What Would Your World Cup 24 Man Squad Be if Selected Now?

[OMEGA]

This is a very interesting squad selection because many of Wanes players are either tried and failed or simply another year past their best while there’s some very good young players kicking the door down.

The ‘money in the Bank’ philosophy failed so surely selection will be strictly on form, fitness and 100% commitment to whatever it’s going to take.

McDermott has nailed his colours to the mast regarding George Williams selection and Captaincy already and he’s also said heritage players are welcome but only if their passion to play for England is genuine.
He will pick the best players available to him because his contract is only for the World Cup, however he’d have liked to have had one eye on the future but his remit is relative World Cup success!

Obviously we all see our clubs players more closely than others so opinions on the form of known players and the readiness of young players will vary but please throw some reasoning behind your selections.

Edited June 8 by OMEGA

[OMEGA]

Full Back: Brimson (Heritage), Eckersley

Right Wing: Young, Ashton

Right Centre: Farnworth, Billy Smith (Heritage)

Left Centre: Wardle, Robertson

Left Wing: Johnstone

Stand Off: Williams, Strange (Heritage)

Scrum Half: Smith, Connor

Prop: McMeeken, Havard, Hamlin-Uele (Heritage), Thompson

Hooker: Litten, O’Neil, 

Right Second Row: Pearce - Paul, 

Left Second Row: Nsemba, Talty

Loose Forward: Knowles, Radley

Bolters: Smith (Wakefield) Taylor-Wray (Warrington), Walker (Warrington) Iro (Heritage) Farrimond (Wigan) Pratt (Wakefield) Batchelor (HKR) Martin (HullFC) Smithies (Canberra) Hanley (Leigh) Delaney (Sts) McDonnell (Leeds) Currie (Warrington) Irwin (Warrington) Trueman (Wakefield) Nicholson (Canberra) Oledski (Leeds), King (Heritage) Handley (Leeds) Broadbent (HKR) Thewlis (Warrington) Lewis (HKR) Clarke (Warrington)

Edited June 9 by OMEGA

[Tommygilf]

Jake Connor

[Welshleaguelover]

2 hours ago, OMEGA said:

Full Back: Brimson (Heritage), Eckersley

Right Wing: Young, Ashton

Right Centre: Farnworth, Billy Smith (Heritage)

Left Centre: Wardle, Robertson

Left Wing: Johnstone

Stand Off: Williams, Strange (Heritage)

Scrum Half: Smith, 

Prop: McMeeken, Havard, Hamlin-Uele (Heritage), Thompson

Hooker: Litten, O’Neil, 

Right Second Row: Pearce - Paul, 

Left Second Row: Nsemba, Talty

Loose Forward: Knowles, Radley

Bolters: Smith (Wakefield) Taylor-Wray (Warrington), Walker (Warrington) Iro (Heritage, Farrimond (Wigan) Pratt (Wakefield) Batchelor (HKR) Martin (HullFC) Smithies (Canberra) Delaney (Sts) McDonnell (Leeds) Currie (Warrington) Irwin (Warrington) Trueman (Wakefield) Nicholson (Canberra) Oledski (Leeds), King (Heritage) Handley (Leeds)

What has Talty done to be included other than say he'd like to play for England? He's a nobody.

[Welshleaguelover]

I'd be tempted to throw a load of young players in, Taylor-Wray, Farrimond, Martin etc. Expose them to playing against the top NRL players and see how they go.

[Grimmy]

2 hours ago, OMEGA said:

Full Back: Brimson (Heritage), Eckersley

Right Wing: Young, Ashton

Right Centre: Farnworth, Billy Smith (Heritage)

Left Centre: Wardle, Robertson

Left Wing: Johnstone

Stand Off: Williams, Strange (Heritage)

Scrum Half: Smith, 

Prop: McMeeken, Havard, Hamlin-Uele (Heritage), Thompson

Hooker: Litten, O’Neil, 

Right Second Row: Pearce - Paul, 

Left Second Row: Nsemba, Talty

Loose Forward: Knowles, Radley

Bolters: Smith (Wakefield) Taylor-Wray (Warrington), Walker (Warrington) Iro (Heritage, Farrimond (Wigan) Pratt (Wakefield) Batchelor (HKR) Martin (HullFC) Smithies (Canberra) Delaney (Sts) McDonnell (Leeds) Currie (Warrington) Irwin (Warrington) Trueman (Wakefield) Nicholson (Canberra) Oledski (Leeds), King (Heritage) Handley (Leeds)

We must have a better full back option than Eckersley, he's barely played there. Ashton has played there a fair bit.

[OMEGA]

32 minutes ago, Welshleaguelover said:

What has Talty done to be included other than say he'd like to play for England? He's a nobody.

I dunno, what would your squad be?

[OMEGA]

12 minutes ago, Grimmy said:

We must have a better full back option than Eckersley, he's barely played there. Ashton has played there a fair bit.

Yeah, but who, Welsby, Taylor Wray, Jowitt?

[Grimmy]

3 minutes ago, OMEGA said:

Yeah, but who, Welsby, Taylor Wray, Jowitt?

I said in the message, Ashton. 

[OMEGA]

3 minutes ago, Grimmy said:

I said in the message, Ashton. 

But you’ve said no to Eckersley because he doesn’t play Full Back regularly then suggested Ashton who’s hardly ever played there and been out injured for 12 months. I get your point re, someone better but as I said who?

