Well that close game Australia had with New Zealand in the Tri-Nations Final over there sold loads of tickets in comparison. Or did you forget about that last thread?

I think the current 4 nations concept is fantastic. Its the Tri nations plus a lower nation playing in competitive RL. Exactly what the sport needs.

IN a 4 year cycle, we should have a World Cup, an Ashes series and 2 Four Nations. As for 2012, i think it makes sense to go to NZ. Playing it over here would mean the 2013WC would be the 3rd home series in 3 years. That could be detrimental to crowds. Sometimes less is more.

Agreed. Would be good to have some tests against the Pacific Islands nations as well.

Edited

funny thing is when i posted pretty much the same comment,about inglis & slater digging australia out of the crap alot,on a australian forum (leagueunlimited) a number of aussies actually agreed with me...

and anyone who thinks that losing a Centre would'nt weaken that side of the fields defensive structure is an absolute tit.....any team will target a weaklink in a defence...nowt about shentons technique either it wasjust one of those collisions that happen in RL

as for taking their foot off the gas???...england,though out the group games of the 4nations,did'nt concede a single 2nd half point..thats my halfwitted friend is'nt by chance....in fact england had 2 very very close try calls in that 2nd half against australia @ the JJB...had we scored you would have gone out of the 4nations cos we would have let NZ turn us over in the final game......speaking of NZ...do i need to remind you we BEAT the world champions?


ps...WTF has "the hayne train" ever done in internationals.....BOG ALL THATS WHAT....keep him out on the wing..he's bloody useless out there...you've got inglis,slater,thurston and a aging,but still class lockyer.....after that australia are ordinary

brett morris,while a cracking winger,does'nt do anything ryan hall,peter fox or lee smith has'nt done..i've already discussed hayne on the other wing...then we get to your pack....widely regarded as the poorest of the big 3.....BY EVERYONE WHO KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT THE GAME!


as for laughing at oldham.....at least we've got to keep our competition points this year

You obviously have little knowledge of the game or players.
I guess that happens in a small Goldfish bowl in the North of England.

The Toughest games in the Sport are State of Origin, acknowledged by pretty well everyone.
Hayne has been the stand out Blues player in around half of the games that NSW have played in the last 3 years.
He has nearly been the best player on the Park in a losing team several times.
He was pretty poor for Fiji in the 2008 World Cup? he was one of the best players of the Tournament.
How many players can set a game on fire when played out of position and on the side of the field that barely saw any ball in last years 4 nations?
He scored one try, set one up and was called back on one fair move in the final, is that poor form?

Brett Morris must be average if you say so, its easy to be the leading try scorer in the toughest league in the World.
Who was the top try scorer in last years 4 nations again?
Easy to say he is on the end of a dream team but that dream team often scores through the Centres without the ball getting out to the Wings.
Shentons technique? went in for a tackle high and got caught in the head? copybook
If a team can not lose 1 player from any position and still perform they do not deserve to win anything.
Losing a Halfback may disrupt a team, Centres should have cover (he is not really that good anyway, how is he this year )


Lee Smith was good against Australia in the first match I recall. Did he get another go?

The wingers you mention that put "fear" into Salford, Wakefield and company have not done so well at this stage of their careers against top opposition,
I loved the Winger that gobbed it off to Hayne when he scored, should look at the final scoreboard, thats what counts.

Poorest pack in the big three?

Sure they are, Forwards win games and lay the platform, if Oz are so poor what has gone wrong last year?
England make one final in around 6 years against an inconsistent Kiwi side and suddenly you are Contenders?
Peacock and Morley are just about done. None of the backs would make the Oz team or even a State side, half would not regularly make the NRL first teams.

How are your Fullbacks for depth?
They say their is a young man that left England for a better life 6 years ago and has played 3 first grade games may fit the bill?
He is still not sure who he wants to play for but as England is a certainty and Oz is pretty well no chance he is available
Your points were again?

Were you one of those that suggested England would smash the rest in 2008?

When you lose by 30 at home there is no close game or rub of the green, you were hammered at the end of 80 minutes FACT.

You still haven't addressed the two tries we scored (within 5 minutes of eachother, I looked up game info after making my post) down Shenton's side, minutes before he went off. Perhaps you can rely on the fact that we then scored 2 tries in 2 minutes after he went off, so my apologies, Shenton made all the difference.

And the ace up my sleeve here is you Poms also forget that Hodges went off for us in the first half. That's Justin Hodges, a far better centre/player than Michael Shenton. The difference? Australia's depth (which seems to the point you're arguing against). The replacement of Kurt Gidley was seamless. Heck, he even slotted in opposing the great Michael Shenton.


That's not by chance, but 46-16 in the most important game is. Right, I guess 52-4 and 44-4 (the scorelines of the last two significant games between England/GB and Australia) were lucky as well.


