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Will anyone be able to beat the Kangaroos?


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3 hours ago, Scubby said:

Australia's best 17 are well ahead of the rest and they should be odds-on favourites.

However, many of that best 17 only have a handful of caps and have not won a big tournament game of any note. Clutching at straws maybe but it could mean they slip up at the business end. 

Yep they are young and like everyone else haven't played as a team much..... Origin is an advantage partially here though 

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Since the last World Cup, Australia has won 2 out of 4 Tests they've played, so they are by far the same dominant side as they were back in 2017.

Of that NSW team that played, both Jarome Luai and Brian To'o have said that they want to play for Samoa at the 2021 World Cup and Junior Paulo has previously played for Toa whilst Tariq Sims and Daniel Saifiti have previously played for Fiji. 

Playing on the dry track of Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville is also nothing like playing at any of the fields in the UK, except for Leigh... but I don't think they'll get a match there. 

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On 21/06/2021 at 04:39, Yakstorm said:

 

Of that NSW team that played, both Jarome Luai and Brian To'o have said that they want to play for Samoa at the 2021 World Cup 

munster and holmes would just slip in seamlessly 

see you later undertaker - in a while necrophile 

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As always, Australia are favourites, but NZ are looking pretty strong to me and both Tonga and England will again be a threat. An interesting factor for this world cup could be the draw - the usual training run semi final Australia has will instead most likely be against NZ. Even if they win, the tougher game might make them a little more vulnerable in the final than usual.

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If he goes that probably almost certainly means Laui and To`o will, and could be the sort of `Fifita for Tonga` type moment that could bring others on board.

State of Origin news: Josh Papalii wants to play for Samoa instead of Australia at the World Cup (theaustralian.com.au)

 

Queensland prop Josh Papalii is set to become the latest Origin star to turn his back on the Kangaroos as the Maroons hitman prepares to shut down Blues dynamo Tom Trbojevic.

Papalii is leaning towards ruling himself out of Kangaroos selection to play for Samoa if the year-ending World Cup goes ahead in England.

Papalii, 29, is regarded as one of the NRL’s top front rowers and at his best would be a walk-up starter for Australia, who he has played 11 Tests for since 2013

“Me and Mal already spoke and all that. Mal is all for it, playing for the second-tier teams. That’s his view on it.

“I’m maroon to the bone. I have the same passion I have for Samoa as I do for the Maroons. It makes no difference for me.”

 

 

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No.

No one will beat them if they travel, if they don’t the World Cup will be just Northern Hemisphere sides.

After the recent England game France may win that if they try hard enough.

Talent is secondary to whether players are confident.

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23 minutes ago, Allora said:

No.

No one will beat them if they travel, if they don’t the World Cup will be just Northern Hemisphere sides.

After the recent England game France may win that if they try hard enough.

Sport isn't just about ability on the pitch.

It is just as much about desire and the will to prove yourself and your team to be the best.  The will to overcome adversity and  make sacrifices to reap the rewards later down the line.

If Australia don't travel then they have not demonstrated this will and desire and they will have lost just as much as they would have done if they had had more points scored against them on the pitch.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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England weren’t too far in 2017. Yep, the Aussies have some cracking attackers in this NSW team. But their forwards are not as good as 2017, they don’t have Cameron Smith and frankly the Queensland contingent are poor. They are not unbeatable as their post-2017 record shows. 

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On 26/06/2021 at 01:39, The Rocket said:

If he goes that probably almost certainly means Laui and To`o will, and could be the sort of `Fifita for Tonga` type moment that could bring others on board.

State of Origin news: Josh Papalii wants to play for Samoa instead of Australia at the World Cup (theaustralian.com.au)

 

Queensland prop Josh Papalii is set to become the latest Origin star to turn his back on the Kangaroos as the Maroons hitman prepares to shut down Blues dynamo Tom Trbojevic.

Papalii is leaning towards ruling himself out of Kangaroos selection to play for Samoa if the year-ending World Cup goes ahead in England.

Papalii, 29, is regarded as one of the NRL’s top front rowers and at his best would be a walk-up starter for Australia, who he has played 11 Tests for since 2013

“Me and Mal already spoke and all that. Mal is all for it, playing for the second-tier teams. That’s his view on it.

“I’m maroon to the bone. I have the same passion I have for Samoa as I do for the Maroons. It makes no difference for me.”

