Official NRL thread

[Beer Money Army]

tongue bring heart and soul... Plus a extra player for kicking, he is a solid tackler, He can play the full 80 mins unlike a large majority of forward can do... he is also a thinking mans forward...(but Fitzgibbon is another excellent choice lock starter as well along with Johnson.. Australia has alot of good locks/back rowers that can fulfill this spot..)

plus tongue got Lock of The Year may i forget to tell you lennie....

Gallen/Crocker brings the agression side to the table and you need that in a forward pack... Plus Crocker can play with the ball well, whenever he is on for storm the side lifts ups.

Tupou will a wild pick TBH, I don't like the roosters, but this guy would play well as a interchange role for Australia.. I wouldnt have him in the starting 13.... he has played for australia before and did well...

Quinn has been very solid, sometimes he is too agressive and that can hurt, but he is a solid winger for any side Maybe i should pick Colin best or one of the morris ahead of Him....

I could of favoured more raiders lennie, such as Colin Best... But quite frankly I don't think Colin Best is consisant.. To me he plays good if the players outside of him play well....Preston campbell would be another choice, He is always outstanding, but i think his size misjudge him by selectors, i am unsure how long his broken jaws puts him out... He wouldnt get f/back cause stewart, gidley, slater have been good there too.. that would be the reason to him not being a input to the squad..

 

[Qwake]

Yeah Alan Tounge was Lock and Captain of the year I believe, he is a good choice but I guess I was just thinking of all the other good choices Aussie could have...

Gallen/Crocker, well I agree with the Crocker part, I don't like him but he is an alright player but I guess there are alot of other great 2nd rowers in Aussie, he would be my back up pick but as for Gallen, he is just plain terrible imo.

Quinn needs a little more building with the storm imo, he is running around the field like hes a hero when he tries to get in fights which is bad. Colin Best had a good season but my main pick as a winder would have to be The Wolf Man (David Williams from Manly). He had a GREAT first season with Manly and was the stand out winger all year in my full opinion! Definiet starter in him.

I just realized you had Matty Orford in the 7 jersey and no thurston anywhere which is bad. Orford is great at times but he has the off kicking game where as Thurston is pretty much always doing good kicks, like when Orford has a bad game its a shock when Thurston does its just not his usual game if you get what I mean. I would probably do some swapping around there.

I am shocked that Israel Folau is on the bench, I thought everyone loved him lol. I will try post my team tomorrow sometime.

 

[Beer Money Army]

i like williams, but i think he has another year to prove to get better, He is a solid manly player, but i seen him in matches against top sides where he defense has been poor...

But i wouldnt be surprised if they choose him, But i think he is still young...

My problem with Folau is he doesnt get into much in the game and his defense is good.. but come on Jamie Lyon and Greg Inglis are the best centers for australia

 

[Qwake]

What you said for Williams is what I think for Anthong Quinn lol...exactly the same imo.

Yeah Folau is a bit like that, your centres were def the best combo you chose all up. Perfect, with them like that Aussie would kill everyone (more than what they already would have).

 

[Beer Money Army]

but quinn has played in State of Origin plus a couple finals game, so he has rep footy experience, while Williams hasn't played rep games matches.. But i do consider rep footy for him in 2009...

 

[Qwake]

I thought William did play in Origin? I must have been thinking of of winger for the Broncos, Denan Kemp. He is also pretty good but I feel he could do with abit more training, Williams has played in finals which gets him up there but he may need a bit longer. Quinn wouldn't be my pick though...

 

[Moonlight Drive]

Alright here's my team for the World Cup, I'm probably going to forget people since I don't know the squad, but here's who I think SHOULD be playing

1-Billy Slater
2-Anthony Quinn
3-Israel Folau
4-Greg Inglis
5-Joel Monaghan
6-Darren Lockyer
7-Matt Orford
8-Petero Civoniceva
9-Cameron Smith
10-Steve Price
11-Michael Crocker
12-Paul Gallen
13-Alan Tongue

14-Brett Stewart
15-Kurt Gidley
16-Brent Kite
17-Nathan Hindmarsh

Price & Petero bring A LOT of experience into the forward pack and Crocker/Gallen bring agression. Smith is in there for obvious reasons, plus Dipset already explained Tongue. Kite & Hindmarsh coming off the bench would make an immeadite impact.

