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Thurston out of test?

Messages
601
Alan mack league reporter her in NZ came on to Radio Sport(NZ) and reported this.

You can listen to the audiobank at radiosport.co.nz about 315 - 330pm
 

Alehana

Juniors
Messages
1,692
Far out this is big news,
but i'm sure prince will step up (if hes next in line and if this is true) and auss will still kill.
 

Pierced Soul

First Grade
Messages
9,202
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23664818-23214,00.html

Thurston in Centenary Test injury scare

May 08, 2008
AUSTRALIA have had a major injury scare ahead of the Centenary Test, with half-back Jonathan Thurston taken to hospital for scans after he rolled an ankle in training.
The scans will determine the severity of any injury the playmaker might have incurred, but sources inside the Kangaroos camp have not ruled out the possibility that he will still play in the clash with New Zealand.

Melbourne Storm's Cooper Cronk has been called up to join the squad as a precaution and possible cover in the half-back role.

More will be known later once the scans have been assessed by doctors and team medical staff.
More to come.
 

Alehana

Juniors
Messages
1,692
Australian halfback Johnathan Thurston is in serious doubt for Friday night's rugby league Centenary Test against New Zealand after rolling his ankle at training on Thursday afternoon.

Thurston is undergoing scans on the injury with Melbourne halfback Cooper Cronk called up to join the squad.
Cronk will arrive in Sydney on Thursday afternoon and act as cover for Thurston after the North Queensland playmaker went down towards the
end of the final training session.

Cronk is the incumbent Australian halfback after partnering Greg Bird in the halves in the Kangaroos' 58-0 win over New Zealand in Wellington last year.
Australia will know in the next three hours (6:30pm NZT) if he can play on Friday night.

4:30 AEST we'll know.

tvnz.co.nz
 

Paullyboy

Coach
Messages
10,471
How the hell is Cronk ahead of Prince?

And please dont use the incumbent line as it's nothing but a word invented for selectors with no balls.
 

watatank

Coach
Messages
14,348
With such short preparation it was probably best to bring in Cronk since he was there last year. Cronk can count himself very lucky that is for sure.
 

PARRA_FAN

Coach
Messages
18,312
Very lucky indeed, and considering the Titans have the bye this weekend it wouldve been better if Laffranchi and Prince joined the squad.
 

Alehana

Juniors
Messages
1,692
i reckon anthony is the most unluckiest, i can understand cronk, i reckon if JT injury had happend few days earlier prince would have got the call up, but gallen instead of anthony?? thats a joke.
 

Dazzat

First Grade
Messages
5,919
Prince pulls a second year team up to the top of the points table through sheer class ... but can't pull the blinkers off the selectors' faces. It's a disgrace!
 

Apey

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
29,323
Stuart calls Prince to explain Roos snub

Written by: By Wayne Heming
May 8th, 2008 6:16pm
Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart took the unusual action of telephoning Titans halfback Scott Prince to personally explain why he was overlooked as the standby player for injured Test No.7 Johnathan Thurston.
The decision to rush Cronk into the squad after Thurston put himself in doubt by rolling his left ankle at training was not totally unexpected given he played halfback in Australia's 58-0 drubbing of the Kiwis last October when Greg Bird stood in at five-eighth for Darren Lockyer.
With only 24 hours of preparation time, Cronk's combination with Storm teammates Cameron Smith, Greg Inglis and Billy Slater also came into play.
Titans managing director Michael Searle revealed Stuart had contacted Prince to explain the reasons why he was not drafted into the Australian camp in Sydney.
"Scott has spoken to Ricky Stuart and understands the reasons behind the decision," Searle said.

"He's now very focused on winning selection for Queensland Origin."
Titans coach John Cartwright, who is Stuart's assistant, and who'd spoken out about Prince's representative claims, preferred not to comment on the choice of Thurston's standby.
"The selectors have made a decision and we've got a game to win," said Cartwright from within the Kangaroos' Sydney camp.
Australian and Queensland selector Des Morris said the decision to call Cronk into the Kangaroos squad ahead of Prince was not a black mark against the Gold Coast playmaker.
Morris said Prince was still well in the running to be selected in Queensland's 17-man State of Origin squad which will be announced next Tuesday.
Queensland selectors could be facing the unthinkable next week when they pick their team - going into the Origin battle without the game's best two players, Lockyer and Thurston.
"Scott is still very much in our discussions," Morris said.
"He's one of the form players of the competition and he's just unlucky because there really wasn't time to work a player in and Cronk played in the last Test.
"Cronk has also been playing very well for Manly."
North Queensland already suffered a major blow this week with dynamic attacking fullback Matt Bowen ruled out for two to three weeks with a knee injury.
Leading sports bookmaker Sportingbet Australia quickly suspended betting on Saturday night's NRL clash between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Sharks once news of Thurston's injury filtered through.
"The phones ran hot straight away with one of the first bets being $5,000 on the Sharks at the plus four points handicap," said Sportingbet's chief executive Michael Sullivan.
TAB Sportsbet was also hit hard with a string of bets of $30,000 and two more of $15,000 at the handicap start, forcing the Sharks line odds in from $1.90 into $1.85.
Lol at the quote on there. "Cronk has been playing very well for Manly" Is this an editing mistake or was that the actual quote :lol:
 

no name

Referee
Messages
20,775
The decision to rush Cronk into the squad after Thurston put himself in doubt by rolling his left ankle at training was not totally unexpected given he played halfback in Australia's 58-0 drubbing of the Kiwis last October when Greg Bird stood in at five-eighth for Darren Lockyer.

What a crock, Alan Tongue could have played half back in that game and Australia still would have flogged them.

NZ had a understrength team that was reduced to 12 men in early in the game.
 

Dazzat

First Grade
Messages
5,919
The decision to rush Cronk into the squad after Thurston put himself in doubt by rolling his left ankle at training was not totally unexpected given he played halfback in Australia's 58-0 drubbing of the Kiwis last October when Greg Bird stood in at five-eighth for Darren Lockyer.

What a crock, Alan Tongue could have played half back in that game and Australia still would have flogged them.

NZ had a understrength team that was reduced to 12 men in early in the game.

Alan Tongue goes good!! I guess I can see the selectors point - a little, even though I still think Prince should be there.

Cronk has 'combination' with Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and to a lesser extent Crocker and Inglis.
 

lotti

Bench
Messages
4,168
which is why he was probably called up, the aussies will be able to use the combo the 5 of them have built up over the 2 and a half years Cronk's been the Storm half back that combo has served the Storm well and it will probably serve the Roos just as well.
 

lotti

Bench
Messages
4,168
it's not Dee, they need to work as a team so the selectors have called up a half back who about 40% of the team knows the game of which is Cronk, almost half of the run on side knows his game and I'm pretty sure there are players in the current team that were there for our 58-0 thrashing of the kiwis, if it wasn't 24 hours before the test then maybe Prince would've been called up instead of Cronk but they needed a player that the team knows the game plan well of.
 

Alehana

Juniors
Messages
1,692
i reckon this will disadvantage as well as advantage aus alot with cronk comming in

if steph wasn't there as kiwis coach then i wouldn't need to raise this, but he knows these players inside out, and he'd be happier with cronk than with thurston even if they were equally rated players.

However he doesn't know the game plan they r going to use, and whatever it is, the aus team will do it really well cause they know eachother heaps well

should be good test
 

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