Most controversial selections in history

[Mr Saab]

i will belittle it in the sense that it was not earned. It was a blatant ARL payback for his loyalty. He should NOT have played in the 1st place as he was NOT fit to play.

Lewis could have gone on tour...easily. Daley could have played 5/8 for 2-3 games to start the tour. He was young and fit.
Its not like we are talking about a player who is a johnny come lately...we are talking about a player with over 30 caps and over 20 times as captain of australia.
QLD/NSW politics came into it.
Just like with Harragon being selected to play as captain. Farce.

 

[Misty Bee]

i will belittle it in the sense that it was not earned. It was a blatant ARL payback for his loyalty. He should NOT have played in the 1st place as he was NOT fit to play.

Lewis could have gone on tour...easily. Daley could have played 5/8 for 2-3 games to start the tour. He was young and fit.
Its not like we are talking about a player who is a johnny come lately...we are talking about a player with over 30 caps and over 20 times as captain of australia.
QLD/NSW politics came into it.
Just like with Harragon being selected to play as captain. Farce.

So why would you whinge about his 'blatant payback'? If it wasn't for Brisbane players shafting the code for their own greed, there would have been no need for it. You reckon players of low caliblre like Simon Gillies getting a Super League rep jumper wasn't payback? At least Harrigan was good enough to represent in a combined comp. And v South Africa is a hell of a lot different to v Great Britain.

But hey, going by your 'why not Daley' analogy, I think your whinge has nothnig to do with Wally not getting selected, it's because Cliffy did.

There have been many controvertial selections - some deserved, some not deserved. Artie Beetson missing the side in (I think) '76, when Kevin Humphreys refused to accept the side witrhout him, dwarfs all others in the last few decades. In that instance, Beetson quietly made himself unavailable, thus avoiding a blow up of the controversy. IN comparison, Wally's massive conspiracy theroy dummyspit made him look as rediculous as your conspiracy theories look now.

Wally failed a fitness test, and carried on like a spoilt brat because of it. Get over it!

 

[JJ]

Wally should have been selected - end of story.

My memory is a bit fuzzy, but Stuart, Langer, Alexander, Lyons, Daley and Fittler (Lamb too?) were all on that tour, weren't they? There was cover in the halves had Wally not been right to play.

 

[The Colonel]

Don't worry Charlie, Misty is still getting over the fact that Jack Gibson left Parramatta..... :roll:

 

[JJ]

Don't worry Charlie, Misty is still getting over the fact that Jack Gibson left Parramatta..... :roll:

Jack Gibson has left Parramatta??? Who's coaching them now then??? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[The Colonel]

Wayne Pearce and Wally Lewis both being overlooked for Kangaroo Tours.

I recall Wally, returning from a broken arm, making a late bid for Kangaroo selection, playing off the bench in a semi final (he came on with about 10m remaining), and then failed the medical for the selection. he then preceeded to blame everyone from the teanm doctor to Arko for his admission. Fact was he wasn't fit to make the Broncos run on side - therefore he wasn't fit to make a 26 game Kangaro tour.

He was cleared by his club doctors and came through the Premliminary Final unscathed. Still think it was a joke he missed out given the length of tours. IMO it was because he would have broken Churchills record for the Test captaincy and certain heirarchy didn't want Lewis to do so.

Why am I surprised that you didn't recall that?

I recall what happened and still believe it was a farce in the way it was handled. Much the same as the Pearce non-selection........

 

[Mr Saab]

misty bee...

As i said, Wally was not some johhnny come lately. We are talking WALLY LEWIS. Someone that should have been given the respect he deserved.
It was all a payback because of the NSw vs QLD war.
I dont care that cliffy was selecteted as a replacment for Wally. My gripe is not with Cliffy (who by the way scored a freakish try in the 2nd test vs GB)
Cliffy was a fine replacement.
However, Wally should have been given the chance. Its not like Wally broke his arm 2 weeks before was it? He was well on his way to being 100% fit.

 

[Misty Bee]

n't worry Charlie, Misty is still getting over the fact that Jack Gibson left Parramatta.....

You are still coming to grips with the sad fact that we used to win premierships.....but what has that go to do with this thread??? :roll:

He was cleared by his club doctors and came through the Premliminary Final unscathed. Still think it was a joke he missed out given the length of tours. IMO it was because he would have broken Churchills record for the Test captaincy and certain heirarchy didn't want Lewis to do so

And do you remember the massive padding he played in for that 15 minutes? You also forget that he only came on after the game was lost - and that was why he was on the bench. If they lose, they put himon late and say "he's fit". If they win, they keep him in cotton balls for another week, and repeat the procedure. It was only ever a ploy to give their club captain every chance to go on the tour.

