England Team if you were picking it now

[Davo5]

Surely Trueman should be in genuine contention for a World Cup place.

[Dunbar]

8 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Surely Trueman should be in genuine contention for a World Cup place.

I agree. I would have had Williams and Gale as the 7 and Lomax and Thrueman as the 6 options in the World Cup squad (ignoring the debate on picking Hastings).

[ghost crayfish]

Trueman would be a good option off the bench, I think. Could play a short stint at dummy half or roving loose forward playmaker, as well as good injury cover for the halves. His left foot kicking game would add nice variety and has the running game to be a threat when players are tired.

[DavidM]

11 hours ago, Davo5 said:

Surely Trueman should be in genuine contention for a World Cup place.

Definitely 

[Cumbrian Fanatic]

11 hours ago, Davo5 said:

Surely Trueman should be in genuine contention for a World Cup place.

Agree with you there, he's a real threat close to the line. Also, the World Cup will probably come a bit early for him, but the more I see of Harry Smith the more I like him

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, Cumbrian Fanatic said:

Agree with you there, he's a real threat close to the line. Also, the World Cup will probably come a bit early for him, but the more I see of Harry Smith the more I like him

I agree . Young halves often understandably look a bit cautious and do the basics , but I’ve although I’ve only seen Harry Smith a few times I see him come up with out of the box audacious plays , obviously he’s a talented and confident young player . Him and Trueman are two good kids  alright 

[Dunbar]

23 minutes ago, DavidM said:

I agree . Young halves often understandably look a bit cautious and do the basics , but I’ve although I’ve only seen Harry Smith a few times I see him come up with out of the box audacious plays , obviously he’s a talented and confident young player . Him and Trueman are two good kids  alright 

With Jake Trueman, Harry Smith and Lewis Dodd, I feel more confident about our future half back quality than I have in a very long time.

[meast]

I see Herbie Farnworth has been dropped from the training squad?

How can this happen? he plays in the NRL so must be one of the best players in the world and untouchable?

Or is he really all that?

[meast]

Centre(s) please, we're British, not American, thanks.

As you were

[Harry Stottle]

On 30/04/2021 at 09:19, Man of Kent said:

Fair enough.

As usual, centre is an issue for England. No real standouts.  

With due respect especially the two you have chosen MOK, I have yet to see what others see in Farnworth in that he is of international quality, he is very average in the NRL and would be far down in my list of centre's over there, Hardacre is never a centre as long as he plays the game his best position for me is where he started on the wing, when he went there in the GF he looked as though he had never been away from that position I would seriously consider Hardacre on the wing.

[Davo5]

35 minutes ago, meast said:

I see Herbie Farnworth has been dropped from the training squad?

How can this happen? he plays in the NRL so must be one of the best players in the world and untouchable?

Or is he really all that?

No but he is a talented young prospect in a position we’ve struggled with for years,hopefully with Newman,Wardle & King emerging we’ll have genuine competition for a number of years for a test spot.

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

he is very average in the NRL

Sorry Harry he really isn’t . Let’s have a balance here . Noone is saying he’s one of the best players in the world and he plays in the NRL so he must be a superstar , despite that getting  thrown out by some ... but let’s not go the other way and say he’s really average . He’s a good player , with the physical attributes you want in that position now and good  quality and threat with the ball . All he has to be is as good or better than his competition , and in an area we’ve not been strong in and some guys have had a chance and not delivered , I think he is . He deserves to be in the squad with other up and coming centres

[Scubby]

3 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Sorry Harry he really isn’t . Let’s have a balance here . Noone is saying he’s one of the best players in the world and he plays in the NRL so he must be a superstar , despite that getting  thrown out by some ... but let’s not go the other way and say he’s really average . He’s a good player , with the physical attributes you want in that position now and good  quality and threat with the ball . All he has to be is as good or better than his competition , and in an area we’ve not been strong in and some guys have had a chance and not delivered , I think he is . He deserves to be in the squad with other up and coming centres

Agree. He is the only three quarter who is testing himself at the higher level. Like it or not, playing decent against higher class NRL teams is a useful benchmark. 

[Dunbar]

17 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Sorry Harry he really isn’t . Let’s have a balance here . Noone is saying he’s one of the best players in the world and he plays in the NRL so he must be a superstar , despite that getting  thrown out by some ... but let’s not go the other way and say he’s really average . He’s a good player , with the physical attributes you want in that position now and good  quality and threat with the ball . All he has to be is as good or better than his competition , and in an area we’ve not been strong in and some guys have had a chance and not delivered , I think he is . He deserves to be in the squad with other up and coming centres

 

12 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Agree. He is the only three quarter who is testing himself at the higher level. Like it or not, playing decent against higher class NRL teams is a useful benchmark. 

