Australia V england

[legend]

I think what a lot of people have missed in their post mortems on the game is it was played with great intensity and above all, pride and passion. I will forgo skill for pride and passion any day and the Poms dug deep and had it by the truckload. So did the Aussies because regardless of the circumstances, it is hard to overcome a side down on it's luck and the Aussies were pinpoint twice in the second half and it got them home.

The pass from Noddy to Gower was sheer class while the Wing/Lockyer try was exceptional as was the try from Carney.

IMO, best on field was Keith Senior. He always terrorises the Aussies and if the Poms can cut out the brain explosions when they have the ball in an attacking position, they will go a long way towards winning the series.

Union has nothing on our game and IMO, the Aussies long held dominanc is slowly coming to an end.

You are a hard person to please if you didn't like what you saw this morning.

 

[eternaltreblinka]

I'm surprised Lockyer isn't getting more credit. He set up Bailey's try with a great long pass, put in a nice little grubber for Waterhouse to score, and gave another good pass to put Wing into space, then backed up to score. He made one mistake from a kick, but I thought he was the star for Australia.

Craig Wing was excellent at centre, it reminded me of Trent Barrett carving them up as a surprise centre off the bench a couple of years ago.

And I thought Kimmorley played fine, he was very composed, particularly at the end with the pass to Gower, and then trapping them in-goal with a perfect grubber.

Congratulations to the Great Britain side as well, an excellent effort with 12 players.

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

agree jason, it went both ways.
i dont think tim mander will allow either team that much space.
there seemed to be a lot of "flop"in the british tackles as well.

maybe time for nuetral refs ?

The only reason for neutral refs to my mind is to make sure both teams are unfamiliar with the interpretations that particular ref plays. I don't have any problem with the impartiality of any British or Aussie ref, either would call it as they normally see it.

fair enough , but shouldnt the interpretations be universal ?

rugby league is rugby league ?

Yeah but the NRL does go in for changing the rules without consulting anyone else. The number of subs allowed has been different for years, and what is a 'dominant tackle' when its at home? An Aussie near me screamed it every time the Roos were done for falling asleep on the tackled player.

Its time to sit down and thrash out the rules to the letter of the law, and to tell everyone what they are.

 

[Moffo]

Lockyer was good in attack but made a few uncharacteristic mistakes as well

They can't keep Bailey, Minichello and Kimmorley on the same wing. You might as well have three Gidley clones that stand there, or perhaps just borrow three turnstiles from outside the ground and stick them in

Id put Devere in for Bailey myself, put Sing on the wing and move Hegarty to the centres. Wing is much more effective as an interchange if he isn't going to be used at halfback (where he should be with these team)

Overall though, i loved the game. Had about 2 hours sleep beforehand, but stayed awake through it all. Great crowd, it actually felt like an ashes test

Morley had to go. No questions IMO

I wouldn't mind having Fielden in my side. The man is a gun!

And good to see Crocker going the Biff. It was quite funny, someone said that he may be the person to replace Tallis. Bit of agro and a QLDer. I think he went a long way this morning!

To anyone who hasn't seen it, i urge you to watch the replay. One of the best 3 games i have seen this year.

Shit i wish i was there

Cheers,
Moffo

 

[Moffo]

and isn't flopping a penalty under international rules???

Shit, i saw it at least 10 times this morning and not one was pulled up

They need a better kicker than Long in general play as well.

Radlinski was costly for the poms. They bombed a few tries

For Australia, i struggle to find someone that stood out. Crocker tried hard and Ricketson was solid as ever

Cheers,
Moffo

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

and isn't flopping a penalty under international rules???

sh*t, i saw it at least 10 times this morning and not one was pulled up

They need a better kicker than Long in general play as well.

Radlinski was costly for the poms. They bombed a few tries

For Australia, i struggle to find someone that stood out. Crocker tried hard and Ricketson was solid as ever

Cheers,
Moffo

The flop rule is a bone of contention for me in Super League most weeks. It was cracked down on a few years back, but generally they rule that if the player's motion is towards the tackle before it is completed its fine, even if he actually arrives later than the number 256 bus.

 

[Moffo]

and isn't flopping a penalty under international rules???

sh*t, i saw it at least 10 times this morning and not one was pulled up

They need a better kicker than Long in general play as well.

Radlinski was costly for the poms. They bombed a few tries

For Australia, i struggle to find someone that stood out. Crocker tried hard and Ricketson was solid as ever

Cheers,
Moffo

The flop rule is a bone of contention for me in Super League most weeks. It was cracked down on a few years back, but generally they rule that if the player's motion is towards the tackle before it is completed its fine, even if he actually arrives later than the number 256 bus.

:lol:

just seemed blatantly obvious at times today. Maybe because the NRL guys have cracked down on it this year, its more noticeable for us

Cheers,
Moffo

 

[incredible_holc]

Thats why i think GB will get thrashed with an aussie ref.

9/10 times an aussie ref will penalise you for any hint of a flop, while British refs wont and i couldnt count how many penalties the aussies would of got with an aussie ref than what they did today. The brits will be on the back foot the whole time next week. This is why Morley is vital!!

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

Thats why i think GB will get thrashed with an aussie ref.

9/10 times an aussie ref will penalise you for any hint of a flop, while British refs wont and i couldnt count how many penalties the aussies would of got with an aussie ref than what they did today. The brits will be on the back foot the whole time next week. This is why Morley is vital!!

Morley will be at second row next week.






Row B,seat 45.

 

[yakstorm]

The second game is at Hull though, so I think the Aussie ref may just let a bit slide by both sides.

And before you think 'Oh its just Hull', if you go there, you will see a packed stadium full of them, will be extremely intimidating.

 

[vbfg]

agree jason, it went both ways.
i dont think tim mander will allow either team that much space.
there seemed to be a lot of "flop"in the british tackles as well.

maybe time for nuetral refs ?

The only reason for neutral refs to my mind is to make sure both teams are unfamiliar with the interpretations that particular ref plays. I don't have any problem with the impartiality of any British or Aussie ref, either would call it as they normally see it.

fair enough , but shouldnt the interpretations be universal ?

Yes, but they haven't been for as long as I've walked the earth.

 

[Pierced Soul]

Morley wont be there next week he'll be suspended.

It was a great game. union wishes they could "test" matches like that instead of 100-nil scorelines made up of penalty goals.

Baily and Mason, need to be dropped. Baily may go ok from the becnh but not as a centre. Senior wouldnt be having that much space with devere marking him. Wing should be on the bench and used as an impact, moving hegarty into the centres and either sing or lewis onto the wing.

Civinoceva had a great game and consistently took the ball past the advantage line. I thought Crocker went alright and had a bit of fire in the belly (nothing wrong with that).

Newton thinks he's playing in the 80's still with all his cheap shots, and he wasnt the only GB player doing that.

The reality of it, is that GB were fired up by Morely's (correct) sending off, and I'd be surprised if they could lift as well for the next 2 games

 

[dubby]

Some of you blokes outghta pull your head in! That was a classic game, more intensity, flair, and passion than any RWC game. For those bagging the ref, i thought he had a bloody good game, not a showboat like some Aussie refs, and not too stringent either, he had a good balance. Bailey should be dropped for DeVere, and Hegarty done little except bait Newton into fighting back.

Look at the postings here. More whinging than a pommy retirement home! Now THAT was a test match! You could feel the crowds passion, the desperation from two close teams made it a great game. Lets talk it up, lets say what a great game we have here, and rub it into the face of the Tele paper and those jumping on the Union bandwagon..

 

[Danish Moo Cow]

Great game! Kudos to Buderus (surely the man of the match) and Lockyer who really pulled it out after a dodgy start to the second half.

I'm not sure why we struggled to score so much. There's a number of reasons. The ten metres was short for the Poms, no question. But that's what Ashes Tests are all about. The forwards struggled for metres. I know Webcke has plenty of admirers, but he dropped the ball and missed more tackles than Mason has on the tour so far in that one match today. Piss poor effort from the "Hard man". Having Kearns and Fitzgibbon knocked out in the first half probably didn't help either. Thought Ricketson was a bit quiet and while Simpson was good when he was involved, he probably could've gotten into the game a bit more.

The backline is a shambles. Heggarty and Miniciello went alright for the most part, maybe pairing them on one side of the ground is the way to go with Devere and Sing on the other. What happened to Sing, BTW? Bailey isn't ready yet and Wing is probably better suited to the middle of the field. Gower isn't fitting in too well at 5/8 so I'd switch Wing there and let Gower come off the bench to move around the hooker/halves parts.

