Koori Mail's indigenous Dream Team 2005

[The Observer]

Koori Mail's Rugby League editor David Liddiard has picked his Dream Team for 2005 - the best indigenous players in RL. He wrote a full page article on it, but I'll just give the highlights. He named his best in bold, but also talked about other players and the impact they made, so I'll call them honourable mentions.

FULLBACK: Matt Bowen (Cowboys)
Honourable mentions: Greg Inglis (Storm), Milton Thaiday (Knights), Rhys Wesser (Penrith),
Farewell: David Peachey (Sharks)

WINGERS: Amos Roberts (Roosters) and Matt Sing (Cowboys)
Honourable mentions: Brenton Bowen, Michael Lett (Roosters), Ronald Prince (Eels), Ty Williams (Cowboys), Nathan Blacklock (Hull FC UK)

CENTRES: Justin Hodges (Broncos) and Timana Tahu (Eels)
Honourable mentions: Yileen 'Buddy' Gordon (Souths)
Struggled to make impact: Shannon Hegarty (Souths)

FIVE EIGHTH: Johnathon Thurston (Cowboys)
Honourable mentions: Preston Campbell (Penrith), Brad Tighe (Knights)

HALFBACK: Scott Prince (Tigers),
Honourable mentions: Beau Champion (Souths), Jamie Soward (Roosters)
Had a go: Joe Williams, Michael Moran, PJ Taylor (Souths)

LOCK: Dean Widders (Eels)
Struggled to make impact: Daniel Dumas (Roosters), Greg Bird (Sharks)

SECOND ROW: Justin Smith and Carl Webb (Cowboys)
Expecting more: Tom Learoyd Lahrs (Broncos->Raiders)

PROP: Sam Thaiday (Broncos) and George Rose (Roosters->Manly)
Honourable Mention: Richard Fa'aoso (Roosters)

HOOKER: Preston Campbell (Penrith) - his wildcard pick due to lack in NRL.
Honourable Mention: Jimmy Storer (Eels Premier League)

Also, there were pictures from the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout held at Redfern which I think was held on the weekend before Wed October 5th. Redfern All Blacks defeated South West Waratahs 60-42 in the Grand Final.

Former Tiger Wes Patten scored 3 tries for Redfern,

 

[Bumble]

Brad Tighe a fiveeight? Campbell a hooker?

 

[ParraDude_Jay]

Ronald Prince (Eels)

He's been at the tigers this year.

 

[Harold Bishop]

Isnt Watmough "Indigenous"?

 

[The Observer]

Parradude, my mistake about Ronald Prince.
Bumble, Tighe did play some five eighth, but he picked Campbell as his hooker because there of the dearth of indigenous talent playing hooker at NRL level. He picked Campbell as a wildcard, probably because he played in the position in the past.

Also about the Aboriginal Knockout, Andrew Walker and Cliffy Lyons were playing for the SW Waratahs. Good to see Cliffy still running around at 45 years of age!

 

[Lego_Man]

Where's Roy Bell?

 

[choc_soldier]

Brad Tighe a fiveeight? Campbell a hooker?

Tighe, I'm pretty sure is one of those players who can cover 1 to 6 - but has played a majority of his short FG career in the backline. [Newcastle supporters will obviously know a bit more about this]

Campbell played there a bit for Cronulla in 2002, after he was shafted from his Dally M winning deeds at halfback by the arrivals of Kimmorley and Anderson.

 

[Utey]

Hooker, JIMMMY!!!!!

 

[RABK]

Tighe, I'm pretty sure is one of those players who can cover 1 to 6 - but has played a majority of his short FG career in the backline. [Newcastle supporters will obviously know a bit more about this]

Tighe is best at centre but you were right when you said he can cover 1-6.

He has loads more talent then Tahu had at the same age, testament to this is his ball skills when playing five-eight. He's a real player of the future.....

 

[Bernster]

I didn't know that Justin Smith from the Cowboys had any aboriginal blood in him...hmmm

 

[Balmain_Boy]

Brilliant backline, but struggle a bit in the forwards. An backline of indigenous extraction would possibly be better than one of non-indigenous. It's great to see so many Aboriginals succeeding in Rugby League.

 

[RABK]

Brilliant backline, but struggle a bit in the forwards. An backline of indigenous extraction would possibly be better than one of non-indigenous.

As good as it is, no chance...Johns, Barrett, Minichiello, King, Gasnier etc etc.

And before anyone says anything about how most of those players performed in the the test consider that the defence of that aboriginal backline would be woeful, NZ would have put 60 on them.

It's great to see so many Aboriginals succeeding in Rugby League.

Agreed.

 

[Unit]

Beau Cahmpion, Aboriginal????????????

 

[bluesbreaker]

barrett is partly aboriginal isn't he? It's really good to see lots of Indigenous Australians making it in Rugby League, but it's hardly a surprise. Most of them love the game, it's pretty rare to see a kid without a footy in his hands.

:lol: 60-42? Defence might not be these two teams' strong point.

 

[Big Bunny]

Beau Cahmpion, Aboriginal????????????

Fijian

 

[Big Bunny]

Also, there were pictures from the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout held at Redfern which I think was held on the weekend before Wed October 5th. Redfern All Blacks defeated South West Waratahs 60-42 in the Grand Final.

Former Tiger Wes Patten scored 3 tries for Redfern,

Wes also runs the tournament. The side that takes the field in the KO isn't strictly the Redfern All Blacks, but the Cecil Patten/Ron Merritt memorial All Blacks. A lot of the organisational work had to be stepped up since NARLA no longer exists. Also there was a bit of a doubt on team numbers with David Peachey trying to organise a rival tournament on the same weekend in Dubbo, but people were fed up with the tournament being split in recent years and his comp was cancelled due to lack of interest.

 

[hrundi99]

Nathan Merritt played on the day apparently.

 

[An41]

Richard Fa'aoso? Aboriginal?

Daniel Dumas did he use to play for the sharks?thought he was a frenchie

 

[Jono Russell]

why does it say farewell to David Peachey, he still plays RL

 

[Big Bunny]

Richard Fa'aoso? Aboriginal?

Daniel Dumas did he use to play for the sharks?thought he was a frenchie

Aboriginal, but has a French ancestor.