Its not what id of gone for but not a bad team selection, 4 forwards on the bench and 1 in the backs. Mcnamaras clearly trying to out muscle them which is probably our best chance seen as we dont have the skills to match them.

Kicking could be a problem, Is Ryan Hall injured?

It all boils down to how small fry League is over here. All but a few irrelevant towns in the North of England, plus tiny pockets in London don't play the game. Even in the areas where league is established, it is firmly behind football.

I would love to see actual, genuine participation numbers. I bet England are sub 10,000 in terms of players genuinely playing the game on an ongoing basis. (Not including the 6 or 7 figure numbers the RFL would roll out based on them playing once in school).

The genuine sports stars in this country never even consider league. They would perhaps in Australia. Players like Greg Inglis and Billy Slater do exist in this country, they just try to play football until they are 18 and then turn to a non sporting life. I can see it happening at my son's school. There are two kids in his year who are utterly superb athletes. Monster kids that at 8 years of age are in size 6 adult shoes. They are all cleaning up at football at the moment, the star players on their weekend and school teams. They're not particularly talented, but being so big, strong and quick they dominate the dweeby kids they are with. They wouldn't even consider rugby league and are already being pushed towards trials with the big football teams.

Until we sort things like that out, we can never expect to fill SL academies with anything other than the sparrow legged runts we see now. I imagine the average intake for a SL academy being an Ian Hardman figure, painfully thin and very weak physically. Playing league either because of a direct family link or because they aren't good at football. Compare with the NRL where their reserve grade players are largely big strapping lads. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when you whittle it down to the few that make it, we are going to fall short when the input into the system is so poor.

That one sentence sums up why we as a sporting nation, will never ever produce decent sportsmen and women on a major scale.

:3cw2t6t6

I suggested as much after the NZ game , but O'Loughlin isn't quick enough to do it , Roby,Robinson or Tomkins should have that job , they dont have to actually tackle him [ well first time they do



, they just need to be in front of him , putting pressure on his decisions'"

So what is their natural defensive game ? , having the Aussie props running at them ? , having Roby or Robinson targeting Lockyer takes them out of the defensive line , they simply move up at the play the ball wherever Lockyer is , if he gets the ball , they tackle him , if he doesn't they dont

RL is a simple game , unfortunatly some people want to make it complicated , they should go watching union

A lot of attention seems to be aimed at Lockyer, but I'd be more concerned about the ruck. Given a bit of room (which I'm pretty certain he'll have plenty) Cameron Smith can be every bit as influential as Lockyer.

Also, look out for Paul Gallen, he’s made for international rugby. Hard as nails, good off-load, tackling machine and a 100% will to win. Best forward in the game IMO.

Regarding the defensive set up, O'Loughlin usually defends on the right and Robinson on the left. Considering the problems we had on our left last week, I'd like to see O'Loughlin defend at L2 and Robinson at R2. O'Loughlin will make that LHS defence better organised.

since when have you needed to be big and strong to play soccer? Most of them are pencil necks who look like a gust of wind would blow them over. In fact explains all the falling to the ground when no one is near them!

In OZ if your big and strong you play RL, if your tall and skinny you play AFL and if your little and skinny you play soccer!

Perfect example, biggest kid int he AFL mob is a girl!

Bit different over here, you all play together and there are no winners or losers, it's the taking part that counts.

And that's the trouble with this country.

I'm not sure that's it true that "if you're big and strong you play soccer". If you're big and strong, and you happen to live in some parts of Yorkshire, Lancashire or Cumbria, you may well play league. In other areas of the country you may well play basketball, union, or you might box.

However, if you're a quick or agile or skillful kid, you almost certainly will be playing soccer, or if you're playing both soccer and RL will in most cases choose soccer in the end, even if, like Ryan Giggs, you're in the north and have links to RL. It's just a much more sensible and rewarding choice, and a choice that doesn't exist in Australia. Hence our reasonable production-line of forwards, and our recent trouble with producing backs.

No nothing .
Go home

That said, one of the wingers at Huddersfield who made a good impression this season at Huddersfield, Germain McGillvary played soccer till he was 16, then switched after his cousin told him how great RL was to play...now he is looking like he may well play a good chunk of next season on the wing for the Giants.

Bloody good strike rate he had too for the handful of games he was in.

The inability to select a dedicated and worthwhile Stand Off will comes as no surprise to Bulls fans

We went into last season with Brett Kearney, a full back, as our ONLY Stand Off, and ended up with Paul Sykes filling in there when Kearney got injured. As Peter Hood (Bulls Chairman) admitted at the Fans Forum 'Paul Sykes isn't a stand off. We know Paul Sykes isn't a stand off. Paiul Sykes knows Paul Sykes isn't a stand off'.

And remember that we had Glenn Morrison and David Solomona filling in a 6 in the previous season, so there is previous for McNamara moving forwards into the position

To be fair to Macca, when it comes to picking an England stand off, he doesn't have a whole lot to select from....

That is absolute b0llocks. There is plenty of competitive sport available for children in this country. There is a problem with a lack of playing fields, but the "all must have prizes" philosophy is just not a factor in British sport development.

