Centenary Test Team (Australia) (Official)

[gUt]

Not sure that Gasnier was a walk up start in this side, imo there are other centres in form, eg Tate.

 

[chips rafferty]

Jason Ryles should of got a call up, the in-form prop forward in the game today without a doubt.

 

[Coxy]

Jason Ryles should of got a call up, the in-form prop forward in the game today without a doubt.

But he's a pussy. He would've got smashed in the opening minutes and gone MIA for the rest of the Test. He's an adequate club prop and that's all he'll ever be.

 

[Je$ter]

Jason Ryles should of got a call up, the in-form prop forward in the game today without a doubt.

But he's a pussy. He would've got smashed in the opening minutes and gone MIA for the rest of the Test. He's an adequate club prop and that's all he'll ever be.

Agreed. Probably has the prototypical build for a prop - long limbs, good agility solid ball skills. But he lacks intangibles - ie he is a soft ****.

 

[mrslong]

bloody stewart and his bloody favourites gallen & bird. Bird deserves his spot - but gallen? Lafranchi is robbed imo.

JT still owns Prince the little whinger. icon_thumbs_u

Thaiday is the bloke robbed by Webb. Tsk tsk tsk.

 

[mrslong]

[quote="The Rock":vdwopsvg]Also - Is that one of the best backlines you've ever seen? :shock: Truley scary. Love it.

and apart from gasnier it'll be the QLD backline too _woohoo_

1. Billy Slater
2. Greg Inglis
3. Mark Gasnier
4. Justin Hodges
5. Israel Folau
6. Darren Lockyer (c)
7. Johnathan Thurston[/quote:vdwopsvg]

Kiwi's will get all their tries through Gasnier. He is the weakest link.....I like it [icon_shady

 

[Coxy]

Gasnier's not so bad defensively, but he's just lazy in attack.

 

[QUEENSLANDER]

Obviously everyone bagging out Gallen's selection didnt watch him play yesterday. For someone "so out of form" he seemed to break a sh*tload of tackles and always got an offload away. Hes the only person im concerned about come origin time.

 

[Coxy]

Obviously everyone bagging out Gallen's selection didnt watch him play yesterday. For someone "so out of form" he seemed to break a sh*tload of tackles and always got an offload away. Hes the only person im concerned about come origin time.

Yet the Sharks' assistant coach described his performance on ABC radio as "plenty of quantity, not much quality". So obviously their coaching staff view the game differently to you.

He's got very little. He's much like Crocker. Very little skill, very little football brain, but plenty of fire and guts. He'll go hard as long as he's out there, probably give away a bunch of penalties because he'll go over the top. If it's a desire to have a psycho on the field, you would always have a Crocker or Gallen out there.

Frankly I'd rather 17 footballers, but each to their own.

 

[QUEENSLANDER]

Obviously everyone bagging out Gallen's selection didnt watch him play yesterday. For someone "so out of form" he seemed to break a sh*tload of tackles and always got an offload away. Hes the only person im concerned about come origin time.

Yet the Sharks' assistant coach described his performance on ABC radio as "plenty of quantity, not much quality". So obviously their coaching staff view the game differently to you.

He's got very little. He's much like Crocker. Very little skill, very little football brain, but plenty of fire and guts. He'll go hard as long as he's out there, probably give away a bunch of penalties because he'll go over the top. If it's a desire to have a psycho on the field, you would always have a Crocker or Gallen out there.

Frankly I'd rather 17 footballers, but each to their own.

The commentators also mentioned how well he was playing, so i wasnt alone

 

[The Brizz]

Obviously everyone bagging out Gallen's selection didnt watch him play yesterday. For someone "so out of form" he seemed to break a sh*tload of tackles and always got an offload away. Hes the only person im concerned about come origin time.

Yet the Sharks' assistant coach described his performance on ABC radio as "plenty of quantity, not much quality". So obviously their coaching staff view the game differently to you.

He's got very little. He's much like Crocker. Very little skill, very little football brain, but plenty of fire and guts. He'll go hard as long as he's out there, probably give away a bunch of penalties because he'll go over the top. If it's a desire to have a psycho on the field, you would always have a Crocker or Gallen out there.

Frankly I'd rather 17 footballers, but each to their own.

The commentators also mentioned how well he was playing, so i wasnt alone

Crocker and Gallen have plenty of skill thats why very good coaches like Bellamy and Stuart love them, both have incredible ball skills for back rowers, both run the ball incredibly hard and both are damaging defenders. To suggest these guys aren't footballers is crazy they both create so much both in attack and defense for teammates its not funny.

 

[Coxy]

I've seen nothing to suggest Crocker or Gallen read a game of football any better than they'd read War and Peace in Russian.

The reason coaches like Bellamy and Stuart like them in attack is because they're OK at doing what they're told, and so doing the ball movement that's required for the structure of play they are instructed to use.

Just my point of view on them. They're hired thugs, and that's their primary purpose, and both Bellamy and Stuart are advocates of causing your opponents' pain to slow them down.

 

[The Brizz]

I've seen nothing to suggest Crocker or Gallen read a game of football any better than they'd read War and Peace in Russian.

The reason coaches like Bellamy and Stuart like them in attack is because they're OK at doing what they're told, and so doing the ball movement that's required for the structure of play they are instructed to use.

Just my point of view on them. They're hired thugs, and that's their primary purpose, and both Bellamy and Stuart are advocates of causing your opponents' pain to slow them down.

War and Peace [icon_lol1., they are definitely the type of players that divide opinions anyway of looking at it. I think you undervalue there contributions but thats just me. You probably don't need both of them in your side with Bird there as well especially with Webb on the bench as well, its unusual how far they have gone away from workers this time. Cam Smith is going to make 90 tackles and Civo will make 60 as the rest of them don't work. Not like Fitzgibbon, Hindmarsh, Johnson etc who are basically just tackling mules.

 

[Coxy]

AFAIC Bird is just a tackling mule too, and that's what his role will be. They don't need him to do any ball playing like he does at the Sharks. There's ample skill in that department with Lockyer, Thurston, Smith and Gidley.

 

[fenomeno]

I can't believe people don't think Carl Webb should be in there, everyone seems to hate him on these forums.

He seems to be playing well, he hits hard, doesn't get dominated in tackles, and has controlled his aggression, doesn't give away the silly penalties he used to, deserves his spot, well done Charlie.

 

[broncosil]

I agree with most posters on here. Gallen, Bird, Kite and Webb are joke selections. There are far better options. I would have like to have seen Thaiday, Hannant, Laffranchi, even Mark Minichello has played better than those selected.

The Australian test jersey is something that should be worn with honour, not by dirty, overrated grubs (Gallen and Bird).

Amazing backline though!

Is there anyone else here that doesn't really rate Hoffman?

 

[mrslong]

I don't rate Hoffman.

 

[Midgey]

I think Bird and Gallen deserve their spots on this years form (Over Hannant or Thaiday). Don't get me wrong, those are two of my favorite players, but Thaiday hasn't been at his best and I think Hannant needs another year of solid form before getting thrown into the last pair of shoes of Webke's.

I'm not really sure what Kite has done that is so impressive. Gallen's inclusion is more on his reputation then anything I feel. It's like the Australian selectors are saying "Yeh we are puttin him in NZ, so you better watch out you don't have any cuts on your face". Webb was a bit of a surprise but I don't think he'll do a bad job.