 

 

Hats of to Big Mal he has always had the game at heart:)

 

Paul

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Well, I think the answer to whether anyone can beat the Kangaroos is dependent on who is playing in the halves for Australia.

After being the halves for the Kangaroos first ever loss to a tier 2 nation in Tonga, Cherry-Evans and Munster have been woeful for Queensland in the last two State of Origin games. 

Nathan Cleary is nailed on for the 7 spot if fit but If he isn't available (and Luai plays for Samoa) then who will guide the Kangaroos around the park because if it is the Queensland halves then that is great for the rest of the competition.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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25 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Well, I think the answer to whether anyone can beat the Kangaroos is dependent on who is playing in the halves for Australia.

After being the halves for the Kangaroos first ever loss to a tier 2 nation in Tonga, Cherry-Evans and Munster have been woeful for Queensland in the last two State of Origin games. 

Nathan Cleary is nailed on for the 7 spot if fit but If he isn't available (and Luai plays for Samoa) then who will guide the Kangaroos around the park because if it is the Queensland halves then that is great for the rest of the competition.

They really were terrible . The commentators kept saying it was on Munster but he really didn’t offer anything . Tedesco , Turbo , Mitchell and The Fox will be mirrored by the Kangaroos . Part of me wishes Papenhuyzen is the other one just to see it 

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After watching the first two Origin games this year, let's have a rule that Australia can only select Queenslanders.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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On 27/06/2021 at 23:28, Dunbar said:

Well, I think the answer to whether anyone can beat the Kangaroos is dependent on who is playing in the halves for Australia.

After being the halves for the Kangaroos first ever loss to a tier 2 nation in Tonga, Cherry-Evans and Munster have been woeful for Queensland in the last two State of Origin games. 

Nathan Cleary is nailed on for the 7 spot if fit but If he isn't available (and Luai plays for Samoa) then who will guide the Kangaroos around the park because if it is the Queensland halves then that is great for the rest of the competition.

Munster and Cherry Evens may have been woeful against NSW (behind a comprehensively beaten pack/team) but they have actually both been really good this year for their respective clubs. 

You say “who will guide the Kangaroos around the park” in the absence of Cleary and Luai like they will be some kind of liability. Name a better potential halves pairing in the upcoming WC than Munster & Cherry Evans (other than an Australian pairing)?

It was only roughly 7 months ago that Munster was named man of the series last origin. 

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4 hours ago, Abicus said:

Nathan Clearly has an injured shoulder and looking at post season surgery.

Huge blow to the Kangaroos.

Looks like we mightn`t be able to make it to the WC, better cancel until Cleary gets better.😉😉

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2 hours ago, AB90 said:

Munster and Cherry Evens may have been woeful against NSW (behind a comprehensively beaten pack/team) but they have actually both been really good this year for their respective clubs. 

You say “who will guide the Kangaroos around the park” in the absence of Cleary and Luai like they will be some kind of liability. Name a better potential halves pairing in the upcoming WC than Munster & Cherry Evans (other than an Australian pairing)?

It was only roughly 7 months ago that Munster was named man of the series last origin. 

I don't agree that Cherry-Evans and Munster have been really good for their clubs this year.  I think Munster has been out of sorts all year and it is has been well disguised (or not mattered as much) because the Storm have been very good.  Jahrome Hughes has been great for the Storm and by far the better half for them this year.

As for Cherry-Evans.  Manly were very poor at the start of the year and their form only picked up with the return of Tom Trbojevic.  Cherry-Evans has gone better since then I agree but he has not been a stand-out.

Look, I am not saying that Cherry-Evans and Munster are poor players - far from it - and you are probably right, if they were the Kangaroo halves for the World Cup they may well be the best pairing. 

But they are not as good as many pairing we have seen in Green and Gold and they are nowhere near the likes of the Cronk's, Thurston's and Lockyer's that we have seen most recently.  The fact that this was the half back pair when Australia lost its only ever game against a tier 2 nation speaks volumes... they don't offer the same control that many of the great half pairings do.

It has been obvious for some time that Nathan Cleary was going to be the next great Aussie half back and I think without him the Kangaroos come right back to the pack.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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40 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

I don't agree that Cherry-Evans and Munster have been really good for their clubs this year.  I think Munster has been out of sorts all year and it is has been well disguised (or not mattered as much) because the Storm have been very good.  Jahrome Hughes has been great for the Storm and by far the better half for them this year.