And also, Britain actually *does* produce World Class athletes. It sustains a top (but not *absolutely* top) team in the World's leading sport, has three other variously competitive teams in the same sport, has three (and a bit) high quality teams in another major international sport (whose name I won't mention), occasionally produces a decent Cricketer, punches well above its population weight in producing Track and Field Athletes, Rowers, Cyclists, Boxers and Swimmers, and additional to all that also sustains a good-standard domestic competition of Rugby League.

But it's obviously inconvenient for you to think of us a nation that actually punches above our weight at Sport.

We do punch above our weight when you look at the world but that everyones a winner mentality does exist in schools and its embarassing. I was constantly told off in primary school for having an only winning counts attitude: bloody stupid.

The current coach education programmes put our lack of decision makers (in all sports) down to the drill based nature that our coaching (again, in all sports) has had for decades - run in and out of cones, queue for your turn, run here and run there. There is a big move nowadays to using games to help kids learn, forcing more decision making onto them. It's harder to coach that way - as soon as you open up from a drill to a game you have so many more different things to look at along with the skill you want to work on. Some kids seem to really benefit from it, some don't, and it's not just down to positions - one half back we had made great progress and another didn't. It's a real culture shock to the players too, them being used to strict drill instructions. Again, so benefit from it and some feel they need strict instructions. I suppose it'll be few years until we really find out how well the change in approach works.

McNamara was hampered from the start in who he could select for this competition and from what was left he made his choice, which obviously doesn't suit everyone. From that original selection his team choice has been reduced by injuries and players not performing as they have done in SL. So, I am quite happy with the team that he is putting out on Sunday given those circumstances.

In fact I think some of the young players may even make one or two of you "experts" eat your words later on Sunday morning. This Aussie team is nothing like the team that beat us 52 - 4 in Melbourne in the 2008 World Cup but hey, we always have to try and give the opposition a hand in running down our own players. I believe that if our lads go out with belief and cionfidence and play to their natural ability then we are quite capable of turning over these Aussies.

This is a very young England team and it can and will get better as the players gel. Lads like Tompkins S and J, Cudjoe, Briscoe, Lunt, Harrison, etc, will be around the international scene for many years to come so stop knocking them and get behind them. I just hope they have more spherical objects than some of you posting on here!!!!

Perhaps I misunderstood you, i dont like seeing stand offs making too many tackles, yes they will be targeted, but to put a player like sam or roby on with the single purpose of tackling lockyer seems to be a waste.

Im not saying lockers at 6 is ideal, but he can play a ball playing loose roll well, and its not much different is it?

Austrailia have done it for years and had basicly an extra prop in the back row.

Provide an example of when the Aussies have played anyone other than an accomplished 6 at 6-Props second rowers etc is fine decision making link men is different

I meant style player not an actuall loose forward as they can produce players.

Id say a "typical" 6 was more like a dailey than a lewis, wouldnt you?

Well they currently pick a converted full back there

Australia's game against PNG was, just like our game against NZ Maori, their first game in sometime...especially for some players who hadn't played for weeks (Slater and Smith for example). They still managed to score 42 points and not concede any against a team we struggled against in the last WC. I fear, although Australia aren't the same standard as normal, they will still have far too much for us to handle - and yes, could put a heavy score on us. I don't think it'll be 80 points, but it could be 50.

Don't get me wrong...I'm proud to be English and sincerely want England to win and make the final...how funny would it be if Australia failed to make it!?!

The problem is, and has been over the past 10 years or so, our coaching isn't at the same level as Australia. All these players that Eddie and Stevo claim are the next stars in SL just dwindle away or stay at a similar level their whole career. Look at Ellis and Burgess as examples, Ellis was a good player at Wakefield and Leeds...however his game has improved so much in 2 years at Wests. Look at Wigan...for 4/5 years they were average with top players coming in and youngsters (just like now) however they were no where near the top of the league....now in one season under Maguire (a good coach) they've won the league with ease.

So many of the coaches in England (not just SL) aren't developing players to their potential or improving little things that make the difference....one main thing being mental strength! It baffles me why not? For 10 years or more we've set about trying to catch these teams but just can't get near a trophy when it matters.

Realistically, England have 2 teams in the world to compete with for titles - NZ and Aus.....yet for 40 years we've failed. Thats 40 years where our coaching and playing skill set has constantly been behind our rivals. That in any sport is not good enough. Look at our RU (who won the RWC in 2003 and made the final in 2007) brothers...they have NZ, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, France just to name a few who could win trophies.....then look at football, England have atleast 8 teams who are ahead of them.

Why are the RFL so slow and insular in their approach to change things when we have barely any competition to compete with...yet still fail?

Anyway....come on England, lets try and end 40 years of hurt and get within 30 points of Australia on Sunday!

Really? I'm speaking with experience, two boys that went to a Primary School that banned sports day and had an 'inclusion day' instead. Maybe you have kids (god help them) and have had a different experience, or maybe you're at Primary School now, I'd be interested to know.