strongest GB side.

[roughyedspud]

the best thing to come out of the test last night is we now have 3 reasons not to pick sean o'loughlin...kev sinfield,jamie langley & jon wilkin....


personally i like my 13's to offer something with the ball in hand and kev's performance as a 13 who won man of the match as an emergency stand off last night,fits the profile of my ideal number 13..someone who can take the ball at first reciever and have the fottballing brain to do something with it other than sticking it up the jumper and playing like a extra 2nd rower

come the autumn tests i'd like to see sinfield & wilkin start at 12 & 13 and have langley on the bench.....

 

[bartman]

Agree, if Sinfield is in the top 17 against teams like the Kiwis and Australia I'd prefer him at 13 than 6 to start. It's a different style of play than what Noble was willing to try, and might take less pressure off the 6 & 7 and make GB/England less predictable in attack.

Wilkin has played bench before for GB with all the big names in, so could be expected to bob up there again. Langley has promise, but they'll need two guys who can handle prop on the bench against big Oz and NZ packs.

 

[MrCharisma]

Months on, what would we say about the strongest GB side? Would you make any changes? Has someone unmentioned stood up or perhaps someone has failed to show?

Someone I think who doesn't get the wrapped they deserve is Huddersfield's Stephan Wild. Hands down a classy and tough player

 

[Kurt Angle]

From a distant view, a Warrington winger by the name of Penny has been getting some exposure.

 

[Evil Homer]

Penny's nothing. Shouldn't be anywhere near consideration.

 

[roughyedspud]

my side

1.wellens
2.gardner
3.gilmour
4.pryce
5.ranyor
6.mcguire
7.burrow
8.peacock
9.roby
10.morley
11.ellis
12.JJB
13.sinfield

14.graham
15.burgess
16.wild
17 hooker ??

struggling for a hooker...higham,diskin,alker??

 

[roughyedspud]

my side

1.wellens
2.gardner
3.gilmour
4.pryce
5.ranyor
6.mcguire
7.burrow
8.peacock
9.roby
10.morley
11.ellis
12.JJB
13.sinfield

14.graham
15.burgess
16.wild
17 hooker ??

struggling for a hooker...higham,diskin,alker??


as for kevin penny...expect to see him in the northern union side to play the all golds ;-) and who know, he might have a blinder and ask some questions of gareth ranyor...you never know..

 

[bartman]

Northern Union game will serve as a good selection trial for some players on the fringe or up and coming, get a feel for if they could handle it in the top strength side.

Interesting to see who Smith opts for in the centres... I sense it is a new era and we'll have moved on from many of the names of the Noble era (Fielden, Senior, Long etc). I suspect the mid-season match v France was the start of easing some established guys out.

My guess at this point:

1. Wellens
2. Gardner
3. ? could be anyone... maybe Wild/Gilmour ?
4. Pryce (will be in the side somewhere)
5. Raynor/Aspinwall ?
6. Maguire
7. Burrow
8. Peacock (c)
9. Roby (should be first picked)
10. Morley ?
11. Ellis
12. Gilmour
13. Sinfield (on strength of game v France)
14. Graham
15. Jones-Buchanan
16. Wilkin
17. Wild (or another prop Lynch/Burgess, if Wild used in centres)
18. ? spare hooker/playmaker eg Deacon (though with Sinfield at 13, maybe 6-7-9-13 can rotate the spare dummy half role, with someone shifting to lock to cover Sinfield)

There's too many back rowers in there, definitely need an extra prop for the bench against Kiwi pack.

 

[roughyedspud]

bugger i forgot wilkin....he'd start in the 2nd row intstead of JJB who would replace wild on my bench....

we are light in the centres but we have enough quality in the 2nd row to move our more agile 2nd rower namely gilmour to the centre..lets not forget he was playing on the wing when he ghosted through the aussie defence from 40m out when we beat them in sydney last year..

do we need an hooker on the bench?? can/should roby be tamed down to ensure he can go for 80mins?