As for Cherry-Evans.  Manly were very poor at the start of the year and their form only picked up with the return of Tom Trbojevic.  Cherry-Evans has gone better since then I agree but he has not been a stand-out.

Look, I am not saying that Cherry-Evans and Munster are poor players - far from it - and you are probably right, if they were the Kangaroo halves for the World Cup they may well be the best pairing. 

But they are not as good as many pairing we have seen in Green and Gold and they are nowhere near the likes of the Cronk's, Thurston's and Lockyer's that we have seen most recently.  The fact that this was the half back pair when Australia lost its only ever game against a tier 2 nation speaks volumes... they don't offer the same control that many of the great half pairings do.

It has been obvious for some time that Nathan Cleary was going to be the next great Aussie half back and I think without him the Kangaroos come right back to the pack.

Some fair points as always Dunbar!

But I don’t think a pairing of Munster or Cherry Evans brings them back to the pack as much as you think. Plus, Im pretty confident that if they are all fit and healthy, Munster would still be picked over Luai. 

Heck, even if Munster and Cherry Evans get injured they would still have the best half back pairing in say Mitchell Moses and Jack Wighton (With Cleary injured id personally go with Moses and Munster).

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13 minutes ago, AB90 said:

Some fair points as always Dunbar!

But I don’t think a pairing of Munster or Cherry Evans brings them back to the pack as much as you think. Plus, Im pretty confident that if they are all fit and healthy, Munster would still be picked over Luai. 

Heck, even if Munster and Cherry Evans get injured they would still have the best half back pairing in say Mitchell Moses and Jack Wighton (With Cleary injured id personally go with Moses and Munster).

Yes, they have huge strength in depth and will always put out a very good side with great players.  I just don't think that some of the very good players in the halves are quite at the elite level we have seen in the past.  It is good news for other nations (as Tonga showed) even though the Kangaroos will be favourites. 

To be honest, the only thing I genuinely care about is getting to see them and all the others at the World Cup and desperately hoping it isn't called off this year.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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‘He’s absolutely in the mix’: Meninga wants Luai to choose Australia over Samoa (smh.com.au)

"Mal Meninga will reach out to Jarome Luai and make his feelings known about why he should play for Australia – not Samoa – with the livewire five-eighth now “absolutely” on the Kangaroos’ radar.

While Meninga appreciated Papalii wanting to give back to Samoa at the back end of his career, he said it was a different story with Luai who was 24 and only starting out."

I`m not impressed with `big Mal` here at all.

It`s great for players to put their hands up for second tier nations when their washed up or nearly to it, but if they are young and at the top of their game, you`ve got to play for OZ. Short-sighted buffoonery as usual from our so-called games `leaders`.

The kid has said clearly he wants to play for Samoa, he should be allowed to without pressure from bloody drongos like Meninga who is more worried about his coaching record than the overall growth of the game. Very frustrating.

 

 

 

 

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19 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

Short-sighted buffoonery as usual from our so-called games `leaders`.

The kid has said clearly he wants to play for Samoa, he should be allowed to without pressure from bloody drongos like Meninga who is more worried about his coaching record than the overall growth of the game. Very frustrating.

 

He's a Professional coach, head coach of the Australian national team, paid to win games for the Kangaroos.

His job description is not to ensure "the overall growth of the game". 

🙄

 

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41 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

‘He’s absolutely in the mix’: Meninga wants Luai to choose Australia over Samoa (smh.com.au)

"Mal Meninga will reach out to Jarome Luai and make his feelings known about why he should play for Australia – not Samoa – with the livewire five-eighth now “absolutely” on the Kangaroos’ radar.

While Meninga appreciated Papalii wanting to give back to Samoa at the back end of his career, he said it was a different story with Luai who was 24 and only starting out."

I`m not impressed with `big Mal` here at all.

It`s great for players to put their hands up for second tier nations when their washed up or nearly to it, but if they are young and at the top of their game, you`ve got to play for OZ. Short-sighted buffoonery as usual from our so-called games `leaders`.

The kid has said clearly he wants to play for Samoa, he should be allowed to without pressure from bloody drongos like Meninga who is more worried about his coaching record than the overall growth of the game. Very frustrating.

 

 

 

 

Luai has said he wants to play for Samoa and he would be a tremendous asset for them.

To see the Australians trying to pressure him into playing for them is incredibly depressing.

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