In the backs, Slater is just brilliant. Quinn has had representative experience, plays well enough and plus his mother is my teacher/rugby league coach at school. Folau/Inglis are unstoppable in attack and have solid defence, plus Inglis can go in and take over as Five-Eigth if need be. Monaghan is a wildcard, my mind was blank for wingers so I stole Dipsets. Lockyer/Orford are a MUST for the team, both great ball players, runners, kickers and all around players. Stewart or Gidley can give the backs some relief as they can play just about anywhere on the field.

I really think Cooper Cronk should be in the team, but there's just no place for him.

 

[Qwake]

^ Yeah pretty good team but again with Matt Orford, he has to many bad games to be starting imo. Thurston pwns him but I guess since the Cowboys went so bad people have just forgotten about him. Orford would be good as a back up incase Thurston or Lockyer got injured but thats it imo.

Gallen is just terrible, he can't play for shit so I would take him out without a doubt but he is a definite in since sharks coach is aussies coach as Dipset told me. Same would have happened if Greg Bird was still around but thank god he's not.

Brent Tate or Jamie Lion could also be good in the centres but the two you have chosen we already know are great. I will get around to doing mine sometime.

 

[Moonlight Drive]

^^Fuck, I forgot about Thurston. That's my ideal team, but I think Orford might be pushed to the bench for Thurston and that would meand Stewart would probably get the boot. But Orford was Dally M Player of the Year, so it's a pretty hard choice.

But Gallen brings a lot of agression into the forwards like Dipset said. Crocker/Gallen play some very agressive football with strong running and tackling, while Price & Civoniceva will be able to keep there feet on the ground and not let their heads get to hot.

 

[Qwake]

^ Yeah I see what you mean, But with Thurston/Orford, think about last year when Thurston was captain of the year I think it was and he was doing everything great, where as this yeat Thurston was out with Shoulder problems most of the time thus letting orford get the award (he didn't deserve it as much as others btw). Orford is great but he isn't consistent enough to start but thats just what I personally think, dunno about others lol.

 

[Moonlight Drive]

I would much rather see Cooper Cronk in halfback, but the logical choice is Orford. But he pretty much won the Dally M by default, since Slater lost the three points on suspension.

 

[Beer Money Army]

I personally think Thurston 2008 season form hasn't been his best... Australia will need the top in-form players for the time...

But the selectors have to choose Lockyer/Dally M Winner as the starting look, Thurston may get in the side, But Jamie lyon, Inglis, Lockyer, Orford, Campese, Cronk, Anasta, Prince.. Have been playing better than thurston in the 5/8 and half/back role, So i doubt that he should even get a choice...


my problem with Petero Civoniceva is he barely plays 40-50 mins of the game, but he is solid and brings experience... but you could use brent Kite in the forwards, inwhich he is a bit younger and can play a bit longer than petero and pretty much plays the same performance....

 

[Moonlight Drive]

Petero is a great player and even if he does only stay on for one half, he brings a lot of experience and power to the pack, as does Price. I reckon bringing Petero on at about 30 minute mark then taking him off mid-way through the 2nd half and bringing Kite on would make a big impact.

And Thurston hasn't been exactly in form, but I have no doubt if the Cowboys were doing better everybody would have him as starting Halfback.

 

[Qwake]

He was injured for like half the season and had no Bowen to help make him look good so you can't expect to much of him lol. and I agree with what else you said...

 

[Moonlight Drive]

Cowboys were always a two man team, Bowen & Thurston were unstoppable last year.

Take out one, and the team fails.