Training sqaud announced for June test

[bartman]

http://www.leagueunlimited.com/article.asp?ID=10493

Good to see GB taking the opportunity to get 8 new faces in amongst the usual rep suspects for at least some mid-season training etc. Every little bit counts I guess?

 

[Evil Homer]

Apart from Paul Wood,all the players are from or ex-Leeds,Bradford,Saints,Wigan or Hull players.

Paul King and Gareth Hock are ridiculous selections.

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

Automatic selections:

Carney
Cunningham
Fielden
McGuire
Morley
Peacock
Pryce
Sculthorpe
Wellens

Those who deserve a spot on ability:

Burrow
Ellis
Gilmour
Gleeson
Long
Walker
Sinfield
Johnson
Raynor

Those who's performances this year warrant selection:

Gardner
Graham
Harris
Langley
Lynch
Roby
Wood
Wilkin
Yeaman

So far so good, although they aren't particularly difficult choices. Then it becomes a ridiculous big club back slapping farce. The following are selected simply because of who they play for, and not because their performances dictate they should (They have been very poor):

Deacon
Higham
Horne

The following are an absolute joke. Noble should be removed from office for picking these players:

Senior - 30 going on 62. Has been absolutely anonymous this season. A spent force.

Hock - Out injured for the season apparantly. Not good enough last season anyway, even when he was fit. Living off the fact he was hyped as a kid when he broke into the Wigan side some years ago. Has done nothing in 2 years.

King - Another decent player who has been anonymous for his club this season. Even the Hull fans on RLFANS.COM are having a good giggle over this.

Newton - Like Harris, Noble signed him, so now feels he has to select him for GB. Newton is a joke, gets banned for 6 months and was playing appallingly before that too. Currently looks 4 stone overweight.

O’Loughlin - The burden of captaining Wigan has been too much for him and his performances have suffered. They have suffered dramatically. He is not worthy of a GB squad place. Like Hock, is living off the 'He's the next Andy Farrell' hype he received as a junior a few years back.

Wild - Plays for Huddersfield. The token jesture to the small clubs. He is far from being Huddersfields best British player. Aspinwall, Thorman, Reilly anyone?


Where are the squad places for:

David Hodgson - Leads SL in tackle busts, line breaks and metres made and has been in fine form this season. Has completely outplayed his opposite number in every game I've seen him in this season and looks a very dangerous player. His ommission is amazing.

Malcolm Alker - The lad should move to Aus and get a passport so he can play for Australia instead. He is a wonderful player, easily in the top 5 hookers in world rugby league and cannot get a place ahead of Terry effing Newton? Its a bewildering decision and a massive error.

Luke Robinson - The form scrum half in Super League. Hello? Mr Noble? Anyone in there?

Simon Finnigan - Has had an incredible season to date. Deserves a spot on that form alone.

Andy Coley - Awesome in the games against Saints this season and has been in brilliant form. Would be one of the first names down had he not turned down a move to Wigan last year.

I'll be kind to Noble and assume he's been far too busy to watch Salford this season.

Lee Briers - Briers has been in scintilating form and has decimated Bradford twice and Leeds in recent weeks, making their half backs look like amateurs. Why, oh why is he not in the squad? Its a complete farce.

Jamie Rooney - Why can't we have a proper set of half backs for once.

Rant over. He may as well pick Henry Paul and Kev Brown and be done with it!

 

[nadera78]

I'd pretty much go along with that word for word. Except I'd add Paul Sculthorpe to the list of poor selections. He is half the player he once was. He looks barely up to speed for superleague, never mind playing a test match. He looks slow, ponderous and out of form, relying on niggling penalties and interference tactics to keep up with the pace of the game.

It's a terrible squad, and Noble has once again shown himself to be not up to the job.

 

[douglasallen91]

i wonder if henry paul will make it until the great britain squad at the end of the year.

 

[Scott]

Is there history between Breirs and Noble? It seems strange that he can't get a fair crack at it. He is a better player than Harris, Deacon and Sinfield for mine!