I'm not saying he's performed well in general on the wing during Tests, but in his last game against England he scored a try, a try-assist, ran 137m, made a linebreak and 5 tackle breaks. Not bad when you have to share a backline with Inglis and Slater. Certainly not a BOG ALL effort.


I see you dropped the "his knees are shot" line for "a aging, but still class". That's better.

Besides Lockyer, those other 3 have at least 5 years left in the game. Inglis possibly a decade. The fact is, WE HAVE those players, so what kind of imaginary point are you trying to make? While we enjoy these players at the peak of their powers, we nurse babies in waiting like Josh Dugan and Lachlan Coote (his game is so much like Slater's it's not funny).


Widely regarded by English-based message board posters. Everyone else has Petro as world's best prop as a given. For the backrow, most toss up between Sam Thaiday and Paul Gallen. Personally, i'd also consider Sam Burgess and Luke Lewis.

England don't have an 80 minute Test game, as proven by the way their forwards always tire and struggle to keep pace towards the end of both halves. Be it physical or mental stamina, England forwards lack either or both. Australia's don't.

Now Now CGD.

You are missing the point here.

This is a Pommie forum.

Consequently all English players are far superior to shiithouse players like Inglis, Slater or Hayne. The reason they havent won anything since God was at school is a combination of bad luck, poor foreign coaches and the fact superleague is full of ancient Aussies who are somehow keeping the many thousands of supreme English athletes from getting the chance to play rep footy and if they did would undoubtedly win everything going in RL.

You should know this by now.

I was going to move on because I cant be ars*d trolling through threads and proving points usually but...with two posters I feel are full of CRAP I will make an exception,

One bad crowd says it all?

You cherry pick one crowd to make your point?
Go back over the numbers across the board and make a point?
How does England and France go for numbers?
How did the All Golds tour go?
How did the Kiwi tour go where England finally won a series a couple of years ago.
The last World Cup in Great Britain nearly bankrupted the game there it was so well planned and attended.
Last years 4 Nations which is the current stats says England had an average of 16,500 per match.
Eng v France 11K
Eng v Oz 23k
Eng v Kiwis 19k
Final Eng v Oz 31k

So England average 21k in their games all at home
You quote a game from 4 years ago with 27.5 K as a comparison? Maybe If it was the "Big Two" it may have been different but England/GB have not made the final in Oz since the concept was started.
You heard of Apples and Apples comparisons?
You compare World cup averages with little Island teams involved with 4 nations averages, it shows you up Mate.

While we are at it, My response was to the Cherry picking of Test players by Oz and another poster said "like England is doing to Oz"

HARDLY..

I did say I was not sure about the last Test games of the players I mentioned.

Craig Fitzgibbon was not current as he was not selected for the Anzac Test match before he signed with Hull and he was a journeyman that was recalled for a couple of games at the back end of his solid Club career.

Berrigan as you point out was current but at the tail end of his rep career and was offered a longer and much larger financial deal to move to Hull. When you are nearly 30 and get offered a Kings ransom over a long contract, cant blame him.

Matt King was a current Test Winger, he is the best example of a player moving at the top of his game, at the end of the day he is a Winger not a Halfback or Hooker or a key player, he struggled big time for a long while when he did not get the Storm service he was used to.
There are several articles where King says he was being paid "mad money" to go to Warrington, more than the best player in the NRL was getting at the time.

Cherry Picking?

Paying over the odds for longer contracts is more realistic.

Just a thought, has Hull looked at Luke Burt, Nathan Cayless or Nathan Hindmarsh? two of those were recent Test players, Could they be lured to the Club with the Master Coach and the best fans in the game?
Now thats Cherry picking.
Eric Grothe Jnr will be bundled in for free.


Cheers

You can't be *rsed trolling? Doesn't appear that way!


No, you cherry picked one crowd to make a point. I'm using your method of argument on yourself to prove that you don't have a point.

You said "What was the final crowd? 31k pretty sad all round for a country that aspires to be a player at Test level."

So who's cherry picking? You picked the 4N Final, I picked the 3N Final. I'm picking the same cherries you're picking and showing your comments up for what they are.


Last years 4 Nations which is the current stats says England had an average of 16,500 per match.
Eng v France 11K
Eng v Oz 23k
Eng v Kiwis 19k
Final Eng v Oz 31k

So England average 21k in their games all at home. Yes, didn't I just say that?[/quote]
Poor effort.




Remind me, how many of England's current test team have the Aussies "cherry picked" over the last few years?
Gareth Ellis. Sam Burgess. Err... anyone else?
Richie Mathers?
Chris Thorman?

Yes. It's just SL clubs that pick up dud foreigners.


Hull don't have any quota spaces left, so if they have been looking, I don't have a clue how they'd be able to sign them.

Come back when you've got a point that hasn't been contradicted too much