If you reckon that having Lewis with a broken arm and sadly lacking match fitness was the best option, then the next best 5/8 choice must have been Barry Ward!

As it was, Wally got his test job back a year later v New Zealand. Thus blowing the conspiracy theory out of the water.

 

[Misty Bee]

As i said, Wally was not some johhnny come lately. We are talking WALLY LEWIS. Someone that should have been given the respect he deserved.

And I recall that he was. He WAS selected in the first place, despite being away from the game for a few months.

If they didn't want him, they wouldn't have selected him in the first place!!!!!!!

 

[The Colonel]

Don't worry Charlie, Misty is still getting over the fact that Jack Gibson left Parramatta.....

You are still coming to grips with the sad fact that we used to win premierships.....but what has that go to do with this thread??? :roll:

Poor precious Misty Bee...... sorry for having a dig. I thought after you had one I was entitled to one as well. How are the petrol prices in 1986?

He was cleared by his club doctors and came through the Premliminary Final unscathed. Still think it was a joke he missed out given the length of tours. IMO it was because he would have broken Churchills record for the Test captaincy and certain heirarchy didn't want Lewis to do so

And do you remember the massive padding he played in for that 15 minutes? You also forget that he only came on after the game was lost - and that was why he was on the bench. If they lose, they put himon late and say "he's fit". If they win, they keep him in cotton balls for another week, and repeat the procedure. It was only ever a ploy to give their club captain every chance to go on the tour.

If you reckon that having Lewis with a broken arm and sadly lacking match fitness was the best option, then the next best 5/8 choice must have been Barry Ward!

Yes I do. Meninga played with one of them for the majority of his career. While I'm not a Qld or Broncos fan I still can recognise Lewis as one of the best five eights ever to play the game despite tyhe fact I think he should have been moved to lock to accomodate Kenny. 75% fit he was a better player than Cliff Lyons...... and Cliffy could play.

As it was, Wally got his test job back a year later v New Zealand. Thus blowing the conspiracy theory out of the water.

Actually Churchill played 34 Tests, Lewis only 33...... had he played the Tests in England he would have broken the then record. The record was also in regards to captaincy - the last Test he captained being 1989.

 

[Mr Saab]

As i said, Wally was not some johhnny come lately. We are talking WALLY LEWIS. Someone that should have been given the respect he deserved.

And I recall that he was. He WAS selected in the first place, despite being away from the game for a few months.

If they didn't want him, they wouldn't have selected him in the first place!!!!!!!

if they didnt pick him it would have made it worse!
they had their backdoor plan in effect with the "not fit to tour" crap.
Lewis was robbed...end of story

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Just on that tour, was Steve Walters picked on that tour and didnt play a test, or was he just not picked at all?

I remember Laurie Daley saying it was one of the most controversial selections ever.

 

[Mr Saab]

steve never toured 1990
it was kerrod and kevin

1994 it was kevin and steve

 

[Misty Bee]

Actually Churchill played 34 Tests, Lewis only 33...... had he played the Tests in England he would have broken the then record. The record was also in regards to captaincy - the last Test he captained being 1989.

And had he played the tests on the 82 tour instead of Kenny he would have ALSO broken the record - conspiracy?????

Yes I do. Meninga played with one of them for the majority of his career

I thought Mal's broken arms healed before he played. Silly me. :roll:

if they didnt pick him it would have made it worse!
they had their backdoor plan in effect with the "not fit to tour" crap.
Lewis was robbed...end of story

Yeah, of course! Wally's wonderfulpassing game would have worked a tread with a friggin broken arm. Not to mention his fend...... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[nqboy]

Ken Stewart - 1982 Kangaroos.

And no-one's mentioned Horrie Hastings, same team.

 

[Mr Saab]

misty clown...i have had debates with u before and you live in la la land.

Lewis would have been fit 2 weeks into the tour.

 

[Misty Bee]

misty clown...i have had debates with u before and you live in la la land.

I am NOT your neighbour. Go contact Mulder re Wally's broken arm.

Lewis would have been fit 2 weeks into the tour.

Arm MAY have healed by then - no guarantee with broken arms mending on a given stroke of the clock.

Either way, he would not have been match fit. That would have taken longer, and no-one is a passenger on a 'roo tour.

Wally got treated like everybody else. That's Wally'e real problem!

 

[Misty Bee]

Ken Stewart - 1982 Kangaroos.

I still reckon Ray Brown from Manly's reserve grade for that tour was a pearler!

 

[Mr Saab]

and paul harragon would have been match fit after his suspension on the roo tour of 1994 :roll:
wlaly was fine...more than fine.

dont let ur hatred of Wally cloud ur judgement

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Now here's one, Matt Adamson and Adam Muir picked over Ben Kennedy and Nathan Hindmarsh in SOO 2001. How those two were picked I'll never know. :roll: