Lockyer - Hunt

[Bobby DIGital]

A fully fit in form benji would be good for the kiwis but even with lockyer :lol: :lol: :lol:

The kiwi forward pack aint that great anyway. Asotasi is quality but kidwell is average (what is it 5 metres a hit up running at backs??).

The aussies kill the kiwis on paper, but i dont think that matters that much it will come down to who is better on the day and both are capable. Im not convinced about Hape. Especially since he plays in england. If hes as good as hes talked up to be what the hells he doing catching a cold in the #2 shirt every game.

Still but i think the kiwi's will struggle with only one half steering them around the park. Vaganas not even good enough to make the team let alone at pivot

Actually Benji could one day be better than Lockyer. Cast your mind back to last years semis...Benji outshone Lockyer in the game they played against each other. Benji would compliment Jones perfectly. Much better than how Thurston compliments Lockyer. Thurston is just another 5/8 masquerading as a halfback. Jones is a pure halfback & Benji is a pure 5/8. That combo would be the best in the world.

Hape is the man. What's Inglis doing catching a cold in the number 5? I don't see your point there.

Kiwi pack is all quality Wiki, Asotasi, Pritchard, Kidwell - they're all beasts.

Kidwell is the hitman. He's a maniac.

Aussie pack is laughable really. O'Donnell, O'Meley, Tupou, Kite....oooohh we're really scared. LOL...And of course we own Mason. He was too scared to even take the field last time.

Agreed re:Vagana but he's obviously paid his dues, and McLennan feels he needs to pick him. Roberts would of been a better option.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

a fully fit benji being even with lockyer??? pffft... enough said...
anyways benji is so prone to injuries he probably won't last very long in a toug h test match series

 

[Charlie124]

Ill never pretend to be a Lockyer fan but to compare a plate of glass like Benji to him is laughable, Benji isnt even in the same league and to say that he "could one day be better than lockyer" is like saying Brett Finch could one day be better than Andrew Johns, sure it could happen, but it wont...ever.

 

[badav]

Actually Benji could one day be better than Lockyer. Cast your mind back to last years semis...Benji outshone Lockyer in the game they played against each other. Benji would compliment Jones perfectly. Much better than how Thurston compliments Lockyer. Thurston is just another 5/8 masquerading as a halfback. Jones is a pure halfback & Benji is a pure 5/8. That combo would be the best in the world.

Hape is the man. What's Inglis doing catching a cold in the number 5? I don't see your point there.

Kiwi pack is all quality Wiki, Asotasi, Pritchard, Kidwell - they're all beasts.

Kidwell is the hitman. He's a maniac.

Aussie pack is laughable really. O'Donnell, O'Meley, Tupou, Kite....oooohh we're really scared. LOL...And of course we own Mason. He was too scared to even take the field last time.

Agreed re:Vagana but he's obviously paid his dues, and McLennan feels he needs to pick him. Roberts would of been a better option.

Asotasi and Wiki are quality. Kidwell and pritchard are useless. Kidwell aint no hitman . Unless you count one head clash with willie mason.:roll: :roll:

If you looked at his stats for that game he was averaging 4.5 metres a hitup
Kidwell and Pritchard will get shown up this week. They will go out there try to put on a few big shoulder charges then go missing for the rest of the game.

Inglis is out on the wing because of australia's very strong backline. Not the same for the kiwis.

If hape was anywhere near as good as people say he wouldnt have guys like steve matai and nigel vagana playing inside him.

As for benji being better than lockyer one day. Speculation. Talk it up after he is (if ever). Get him on the park first before you compare with lockyer, or anyone for that matter.

 

[ozbash]

Kidwell and pritchard are useless. mate, you dont have a clue.

 

[Mr Saab]

Actually Benji could one day be better than Lockyer. Cast your mind back to last years semis...Benji outshone Lockyer in the game they played against each other. Benji would compliment Jones perfectly. Much better than how Thurston compliments Lockyer. Thurston is just another 5/8 masquerading as a halfback. Jones is a pure halfback & Benji is a pure 5/8. That combo would be the best in the world.

Benji outplayed Lockyer...thats Mundine talk.
Lockyer has been consistently performing since 1997.
Where was Benji in 2006? On the sidelines as per the norm with him.
Where was Lockyer 2006? Hmmm lets see :

Captaining his state to origin victory
Origin player of the year
Rep player of the year
Captained his team to a GF win
Golden Boot winner

As for a Benji and Marshall combo. Will it ever happen? Jones will end up retiring for the 3rd time after this yrs series.

 

[JJ]

the lucky talk is bullsh*t though Saab... you're suggesting that minus one or two players and Aust can't beat us???

FFS, the Poms and NRL always make sure we're below strength, and if they don't then injuries do...

So if Aust win the final, we can say "Aust were just lucky they got to face a NZ team without Williams, Marshall, Puletua, Lauitiiti, Solomona, and Vainikolo?"
Excellent!

 

[JJ]

And of course we own Mason.

Never a truer phrase typed!!

