Poms whinging again...
ENGLAND halfback Kyle Eastmond has slammed Johnathan Thurston as "arrogant" after the Australian playmaker confessed he knew nothing about the man opposing him in the Four Nations final. Asked by the tournaments official website if he knew more about Eastmond now than he did at the start of the tournament, Thurston replied: "Who?"
When told that Eastmond had come on in the second half of Australias 26-16 win against England at Wigan a fortnight ago, he nervously remarked: "He obviously had a good game against the Kiwis last week and well have to keep an eye on him."
Alongside young five-eighth Sam Tompkins, Eastmond has emerged as a serious threat as the competition has progressed, and he looms as a dangerman for the Australians in the decider at Elland Road on Sunday morning.
It was no coincidence that England clawed their way back into their pool match against Australia at Wigan when Eastmond was injected into the game early in the second half.
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Eastmond was genuinely shocked when told about Thurstons show of ignorance, and said he only respected the Cowboys captain as a player.
"He's a bit mouthy, isn't he?" the 20-year-old St Helens star said. "Obviously hes a great player but obviously he likes to be a little bit arrogant in what he says.
"I don't know why he would say that he doesn't know who I am. I played against him. I guess that's just the way he is. It's disappointing. He's a great player and it's good to play against him. I respect him for his rugby but that's about it. He's not my friend or anything like that."
England coach Tony Smith was equally bemused about Thurston's remarks.
Asked if it was a sign of arrogance, he said: "Possibly. Or ignorance. One or the other or a combination of both. That's fine. They're good boys and they don't let any of that worry them. They just go about their business as they have for the last couple of weeks.
"Tha'ts fairly typical. We've got some unknown players. These guys are trying to make a name for themselves, and hopefully in time they'll know who he is.
"I would imagine that he'll know plenty about him by the time he plays him on Saturday. If he doesn't, that's a flaw in preparation. There wouldn't be many players who wouldn't want to know about their opponent. I would imagine he is professional enough to do that. The fact that he hasn't seen a lot of him isn't surprising. He hasn't been around a long time."
England prop Sam Burgess said he didn't care if Thurston or the Australians knew what Eastmond could do, but paid him the ultimate compliment when he compared him to former England flyer Jason Robinson.
"He's one of the quickest blokes I've ever seen," Burgess said. "He's very much like Jason Robinson.
"I'm sure he (Thurston) will find out sooner than later who he is. He's got a lot skills. Hopefully he can show that on Saturday night. I've got a lot of confidence in Kyle. I won't say too much about him. 'Ill leave it to them to find out themselves.
"Kyle won't worry that he doesn't know him. I've had it said about me before."
Thurston denied that it showed a lack of respect towards England. "We respect them all as a team," he said. "They have a lot of fire out on the edge and have certainly got a good forward pack who will lay a good platform.
"They've got good halves who can attack and they'll hurt us if we give them room."
Daily Telegraph website..
"Waaaaa Waaaaa ..Johnathon Thurston doesnt know who i am Waaaaa Waaaaaa"
Who gives a flying f*ck! I dont even know who the hell he is!
