Who should be Australia's half if Joey cant play?

[Mr Saab]

the selectors have never been kind to joey, so he owes the australian team nothing,

yet they continue to back kimmorley... no matter how badly he plays.

i rekon orford, prince and gower can all do the same things as kimmorley can and if not better and are all more versatile.

they have backed kimmorley because Johns has been injured the past 2 yrs.
If Johns is available they will pick him over Kimmorley...no chance in the world Kimmorley will get in ahead of a fit and availble Johns.
If Johns decides to play for warrington then Barrett with play as the halfback.

 

[The Colonel]

tim smith is a good young kid but talking about him playing halfback for australia is a bit rich!

Its a while off just yet.

If Johns doesn't play - 7. Barrett 6. Lockyer

 

[lazza]

they have backed kimmorley because Johns has been injured the past 2 yrs.
If Johns is available they will pick him over Kimmorley...no chance in the world Kimmorley will get in ahead of a fit and availble Johns.
If Johns decides to play for warrington then Barrett with play as the halfback.

im not just talking about the past 2 years, im referring to the years he was fit, they still picked kimmorley.

 

[Misty Bee]

By the time Tim Smith is ready to play for Australia he might me facing the Raider's Carney for the job.

halfback question - interesting innit.

I have yet to hear a peep about those saying that rep games should be the selection trial. If that was the case, then the pecking order, behind Johns, should be, in order...

1) Thurston (QLD half fr 3 games)
2) KImmorley (NSW half for 1 game)
3) Sherwin/Gower (winning halves for City)
4) Orford (Country half)

If it was simply a season long NRL trial, then it would be something like this:

1) Prince
2) Monaghan
3) Smith
4) Seymour/Thurston/Orford/Kimmorley

Then again, if the finals pan out the way most predict, then it could be Ben Hornby!

Playing favorites, then it's Kimmorley first, Barret 2nd, Gower third.

Then again, Brett Finch outplayed Noddy on Saturday.

Gower is playing poorly. Ditto Kimmorley

Orford is patchy.

Smith and Carney are too young. Ditto Seymour.

Sherwin is injured.

Finch is sh*t.

So, for me.it comes down to 4. Thurston, Barrett, Hornby and Prince.

And in that lot, it will be Trent Barett.

 

[Mr Saab]

im not just talking about the past 2 years, im referring to the years he was fit, they still picked kimmorley.

he wasnt that fit...he was struggling with various injuries and not ready for rep football. Even Johns admitted that.
Plus he broke his jaw the week before to add to his pain.
Noddy was killing it early on too.
Now its a different story...he is fully fit and the form player of the comp.

 

[perverse]

i can still see them going with kimmorley if johns isn't available.

selectors have short memories at the best of times... how do you think hodges played more than 1 origin?

as for who i think actually DESERVES it.. well, i don't think barrett is a poor choice, with orford or prince in the squad as backup incase of an injury in the halves.

 

[lazza]

he wasnt that fit...he was struggling with various injuries and not ready for rep football. Even Johns admitted that.
Plus he broke his jaw the week before to add to his pain.
Noddy was killing it early on too.
Now its a different story...he is fully fit and the form player of the comp.

ie i am not referring to this season,

im referring to before the injuries he sustained... im referring to the chris anderson days as aussie coach and how he always picked kimmorley over johns.
and claimed there wasnt a split hair between the 2.

 

[Mr Saab]

please list the tests that Kimmorley has played at halfback ahead of a FIT andrew johns with Anderson as coach.

 

[j_tig]

prince SHOULD play, but i fear that kimmorley and barrett are ahead of him

 

[Frailty]

Anyone saying Orford should be there obviously hasnt watched him... sure he played well early on until he was signed to Manly, now he has gone very very VERY quiet with little or no involvement.

There was only ever one test Kimmorley was picked over johns, with johns playing hooker and kimmorley halfback. Kimmorley has ALWAYS played well for Australia, just not NSW.

On form, I would have Scotty Prince there. Thurston has been playing 5/8th now that Firman is at Nth QLD, and has been quiet. Gower is no where to be seen, and hornby isnt an Australian halfback.

 

[lazza]

There was only ever one test Kimmorley was picked over johns, with johns playing hooker and kimmorley halfback. Kimmorley has ALWAYS played well for Australia, just not NSW.

well if thats the case so be it... still a game where he should not have been picked ahead of johns.

i guess i just find it annoying when he gets picked ahead of other form half backs.. cos i would argue gower woulda been the form half during that time, esp when the sharks werent doing as well during those 2 yeras.

i would also argue that it is easy to play well on the aussie side, considering we are so much better than the rest. i rekon if u put gower there, the aussie side woulda still won

i also think i remember when kimmorley was picked ahead of johns in the SOO side, esp during the wayne pearce era which i also thought was annoying...

 

[knights04]

T.Smith

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

No Gower nominated in the poll??

Or Hornby?? Hornby has been playing great. I know he will never get picked but he'd be up among the better halfbacks at present.

I'd be disappointed if Barrett got the nod. I didn't like it when he got picked for origin in #7, he's a great 5/8 but I firmly believe you should pick players in position for rep games, and picking a player out of possy, escpecially no7 is an insult to the specialists. Sadly, I reckon he'll get the nod.

Prince SHOULD be there.

 

[Grail]

I'm a huge Tim Smith fan, but he's just a kid. To even be thinking of him in rep teams at this stage of his career is not realistic. I'm sure that if he continues playing as he is, that he'll be Australian and QLD half in a couple years, but saying that lots of experts thought Michael Witt could be the next QLD half, and where is he now? Therefore, I'd have to say Prince, he's been going great for the Tigers and if form has anything to do with rep jumpers, he'd have to be in the running.

However, we know that it isn't, and tenure plays more of a part than performance. Therefore it will be Kimorely or Barret.

--> J

 

[Azkatro]

I find the hate people have for Brett Kimmorley saddening and baffling.

Whether Johns is there or not, Kimmorley is the incumbent (and HIGHLY successful) Australian halfback. He and Lockyer are a superb combination whereas Locky and Barrett together is untested.

Johns is the only halfback in 2005 who has given selectors no choice but to replace Kimmorley, which will happen.

But Barrett may be selected for game one. Why? He can replace either Lockyer OR Johns should one be injured, while Kimmorley can only really replace Johns.

 

[Squishy_Da_Byatch]

It's all good to say they should be putting players in their frequently played position BUT just because they play in ONE particular position doesn't mean that that is the only position they can play in. So why limit them.

To be honest they should be picked on their performance in the SOO. especially for the first game of course just taking a quick look to make sure their efforts have kept up and if they havn't then look for a suitable replacement.

But if they are going to just choose people at random (basically) then I really think they should be looking at ANYONE who they KNOW can play the position.