2010 Four Nations General Discussion

[snowman]

That's crap - but typical qld crowd.....

queue Snowman to hang crap on me for that statement

i have never seen a qld punch up when i have been to suncorp, but thats manily because we have left on the winners circle

Bahaha snowman would have been amongst it if he was there. But in all seriousness it was pretty feral, the game was played in good spirits, the where was some fun banter between the Aussies and Kiwis where I was sitting they deserved their win

what makes you say that?

 

[Mark^Bastard]

Lockyer has Tim Smith like stats for that game.

 

[Blair]

Lockyer has Tim Smith like stats for that game.

If Lockyer was half the man Petero is he would have sat himself down as well. I blame him for that loss. He was a passenger in defence. Threw two passes to the ground in fear of being tackled and never took on the line.
Carney would have had a field day out there with those big tired kiwi forwards.
Cronk is a solid player but not flashy enough to compete against a team like the kiwis, I would of much rather seen Prince out there. Cronk will never lose a game but I don't think he has the skill to win one at that level.

 

[Mark^Bastard]

Yeah I agree with that. I would have Prince over Cronk pretty much any day to be honest.

 

[IronShark]

If Lockyer was half the man Petero is he would have sat himself down as well. I blame him for that loss. He was a passenger in defence. Threw two passes to the ground in fear of being tackled and never took on the line.
Carney would have had a field day out there with those big tired kiwi forwards.
Cronk is a solid player but not flashy enough to compete against a team like the kiwis, I would of much rather seen Prince out there. Cronk will never lose a game but I don't think he has the skill to win one at that level.

Well said mate. I have the utmost respect for Petero, he always gives his all and on this occasion had the guts to stand himself down rather than let the team down. Lockyer just wanted another Test cap and a series victory to go out on. Nothing wrong with that but unfortunately he wasn't willing to do any of the work to earn it. He hoped the rest of the team would carry his load - especially in defence, where he looked like a schoolboy playing against men. The Kiwi's just ran at him all night and he got flung off like a rag doll more often than not.

Cronk was uninspiring to say the least. He looked rushed when he had the ball and his kicking game was rubbish, as was Lockyer's. How many kicks did they get charged down?

I really don't know why Prince wasn't selected for halfback, he is much better than Cronk. And how the hell can Carney be left out of the team? He's the Dally M player of the year, FFS and he killed the Kiwis in the last game. Lockyer was selected on reputation alone, not form - which he clearly isn't in.

 

[sharks.com.au RSS]

Gallen Had No Complaints Over Passes

Gallen Had No Complaints Over Passes
AAP
15/11/2010 9:41:16 AM

Battle-scarred Australian forward Paul Gallen dismissed suggestions New Zealand had pulled off its thrilling 16-12 Four Nations victory with one or possibly two forward passes in its last-ditch match-winning try.

Controversy reigned over halfback Nathan Fien's 80th-minute miracle try which involved speculative overhead passes from winger Jason Nightingale and five-eighth Benji Marshall as an exhausted Australia, hit by two key first-half injuries to Brent Tate and Luke Lewis, were out on their feet.

While the Cronulla enforcer described the try that stole the final as "freaky" he had no complaints about the two passes that set it up.

"I don't think you can call that forward with a minute to go. If it was us, I wouldn't have expected the referee to call it forward," said Gallen.

"Have a look at their first try (Shaun Kenny-Dowall off Marshall), now that was forward," he laughed.

"At half time (6-all) it was one of those games that was made for us to come out and show a lot of character and win it.

"We did that, everyone busted their backsides but a freaky play in probably the last play of the game got them the win.

"We were running out of troops, everyone was busted a lot of blokes had to play a lot of minutes they don't normally play.

"It was the last play of the game, on fifth tackle, and they threw two no-look passes that came off.

"They sun was shining on them.

"The (first) ball got thrown back in (by Nightingale) straight through Locky's hands and then they throw another no-looker, it's just something that happens."

While it was clear Gallen and teammates such as Darren Lockyer and Billy Slater, who experienced the pain of 2008 were gutted by the defeat, the Sharks skipper showed he had not lost his sense of humour.

Asked if it was the lowest feeling he'd experienced in rugby league he replied: "Mate, I've played 30 games this year, come second last (premiership) and lost an Origin series, I'm probably a bit used to it at the moment which isn't a good thing."

"But we'll be back next year."

Hooker Cameron Smith, who led Australia's defence with almost 50 tackles, said New Zealand were showing they had improved a lot on the international stage.

"It was a sombre dressing room tonight after the game. It was just a heartbreaker," he said.

"To play under the circumstances we did for the majority of the game (with two players injured) and to be up by two (points) with less than two minutes left ..... to have that try scored against you on their last tackle, it's pretty hard to take.

"But that's footy and we have to be gracious in defeat and cop it on the chin."

Meanwhile, Kiwi lock and Sharks new recruit Jeremy Smith was awarded Man of the Match in the decider with an outstanding game, despite coming into the clash under an injury cloud.

