1. Shaun Briscoe
2. Peter Fox
3. Martin Gleeson
4. Keith Senior
5. Ryan Hall
6. Leon Pryce
7. Richie Myler
8. James Graham
9. Scott Moore
10. Jamie Peacock
11. Gareth Ellis
12. Ben Westwood
13. Sean O'Loughlin

14. James Roby
15. Adrian Morley
16. Sam Burgess
17. Jon Wilkin

thats a good team imo... id go with that however swap pryce for either mcguire or tomkins. the rest leave..

The Aussies must be having a good laugh at our potential line-up. If that is the team and the best we can do, then we might aswell not even bother turning up. Cant believe the Aussie's will have a choice between Slater and Hayne for fullback, and we have Briscoe. Were screwed.....

yeah cos games are won and lost on the choice of 1 player...


australia having the greatest backline the game has ever seen did'nt do them much good last november did it.....

1) Briscoe
2) Fox
3) Gleeson
4) Shenton
5) Hall
6) Tomkins
7) Myler


Morley
9) Moore
10) Peacock
11) Burgess
12) Ellis
13) O'Loughlin
14) Roby
15) Graham
16) Crabtree
17) Wilkin

I really do have problems with people "thinking" Enland, in any guise can beat the Aussies at Rugby League.

We won't and will not until certain people and clubs take their head out of their collective backsides and realise what the REAL problem is!!

But they can't and if they did it is doubtful they would change because their narrow minded my club sod anyone else attitude would preclude it!

I never said they were, i was merely emphasising the vast difference in quality and skill that Aus have to choose from and what we have to choose from in one position.

As for the WC final, the Aussies went into the game too cocky and complacent, and NZ had the game of their lives. The previous games before that and the one this year shows they are miles ahead of NZ and Aus, its just unlucky for them the game they lost was the final. Of course NZ and Eng can beat them on any given day, its just that day doesnt come round too often.

Myler ahead of Burrow?

I wouldn't want to go into an internatonal with an untested half-back pairing.

As much as I am against sticking with the status quo, I reckon England should start as the same team that came out last time, with possibly 3-5 changes at most. Over the tourney you could then try some more new faces, but you can't swap half the squad about and expect them to play as a team.

we have a pretty good build up with games again wales & france (no disrespect) before it starts getting abit harder so we can try out the untested pairings then...plus we don't have to beat australia in the group game to make the final,just france & NZ....

Just the World Champions and France....the 10th best team in the world to englands high 8th ranking.

Eorl Crabtree, Scott Moore, Shaun Briscoe and Peter Fox added to the squad. So from the current 18 mine my would be :

1 S. Briscoe
2 Fox
3 Sykes
4 Shenton
5 T. Briscoe
6 Ratchford
7 Myler

8 Morley
9 Moore
10 Crabtree
11 Ellis
12 Westwood
13 Burgess

14 Higham
15 Tickle
16 McCarthy Scarsbrook
17 Carvell

18 Clubb

18 players picked so 22 from leeds, saints and wigan.

1. Leeds
2. St. Helens
3. Huddersfield (Moore, Crabtree) x2
4. Hull KR (Briscoe, Fox) x2
5. Wakefield (-) x0
6. Wigan
7. Castleford (Shenton) x1
8. Catalans
9. Bradford (Burgess, Sykes) x2
10. Warrington (Higham, Carvell, Morely, Westwood) x4
11. Harlequins (Clubb, LMS)
12. Hull FC (Briscoe, Tickle) x2
13. Salford (Myler, Ratchford) x2
14. Celtic (-) x0

And Ellis.

I am really worried as to the sheer level of bias on show here from Smith. How can he justify 4 players from 10th place in the league compared to none from wakefield? At the moment it is going to be more than from Wigan, Saints or Leeds who have all performed much better this season, as with only 6 places left in the squad we are going to get an average of 2 each from these teams. Warrington have been terrible for much of this year and without players like Monahan and the Andersons they would be nowhere. Smith has lost it.

So we have left from Wigan, Leeds and Saints 6 players to choose:
Wigan: Sam Tomkins; O'Loughlin; Gleeson?
Saints: Eastmond; Graham; Roby; Pryce; Wellens?; Gardener?
Leeds: Smith; Senior; Hall; McGuire; Burrow; Peacock; Sinfield; Diskin?

Could all realistically by vying for places. And we only get 6.
Personally: Tomkins; O'Loughlin; Graham; Roby; Hall; Peacock if I had to chose but this isn't going to happen. Smith has lost it if I havent seriously got this wrong :/

Its a 40 man squad.
The andersons, hicks, rauhihi and monas have been CRUD for most of the season, monas only performing for about 8 games.
Higham will be nowhere near, westwood and carvell thereabouts and morley a definate.
In fact warry would have finished higher up with no aussies

Am I missing something, or are they actually going to try and select 22 Wigan, St.Helens and Leeds players, which I seriously cannot see happening.

And to be fair the only player from Warrington imo that deserves a spot is Morley, and monas did carry Wire to their only trophy. So yeah I agree with you there.

hmm im sure i read somewhere its 40 man squads..
theres no way theres only going to be 2 each from wigan saints and leeds.
Lockers and Gleeson are certs from wigan alone..thats before you look at the younger guys throughout the teams

its a 40 man training squad to be gradualy cut down with the final squad annouced after the wales game.

Briscoe.
Pryce/Shenton
Gleeson
Senior/Shenton
Hall
McGuire
Burrow
Peacock
Roby
Graham
Elllis
Burgess
O'Loughlin

Morley
Carvell
Westwood
Gilmour

I think carvell has been great for wire this season, one of the form props in the competition. As for westwood he hasnt stood out when i've seen him but was one of the few that did nothing wrong at the world cup so putting him in the train on sqaud seems reasonable.

Higham? not sure how he got in, behind roby and moore.

as much as i hate to say so....carvell is gonna be in the starting 17...


him and mozza have been the 2 stand out props this season imo

[urlhttp://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/09/10/01/RUGBYL_England.html[/url and now two more wire players.

Like bridge as a player, but dont see harrison as anything special.

Bridge is a class player who has found his position at centre as has good feet and strength but hasn't got a kicking game to play in the halves. Harrison is one of my favourite players. Big-hitting forward, with a good offload and an incredible work-ethic.

Both are young players who potentially have futures in the national team and will benefit from the experience. I don't expect either to feature in this series although given we are hardly blessed with outside backs, Bridge could be a shout. He is in my opinion much better than Sykes in every position from 1-7.

Agreed.

Can someone explain to me why in a squad 'picked on form' there are more players from tenth placed Warrington than the four eliminated playoff sides put together?

Absolutely no excuse for having a club coach as national team coach and Smith needs to decide where his priorities lie

My team at the moment would be:

1. Briscoe
2. Hall
3. Gleeson
4. Shenton
5. Fox/Briscoe (Fox is a great athlete but not sure about his hands and some of his decision-making)
6. Tompkins
7. Burrow/McGuire (depending on form in next couple of weeks)
8. Morley
9. Moore
10. Peacock
11. Burgess
12. Ellis
13. O'Loughlin
14. Roby
15. Graham
16. Crabtree
17. Westwood

Another back who I'd like to see continue to progress is Welham who seems to be a classy young player already reads the game very well, although maybe isn't a great natural athlete.

Edited as forgot Burgess!