 

[Weasels Ripped My Flesh]

Where's Jamie Rooney!??!?!?!

 

[bartman]

Favouritism is always a problem with any rep squad. And form is never usually a trigger to kick old favourites out of a rep jersey. Noble can't coach GB for ever, especially considering the World Cup and the country split is coming...

As for the imblanace that rep players come from or have passed through the big five, I don't think that can be fixed until there's a better system for capping the expenditure (through all levels) of the biggest clubs, with the aim of redirecting it to the increased development (through all levels) of the small or new. Since the league seems keen to limit promotion/relegation in the future, one would hope that they would then be keener to develop the smaller or new clubs that hold "franchises" to achieve a healthier game and more equal playing field?

And of course some form of legitimate rep player development wouldn't go astray, but I fear that's even more years away although this match will be a start. Kiwis to win both mid-season tests imo, using mostly different squads each time.

 

[ParraDude_Jay]

Automatic selections:

Sculthorpe
Wellens

Those who deserve a spot on ability:

Gilmour
Long

Those who's performances this year warrant selection:

Gardner
Harris

Don't agree with any of that, the rest is pretty much spot on.

Long and Gilmour have done sweet f..k all at international level, they shouldn't be near the squad. Wellens the same, he's the slowest fullback in the world and it gets exposed against Australia time and time again. Sculthorpe is a spent force, not even half the player he used to be. Gardner is a complete hack who is being made look good outside Jamie Lyon, and Iestyn Harris (if that's who you mean) is another total failure in international RL.

The squad is awful, so many form players left out of it for hacks like Deacon, Long and Iestyn Harris. Noble's selections leave alot to be desired.

 

[JasonE]

Even though Calderwood is currently out injured i would have thought he'd make the train on squad.

 

[Evil Homer]

Even though Calderwood is currently out injured i would have thought he'd make the train on squad.

Why?He's still to score his first try for Wigan.

 

[Lowey3]

Parradude

Paul Wellens is the best full back in our country - so what if does'nt have electric pace like a number of the Australian full backs.

You can bet your house on him catching a bomb under pressure when it's piss*ing it down with rain, nobody gets past him on a one on one situation either.

People say Wellens has no attacking ability, yet he's constantly in the top 5 metre makers and always on the shoulder when someone makes a break.

How many people do you know you play through a full 80 minutes with a fractured cheek bone ? that was in our victory against Brisbane.

Put it one way he's better than the likes of Karmichael Hunt and Matt Bowen - both look fancy with the ball in hand but both could be used as a turnstyle in your local supermarkets - they also can't catch a fooking bomb.

 

[Gaz_E]

Parradude

nobody gets past him on a one on one situation either.

Not too sure about that this season, quite a few have legged it passed him. He's been covered well by his wingers Gardner/Meli/Hardman

 

[JasonE]

Why? He's still to score his first try for Wigan.

Because I don't judge players on whether or not their name appears on a scoresheet.

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

I think people are doing a great injustice to Paul Wellens when they don't regard him as a world class fullback.

Okay he doesn't have the pace that the best fullbacks have so there are times where he can be caught out by pace.

BUT his contribution to the matches in which he plays are outstanding. Not only in defense, where he is almost inpenetrable this season again, but also in attack.

I bet there aren't many fullbacks in world rugby who make as many clean breaks as Wellens does, and its extremely rare that the first tacklers stop him when he is returning the kicks. He is a wonderful playe and his mere presence behind Saints defensive line inspires confidence in them.

If Wellens had pace, there wouldn't be a fullback anywhere near him. Even without pace, he is one of the top 5 or 6.

 

[douglasallen91]

Because I don't judge players on whether or not their name appears on a scoresheet.

well if you watched the tigers vs warriors game, he is nowhere near gb.

 

[brendothejet]

Why?He's still to score his first try for Wigan.

everyone is yet to score a try for wigan aren't they7??