4 nations squads is part of the challenge. 

Lions tours shouldn't be easy. Firstly because of the opposition but also the touring and new partnership environment gives them a sort of "forged in fire" mentality.

The confusion etc over this just reflects the general confusion over this tour full stop. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Hang on, the idea that you could play for England but not GB is silly.

 

 

No it's not if you want GBRL to be a reflection of rugby league in great britain?

Coote playing 3 games for Scotland 3 years ago cos he's not good enough for NSW & Australia does not represent rugby league in great Britain does it?

 

OLDHAM RLFC

the 8TH most successful team in british RL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, roughyedspud said:

No it's not if you want GBRL to be a reflection of rugby league in great britain?

Coote playing 3 games for Scotland 3 years ago cos he's not good enough for NSW & Australia does not represent rugby league in great Britain does it?

 

It supposedly represents RL in Scotland though? 

He's even playing his RL over here now. In a few years time he'll be eligible for England on residency.

Happens in all sports all over the world. A lot of the North African and West African players at the Africa cup of nations were born and play in France. A significant number of Scottish, Irish, Welsh and Northern Irish footballers were born in England. CJ Stander has played for Ireland against South Africa and been a Lions tourist and he's far from alone in British and Irish rugby union and sport more widely.

We get tediously over zealous about it in RL because the circle of players in our international game is so minuscule outside of WCs. Are you seriously expecting Coote or Aitken etc to self fund a month in Europe to play in a comp barely anyone can see? We can't even impose the idea of ensuring a player has been capped by 1 of the 4 nations prior to a GB tour because England won't play a single game in 2019.

Its ridiculous that England haven't played Scotland since the 2016 4 nations in Coventry. As soon as governing bodies take international RL seriously so will the players as we've seen in the Pacific Islands.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.