 

[bartman]

Personally I don't think a spare hooker is needed in the 17... as long as your 13 or someone else can jump to the halves if needed. However, that tends to go against current wisdom of 40 minute stints for dummy halves, and there's bound to be some option included in any 23 man squad.

But Smith simply must play two props off the bench against the kiwis, or it won't be pretty.

 

[roughyedspud]

burgess & graham

 

[MrCharisma]

I like the sides being names but I'm surprised there is no Yeaman. He's forms been down but still a fantastic player...

 

[MrCharisma]

Your thoughts? This'd be my side... anyway

1. Paul Wellens
2. Gareth Raynor
3. Kirk Yeaman
4. Paul Skyes
5. David Hodgeson
6. Danny McGuire
7. Rob Burrow
8. James Graham
9. James Roby
10. Jamie Peacock
11. Gareth Ellis
12. Steve Wild
13. Kevin Sinfield

14. Gareth Hock
15. Jon Wilkin
16. Leon Pryce
17. Lee Gilmore or Nick Fozzard

 

[Nook]

Based on the GF, a couple of SL games here and there and tests over the last few years, I'd go something like

1. Wellens - picks himself
2. Raynor - went okay last year
3. Yeaman - reckon he looked classy against Aus, not sure how his form has been though
4. Pryce - Gleeson has been hopeless at test level for a couple of years. Senior is past his best, ordinary in the Trinations last year. Pryce has to be in there somewhere and I'd be inclined to try the Leeds combo in the halves, I still don't see Pryce as a top-class pivot
5. ? Smith from Leeds went okay the other day..Gilmour dependable enough IMO...
6. McGuire - headless chook last year but he's still GB's best hope I think, looked a more mature player v Saints
7. Burrow - don't see a real alternative here unless you go for McGuire at half.
13. Sinfield - Lambasted for being a bit of a plodder and it is probably true to an extent but GB desperately need someone who can provide a bit of direction and stability and help the halves out, Sinfield seems to do the trick at Leeds and I think he could be a decent test footballer at lock
12. Ellis - wonderful player
11. Note to sure - based on the TriNations probably Hock. Jones-Buchanan? Wild? Langley? Gilmour?
10. Morley
9. Roby - start the bloke and see how he goes, don't see the point putting your second best hooker in the run on side just so your best hooker can come off the bench
8. Peacock - hopefully replicating last year's form.

 

[lockyno1]

1. Pryce (wellans is just solid, not a matchwinner the way Pryce is)
6. Macguire
7. Burrow
9. Roby

Buid the side around that.

 

[eels_fan_01]

Gleeson was one of the worst international centres i have ever seen, he makes Clinton Toopi look good.

 

[Nook]

Gleeson was great for GB in 2004 (I think it was) but seems to have struggled badly since...he was shocking last year.

 

[bartman]

My prediction...

1. Wellens
2. Gardner
3. Gilmour
4. Pryce
5. Raynor
6. Maguire
7. Burrow
8. Peacock (c)
9. Roby
10. Lynch
11. Morley
12. Ellis
13. Sinfield
14. Graham
15. Burgess
16. Jones-Buchanan
17. Wild
18. Wilkin

19. Yeaman (back up centre)
20. Gleeson (back up centre)
21. Newton (back up hooker)
22. Deacon (back up half)
23. Hodgson (back up winger)

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

1 - Wellens
2 - Raynor
3 - Yeaman
4 - Atkins (Is he even in the squad, ridiculous if he's not)
5 - Gardner
6 - Pryce
7 - Burrow
8 - Morley
9 - Roby
10 - Peacock
11 - Ellis
12 - Gilmour
13 - Sinfield

14 - Smith
15 - Graham
16 - Lynch
17 - Fozzard

But it's GB so all kinds of daft names like O'Loughlin and co will probably make the lineup.

Thankfully Gaz Hock isn't in the squad so all those selecting him are wrong. He's banned too.