Pick of the Poms
By Australian captain Darren Lockyer
November 14, 2004
ONE of the most common questions from back home whenever we tour Great Britain is which players from over here could emulate what Adrian Morley has done in the NRL.
In my opinion there are five players - not all Test players - who would be runaway successes.
At the top of my list, and this may surprise some people, is a winger.
I am really impressed with Gaelic Football convert Brian Carney.
He has good speed, is a strong runner, is good under the high ball and is mistake-free - everything you want from your winger.
Carney displayed some of those attributes against us at Manchester a couple of weeks ago when he burst out of dummy-half and beat Anthony Minichiello to the corner.
Speaking of "Mini", I reckon Carney is a lot like him as he always bumps off one or two defenders when he brings the ball back.
The second bloke I'd take to the NRL would be someone who has missed the Tri-Nations because of injury, hooker Keiron Cunningham. He is a Steve Walters-type player in that he runs like a prop but has a great passing game.
I have no doubt Great Britain would be an even tougher prospect if Cunningham was fit and in their side.
I guess the only question mark over him is his bad run with injury.
I actually haven't played against him for a while, not since we towelled them in Sydney a couple of years ago.
He played less than half a game on that occasion because of injury, but was dangerous while he was out there.
Paul Sculthorpe is always one of the first chosen in the Great Britain team and he'd be another to make a go of the NRL.
Even though Sculthorpe has played a fair bit of five-eighth, I reckon he's more suited to lock.
He's a strong runner in the mould of Brad Clyde and is relatively quiet out on the field.
He just goes about his business.
Stuart Fielden's name comes up quite a bit as a possible target for NRL clubs and with good reason. He'd be a great buy.
I remember when we came over here a couple of years ago he came out of the blue and had a really good series.
I wasn't sure whether he could keep going, but with a couple of years under his belt playing for Great Britain he always gets the job done.
He carts the ball forward and gains plenty of metres. Very rarely do you see him driven backwards.
British captain Andy Farrell would also make it, but because of his age NRL clubs would have to move pretty soon.
He has done well for them for a long time and is always willing to take the ball up. He has been playing prop over here, but I believe he's more a backrower.
He's a real workhorse.
Two players on the fringe of my top five are their halves Sean Long and Danny McGuire.
Long is a dangerous runner, very light on his feet, but might sometimes be guilty of overdoing it. He probably needs to pass the ball more.
McGuire looks the goods, but it's too early in his career to say how far he can go.
Regardless of the result of our overnight match against the Lions at Wigan, I believe every member of their Test team could find an NRL club and do quite well.
They are fitter than ever and their physiques are a lot leaner.
They obviously pay a lot more attention to their training than they used to, because in the past there were two or three in the forwards who were probably a little bit overweight and one or two in the backs.
But from the five I have chosen, Carney would be the one who would stand out the most.
The Sunday Telegraph
. Sean Long is rubbish, has a terrible kicking game, and probably wouldn't even make first grade in the NRL. Senior, Carney, Paul Sculthorpe Farrell and possibly Maguire and Fielden would be the ones who make it in the NRL, i reckon. someone said Terry Newton - not from what i've seen.
