There is alot of temptation just to stick by your own clubman and it may seem that Wigan fans are bitter because Graham got it over O'Loughlin. For me this isn't the case. Nobody is doubting James Graham as a player (except in the GF where he decided he wanted to play stand off) and he is clearly one of the first names on the England team sheet and one of the best players in SL.

The problems come with his lack of experience as a captain at senior level and, more importantly, the petulance he has often shown when things aren't going his teams way (which is very likely over the next few weeks). We have seen him storm off without shaking hands, not collecting runners-up medal, screaming at refs. This isn't the model of a captain. Yes he is an influential player in what he does on the pitch playing his regular game, and this imo should have stayed this way.

Are we talking about Shaun Edwards or James Graham here?

Was Edwards "the model of a captain"?

So you took on board the comment about club bias then? :p

Fair enough point I suppose but I'm more wondering if out of the 24 players out in NZ is Graham the best man to be captain, and personally I think not.

I think a lot of the character traits that made Edwards such a good captain (and much beloved by the same people criticising James Graham) are shared by Jammer.

Both lead by example, give everything they have on the field, HATE losing more than they enjoy winning and are looked up to by those who play alongside them.

I'd love to have seen Edwards reaction had he been unfortunate enough to play in a less talented side that lost 4 finals on the spin! I doubt he would have been the model of composure . . . . .

Hopefully people will give Graham a chance to prove he's up to it rather than turning their backs on the England side, which is a pretty petty response TBH.

I hope you're right, I really do. I want Graham to do well as England RL captain because I want England RL to do well, I am definitely not one of these people who disowns the international team. I just think that from what McNamara's seen this season that he's made the wrong decision. If I'm wrong and James Graham turns out to be a revelation as captain and has a storming 4N and England win the comp then I'll happily eat my words. Just can't see it at the minute.

To be fair, there hasn't been an English human being capable of achieving that for many, many years.

Well, it would seem that [url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/10/10/19/RUGBYL_England_Nightlead.htmlat least some of his team mates are backing him![/url And for all the reasons us Saints fans would back him.

Oh, and he acted like a halfback in the Grand Final because our halfbacks, such as they were, weren't acting like halfbacks! In fact, most of the team were dysfunctional. As I've said elsewhere, James Graham has never lost his head in an international. There is no reason to believe he will begin on Saturday.

As if any of the players would come out and say its a bad choice.

Ellis would have been my preffered choice followed by o' loughlin graham Never

They had the option to say nothing and so the article would never have seen daylight.

Brian Smith's take on Graham as captain:



[urlhttp://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/10/10/20/RUGBYL_England_Nightlead.html[/url

Who ever is captain on saturday doesn't really matter, the lads are all fighting for the same goal ( to beat the kiwi's) so lets get behing james Graham and the rest of the team and do this country proud !!!!