Good on Great Britain today. Morley put on a show for his home crowd today. Fantastic to see he treats his fans to what we get to see every second week here. King Gee might be dead, but long live the new King Thug. Newton is sadly just a little child when it comes to niggle. He can't even fake being hurt without it looking funny.

For a weird side on paper, they certainly played better as a team than the Australians. They just lacked a link between the forwards and backs, Sean Long wasn't good enough today while Sculthorpe tried pretty hard. Great to see Andy Farrell dig in today, but in all honesty it isn't an achievment to lay Shane Webcke out. Brian Carney looks like a bit of a find while Radlinski looked a bit old and tired at times.

Looking forward to a great series without thugs Morley and Civinocieva who should know better than to elbow people in the head. Let's hope the authorities saw it.

Now, what does Rugby Union have to offer me?

 

[Rooster Lozz]

Got home from the game a few hours ago just in time to watch the replay on Sky. First of all great atmosphere, Australian team roared past us while on our way to the ground with a police escort. JJB is a great stadium to watch a league game, I dont think there is a bad seat in the house.
Now onto the game, well I couldnt believe it when Morley was sent off, at first i thought he was unlucky but when i watched the replay there wasnt much choice but to send him off. It really was a shame and you could see that he was distraught as they showed him back in the sheds head in his hands and had a few tears. He is the type of player that wants to make that huge impact first tackle and unfortuanatley this time he got it badly wrong. Whenever you use a swining arm you are in trouble, could have just as well made a huge impact with a shoulder charge. I dont think he will miss any games, missing this game was punishment enough.
Also i dont know what the ref was doing sending only Crocker to the bin fair enough he retaliated but Carney threw as many punches and was the instagater yet he got away with it.
I thought it was a great game and GB really aimed up and played really well, if they had 13 players they would have won the game. I think Bailey was majorly suspect he just doesnt offer enough in defence to be playing in the centres Senior out ran him plenty of times and they will really target him in the next match (i dont think they will make any changes unless injuries).
Best players for Australia - Webke made huge busts and they really struggled to maintain him. Lockyer was solid as usual at the back and also set up a few tries. Wing was excellent there is no way he should go back to the bench as we need him out there for the full game the metres he made were crucial. Kimorley played well until he got injured which really threw us in attack as he was really struggling but luckily enough he was able to throw a great pass for Gower to score.
Everyone else played solidly but they need to work on a few crucial mistakes like Gower dropping off from the kick off was really bad. He hasnt impressed me at all so far. I know he is playing out of position but to me he seemed kinda lethargic and struggled to get really involved in the match.
All in all it was a great game, good for international league and i cant wait till next week and I wont be pissed off if GB win as i have tickets to the 3rd game and it'll be a great atmosphere if its a decider.

Union has nothing on this game, it can only get better and better

 

[Tidus_Raider]

Great game. One of the best in recent memory. Now if only the poms can play with that passion in Australia and International League will be going somewhere.

 

[Stevo_G]

yes a great game great britai were unlucky i thought with 10 to go they were in wit a chance

hopefully in hull we can see a gb win so we can have a close deciding 3rd game

 

[Tidus_Raider]

yes a great game great britai were unlucky i thought with 10 to go they were in wit a chance

hopefully in hull we can see a gb win so we can have a close deciding 3rd game

I thought so too. When Carney, who had a great game, went over I thought the brits would come away with it but it wasn't to be. Hopefully the next 2 games will be just as exciting. Also feel sorry for Morley. The way he was talking up the series made it obvious he really wanted to play and not only that but win. It's a shame if he misses the next game.

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

yes a great game great britai were unlucky i thought with 10 to go they were in wit a chance

hopefully in hull we can see a gb win so we can have a close deciding 3rd game

They had better win in Hull, as I don't have tickets for that one and I don't want to be watching a dead rubber in Huddersfield with three men and dog for company.

 

[Parraren]

What a f*cking brilliant game of footy! I almost forgot what it felt like to watch an exciting game of League having spent the last month in a coma watching (well, trying my best to watch) the Yawnion 'World' Cup. Thank God for International Rugby League, it's back and kicking!

I've watched about 10 games of the Yawnion WC and the total amount of excitement generated by those 10 games was easily matched in the first 12 seconds of this mornings test match. I was on the edge of my seat for the full 80 mins. A brilliant test match and a brilliant contest. How on earth anyone can find Yawnion a more entertaining sport is absolutely beyond me, it really is. Well, there's my rant, I guess it's back into my coma for now.....until next Sunday morning that is 8)