I agree with these.

There is a very good young crop of centres in the NRL in Bradman Best, Stephen Crichton and Zac Lomax and while Farnworth may not be the best of these, he is not out of place.

And unlike other posters who think he should stand out in a poor side, I think it is very very difficult for a centre to shine in a team that is getting regularly beaten and with poor halves.

But when he has had chances he has done well. He is strong with good footwork and hard working... I think it is crazy to have him out of the squad.

[Exiled Wiganer]

NRLers = God, which is why Jack Reed is remembered so fondly (by, err, anybody?). 

[Dunbar]

7 minutes ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

NRLers = God, which is why Jack Reed is remembered so fondly (by, err, anybody?). 

Not particularly.  I think it is entirely possible to make assessments of players while also taking into account the competition they are playing in.

Personally, I think that Harry Newman is the best centre prospect England has, here's hoping he successfully comes back from injury.  But Farnworth is also a top quality prospect.  One is in the NRL and one Super League but it is entirely possible to make judgments on each.

[Scubby]

36 minutes ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

NRLers = God, which is why Jack Reed is remembered so fondly (by, err, anybody?). 

England will need at least 4 centres in their WC squad. If you'd like to start by naming them it would help. The posts about Farworth were in relation to saying he isn't very good. The points were he is probably in the top 4-5 atm - whether he is a starter is a different matter. He is holding is own in a higher level of competition than SL. The cupboard is bare.

[Exiled Wiganer]

Newman, Gildart, Percival, King would be my 4. If in doubt, always throw in an SL player. The Aussies won’t know them and certainly won’t rate them, and we only have to surprise them once to get the prize. There has never been any point picking players whom they know inside out, as Jack Reed perfectly illustrated. 

[Scubby]

1 hour ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

Newman, Gildart, Percival, King would be my 4. If in doubt, always throw in an SL player. The Aussies won’t know them and certainly won’t rate them, and we only have to surprise them once to get the prize. There has never been any point picking players whom they know inside out, as Jack Reed perfectly illustrated. 

We are not exactly blessed with options. These are decent club players but none are going to cause the big teams any headaches. Gildart is not really kicking on from early promise and Percival is nowhere near international standard. This is why Farnworth should be considered for the squad. He is playing well in a higher standard competition albeit with a struggling club. I can't remember a poorer set of outside backs available to England.

[Dunbar]

43 minutes ago, Scubby said:

I can't remember a poorer set of outside backs available to England.

I thought we were at a pretty low ebb when we played Calderwood, Sykes, Senior and Smith in the 2008 World Cup against the Kiwis.

Senior may have been a steady Engalnd player but the others were nowhere near international class.

[Rupert Prince]

Hardaker looks as if he finally fit and sharp after his enforced absence.  I would not bat an eye if he played center.    What is a bit of a worry is the injury to Gildart.  Who is to say he will be as sharp?

Let's just hope players stay fit, if so we will put out as decent team.  I'd worry more about the referees...

[The storm]

7 hours ago, Scubby said:

Agree. He is the only three quarter who is testing himself at the higher level. Like it or not, playing decent against higher class NRL teams is a useful benchmark. 

He is real quality 

 

He will be in the test team for a decade if that is what he wants 

 

Maybe he does nt want it however 

[OMEGA]

When we’re talking about young half backs we shouldn’t ignore the claims of Mike Lewis from HKR. He was part of the England Academy that walloped the Ausie Schoolboys a couple of years ago. He always impresses me when I see him and he’s not often playing behind a pack on the front foot.

I said a few weeks ago that Harry Smith might be a wild card by the end of the season, depending on how much game time Lamb was willing to give him. Well, the same can be said for Lewis who looks very sharp on his feet and is playing really well.

Truman

Smith

Lewis

Dodd

All good young lads coming through the ranks and let’s not write off Richardson too early either.

[Mr Frisky]

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

I thought we were at a pretty low ebb when we played Calderwood, Sykes, Senior and Smith in the 2008 World Cup against the Kiwis.

Senior may have been a steady Engalnd player but the others were nowhere near international class.

Bit unfair on Senior- he was top class and probably the best we have had for 30 years.

[Cumbrian Fanatic]

2 hours ago, Dunbar said:

I thought we were at a pretty low ebb when we played Calderwood, Sykes, Senior and Smith in the 2008 World Cup against the Kiwis.

Senior may have been a steady Engalnd player but the others were nowhere near international class.

Don't forget that we've had to play Karl Pratt and Richard Horne on the wing too