The experienced back rower put in another tough and uncompromising performance, which certainly has Sharks coach Shane Flanagan licking his lips.

http://sharks.com.au/?s=article-display&id=31908

 

[Ryan]

If we were ever going to see Prince in Green & Gold again, I thought it would have been this year. He had an excellent year, Dally M & International Halfback of the year, and still in form at seasons end - one game short of a GF. He was also the last player to deliver consistent wins and a GF to Sheens, you'd think a previously successful Captain HB\Coach combination might have helped at the selection table...

Cronk is a top player but doesnt have the all-round HB skills of Prince, He is a utility that has been playing HB(surrounded by star players) for a few years. And despite having the services of Smith, Slater & Inglis at his disposal all year he hasn't exactly had a season worth talking about.


If we were playing again next week, this would be my side:

Slater
Morris
Tate
Tonga
Boyd
Carney
Prince
Scott
Smith
Shillington
Bird
Thaiday
Gallen

Harrison
TLL
Myles
Farrah

 

[snowman]

harrison.... lol
if you are keeping injured players in there, then luke lewis stays

 

[Mark^Bastard]

ROFL sneaking Harrison in there.

 

[Blair]

Harrison! No way!
Lewis would definitely have to get a start even if he does have a bogan haircut with frosted tips. He's played well all series.
On form Carney, Boyd, Lawrence and Prince should have all been in the team.

 

[Wilson]

If Lockyer was half the man Petero is he would have sat himself down as well. I blame him for that loss. He was a passenger in defence. Threw two passes to the ground in fear of being tackled and never took on the line.
Carney would have had a field day out there with those big tired kiwi forwards.
Cronk is a solid player but not flashy enough to compete against a team like the kiwis, I would of much rather seen Prince out there. Cronk will never lose a game but I don't think he has the skill to win one at that level.

People blaming Lockyer is just absurd. He missed a ball that was passed back in side whilst he was jumping in the opposite direction, and all of a sudden he was the one to blame? Not Cronk's mundane predictable performance, Slater's continual brain explosions in an Australian jersey or the injuries to Lewis and Tate.

Lockyer plays more like a halfback then anything else these days, probably to do with playing with a naff like Wallace all season. What really should of happened - because frankly, Prince is incredibly over-rated, especially with his finish to the season. We should have had a Carney - Lockyer partnership.

Oh, and Gardner at fullback.

 

[Ryan]

harrison.... lol
if you are keeping injured players in there, then luke lewis stays

ROFL sneaking Harrison in there.

Harrison! No way!
Lewis would definitely have to get a start even if he does have a bogan haircut with frosted tips. He's played well all series.
On form Carney, Boyd, Lawrence and Prince should have all been in the team.

Haha, knew that'd get a bite! But whats with all the Harrison hate, does it have something to do with the past 5 Origin series? :hissy

 

[Mark^Bastard]

Out of Mini, Laffranchi, Harrison and Bird I rate Harrison the least. Not saying he's a bad player, he's quite good, but Australian team? GTFO!

 

[snowman]

Haha, knew that'd get a bite! But whats with all the Harrison hate, does it have something to do with the past 5 Origin series? :hissy

im a qlder... but harrison in the australian team is laughable.
very laughable.

 

[A.Snowden]

I don't blame any one player for the loss..lockyer, Tonga, Slater, and as people have mentioned Cronk, all didn't play to there best. Lote didn't set the world alight either out there. carney, Lawrence should have been there no doubt, but hey, we got beat, we just have to cop it until next year. And hopefully we will see Snowy and Douggie out there ripping into those Kiwi's!

 

[fitz]

I blame Benji Marshall for Australia's loss

 

[Blair]

People blaming Lockyer is just absurd.

I am not blaming Lockyer for the loss. He didn't lose us the game but he did sweet FA to help us win it. You can't tell me he was picked on form. Sheens would have been crucified by the media if he had not picked him and we had of lost. Me included.

On current NRL form there is probably half a dozen 5/8s that I would rate as more consistent. Its just my opinion but he looked like he was frightened out there.

 

[Ryan]

Out of Mini, Laffranchi, Harrison and Bird I rate Harrison the least. Not saying he's a bad player, he's quite good, but Australian team? GTFO!

im a qlder... but harrison in the australian team is laughable.
very laughable.

Fair enough.... Mini, Laffranchi and Bird aren't exactly slouches either, so that comparison isnt insulting. I've heard him get bagged heaps on here before, thought there might have been something specific behind it.
He's a no frills player IMO. Gets alot of the dirty work done without the hype or flare, much like Dallas Johnson. Every team needs one.

Having Cronk, Tooqueery & Gidley in the Top 17 instead of Boyd, Carney & Prince is whats laughable. Harrison was good enough for a historic 5 Origin wins, but then again - he only had to play against NSW.....

 

[Mark^Bastard]

Yeah you can't bag Harrison, he doesn't do anything wrong, he's just no frills as you said. Australia have Gallen to do all of that work but also to have more to his game as well, so having someone like Harrison just isn't really needed. But that said I don't fully rate Lewis either, other than the fact he is a competent back rower with utility value so is a good choice for the bench.

 

[Blair]

I didn't really rate Lewis until the back half of this year. He gets 10 points for effort every game.