If we don’t go for Brimson and we steer clear of Welsby then perhaps the next best is Farnworth but then he’s not a regular Full Back either so we’re left with young kids with a bright future but thrown in too early like Taylor Wray or Cartwright

Edited June 8 by OMEGA

[Grimmy]

1 minute ago, OMEGA said:

But you’ve said no to Eckersley because he doesn’t play Full Back regularly then suggested Ashton who’s hardly ever played there and been out injured for 12 months. I get your point re, someone better but as I said who?

Ashton has a lot more experience at FB than Eckersley. It was his main position at one stage.

[Damien]

If Eckersley is getting picked its as a winger, certainly not a full back. I'm not sure if he's even played a SL game there.

[OMEGA]

2 minutes ago, Damien said:

If Eckersley is getting picked its as a winger, certainly not a full back. I'm not sure if he's even played a SL game there.

I don’t disagree but pick me 2 Full Backs?

We either go with what we know doesn’t work or we get creative, brave and throw a young kid in there!

Jake Connor at Full Backs?

Pick Welsby again?

Throw Taylor - Wray in?

Edited June 8 by OMEGA

[Agbrigg]

I think Ash Handley is the form centre right now and can also play wing, he'd definitely be in my squad

[OMEGA]

10 minutes ago, Agbrigg said:

I think Ash Handley is the form centre right now and can also play wing, he'd definitely be in my squad

Which position and ahead of who though, Wardle, Farnworth, Johnstone, Young, Ashton, Smith?

 

[StandOffHalf]

Controversial opinion, but Handley is playing better than Herbie at the moment and deserves that left centre slot in this hypothetical mid-season squad. Herbie is effective of course (how could someone with his talent and quality not be), but his focus looks a bit off to me and he's forcing things and likes throwing a strop when things go against him. He can be much better.

Edited June 8 by StandOffHalf

[Archie Gordon]

Like any sensible person, I'll wait to make my selections until after the mid-season rep games have taken place.

[Dunbar]

Before I put some thoughts together, is the 'what would your World Cup squad be now'? based on ability or availability. 

For example, I would have Taylor-Wray in the squad as a probable full back starter but he is currently injured, so is it if a World Cup started tomorrow or who would you take to the World Cup in the Autumn based on assessment of the players today?

It may sound pedantic but the distinction probably changes everyone's selections.

[Archie Gordon]

But if pressed on #1, Flanagan and OAB are considerations. Genuine shame (and shameful) that we don't get to see players like this tested in a rep environment.

[Damien]

15 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

Like any sensible person, I'll wait to make my selections until after the mid-season rep games have taken place.

Which ones are those?

[Charlie]

1 hour ago, StandOffHalf said:

Controversial opinion, but Handley is playing better than Herbie at the moment and deserves that left centre slot in this hypothetical mid-season squad. Herbie is effective of course (how could someone with his talent and quality not be), but his focus looks a bit off to me and he's forcing things and likes throwing a strop when things go against him. He can be much better.

This is a mad take 

[OMEGA]

2 hours ago, Dunbar said:

Before I put some thoughts together, is the 'what would your World Cup squad be now'? based on ability or availability. 

For example, I would have Taylor-Wray in the squad as a probable full back starter but he is currently injured, so is it if a World Cup started tomorrow or who would you take to the World Cup in the Autumn based on assessment of the players today?

It may sound pedantic but the distinction probably changes everyone's selections.

This is just a running assessment of the players who might be selected at the end of the current season. I know some might be out of short term form or out injured for a couple of weeks or so but it’s just supporters chewing the fat about who they’d select if all things were equal.

[Dunbar]

42 minutes ago, OMEGA said:

This is just a running assessment of the players who might be selected at the end of the current season. I know some might be out of short term form or out injured for a couple of weeks or so but it’s just supporters chewing the fat about who they’d select if all things were equal.

Thanks for the clarification. Here is where I am right now assuming all can be fit and games before the end of the year.

Full Back: Taylor-Wray, Brimson

Wing: Young, Ashton, Martin

Centre: Farnworth, Wardle, Handley

Halves: Williams, Connor, Trueman, Smith, 

Prop: Oledski, McMeeken, Havard, Thompson, Walters

Hooker: O’Neil, Litten

Second Row: Pearce - Paul, Nsemba, Nicholson

Loose Forward: Knowles, Radley

Players in bold make up the starting side, definitely Litten and Radley on the bench with two of Havard, Thompson and Walters.

I would ove to see the likes of Irwin, Thewlis, Eckersley, Hanley, Farrimond and Robertson play so well in the second half of the year that they can't be left out.

Edited June 8 by Dunbar

[BroncoFan]

6 hours ago, Welshleaguelover said:

What has Talty done to be included other than say he'd like to play for England? He's a nobody.

Same as Brimson, the guy is a fraud.

One of the worst players in the NRL, he hasn’t played a good 80 minutes in 4 years.

[Welshleaguelover]

4 hours ago, StandOffHalf said:

Controversial opinion, but Handley is playing better than Herbie at the moment and deserves that left centre slot in this hypothetical mid-season squad. Herbie is effective of course (how could someone with his talent and quality not be), but his focus looks a bit off to me and he's forcing things and likes throwing a strop when things go against him. He can be much better.

Handley is a good player but he goes to bed at night wishing he was half as good as Farnworth.