Seriously, he looks scared whenever he faces the Kiwis or the Warriors... I'm sure he'll make the odd metre running at Stacey Jones, but he'll give a wide berth to the Kiwi forwards :lol:

 

[mxlegend99]

LMAO - Our pack simply owns yours though

Our pack is full of brutal, big-hitting, bad dudes. Yours isn't.

The backlines aren't as far apart as you think
We have a better halfback & a better fullback. You guys have the better 5/8 (allthough with a fully fit & in-form Benji there, it would be even)
I think you're underestimating guys like Solioloa & Hape. They are class players. Soliola is the centre of the tournament by far.

*yawn*

And with a fully fit Mini, the only player in the backline you guys would have over us, is Stacey Jones. Even then, Johnathon Thurston on his given day will match it with the best of them. Stacey Jones and Andrew Johns included.

Aussie have it over the Kiwi's by miles in the backline. We have still yet to click for an entire game. When we do, we will be unstoppable. There is so much creative talent in our backline.... even if we had a premier league forward pack we'd still be able to win.

I'm not overly confident they will play to the best of their ability. As we for some reason haven't yet. But i am confident that if both teams play their best. Australia will mop the floor with the Kiwis

Plus we have won beaten you in the ANZAC test, and both Tri-Nations games so far... and we still haven't really clicked as a team yet.

 

[JJ]

*. There is so much creative talent in our backline.... even if we had a premier league forward pack we'd still be able to win.

that's handy, because that's pretty much the forward pack you have :lol:

Hindmarsh and maybe Civo are the only ones we'd want

 

[fat_mike]

lol

all this talk about the "animal" forward has meant f**k all so far this year.

even with a weaker pack( and i do agree ours is weaker) we still havent lost to the kiwi mugs this year. all the dominance upfront in melbourne and we only needed 7 minutes of backline brilliance to win. f**k we wiped your sorry asses in kiwiland.

bring on the final, cant freaking wait.

 

[JJ]

:lol: weaker they are...

If our pack dominates again - we win... simple as that.

Look for Mason and O'Meley to go missing big time

 

[fat_mike]

you dominate and you win simple as that.

lmao, dont make me laugh. dominated melbourne, couldnt get the job done, we're the better pack in the first game and still couldnt get the job done.

all we have to do hold the kiwi's forwards and it'll be a cake walk.

inglis, gasnier, hodges, hunt, king, locky, thurston anyone of them could rip you bloeks apart.

deep down you know it.

3-0 this year and soon to be 4-0

 

[JJ]

you dominate and you win simple as that.

good we agree then


Seriously - Aust are the favourites... but this is the worst Australian team I can remember - in the players (esp the forwards) and the form...

I believe that if the Kiwi forwards dominate you will not be lucky enough to get away with a win again... more often than not the dominant pack wins... it's possible, there is certainly some brilliance in that backline, but don't talk about Thurston cutting us up, that's f**king funny... Lockyer may well cut us up, but nobody else will... except running off Lockyer... but if our forwards are on top, that's much less likely

 

[badav]

Kidwell and pritchard are useless. mate, you dont have a clue.

you watch them go missing this saturday then tell me i dont have a clue

explain to me whats good about kidwell? he makes 5 metres a hit up running at backs. seriously. how can you argue with that.

 

[JJ]

you watch them go missing this saturday then tell me i dont have a clue

explain to me whats good about kidwell? he makes 5 metres a hit up running at backs. seriously. how can you argue with that.

yep agree, so Kidwell and Mason cancel each other out...

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

ftr I think we have a pretty good backline with the possible exception of Vagana.

 

[ozbash]

vagana was good v the poms in welly. hope he keeps up the form.

mason and shrek will top the count for dropped ball on saturday, they will be too concerned as to who is coming at them.

you watch them go missing this saturday then tell me i dont have a clue

repeat, you dont have a clue.

 

[badav]

you watch them go missing this saturday then tell me i dont have a clue

repeat, you dont have a clue.

ok we'll just wait and see what happens then ;-)

 

[mxlegend99]

good we agree then


Seriously - Aust are the favourites... but this is the worst Australian team I can remember - in the players (esp the forwards) and the form...

I believe that if the Kiwi forwards dominate you will not be lucky enough to get away with a win again... more often than not the dominant pack wins... it's possible, there is certainly some brilliance in that backline, but don't talk about Thurston cutting us up, that's f**king funny... Lockyer may well cut us up, but nobody else will... except running off Lockyer... but if our forwards are on top, that's much less likely

wow. You think that you only need to beat our forwards to win?

Pity that the backs are the fellas that score all the points. A dominant forward pack helps, but the backs are where the points are.

Thurston can carve any team up on his day. I'd take Lockyer and Thurston over Vagana and Jones :lol:

A crappy, out of form centre... at 5/8. :lol:

Big dopey wingers and centres. :lol:

Outside of a good forward pack, good fullback and good halfback, Kiwis have nothing.

Out fullback will match yours, our halfback will match or exceed yours, our forward pack is capable of matching it with yours... then we have all these extra players like Lockyer, Gasnier, Inglis, Hodges and King who you just have no answer to.

Our backline is all class.