Representative Weekend

[Rally Towel]

Cronk scores. That's game over.

28-18 with a kick to come.

Well, the Kiwis really hung in there very well. Maintained the intensity, but just unable to execute the crucial plays.

 

[Super Freak]

Thurston is limping..

 

[Super Freak]

Thurston just has a cork. Thank ****. But he is off.

 

[Broncoman]

Well done to the Kiwis I thought that was a very gutsy performance by them and they sure showed the critics wrong despite losing. Happy with the win and let's hope we can build on it.

Who will win MOM? Paul Gallen will be very close I would think, he was in everything and played superbly.

 

[Kimlo]

That was a good game, certainly proved all the negative bullshit during the week was unjustified.

 

[Super Freak]

The crowd attendance was crap.

25k when Allianz can hold 45k..

 

[Ari Gold]

That was a good game, certainly proved all the negative bullshit during the week was unjustified.

It was much better than I was expecting. Still, Australia won comfortably enough in the end. The real problem though is that NZ can't enter the week without seeming like they have no chance, and you need that prospect of a contest for a game to really be anticipated, which this week's clearly wasn't.

Don't know what Gus was talking about either. QLD use DCE off the bench all the time, so its not hard to incorporate him into a game. And 25k is a fucking pathetic crowd. Look at the ANZAC Day crowds. That's when the game should have been played.

 

[Rally Towel]

Having Foran out hurt them terribly. He's a very good foil to Johnson. I thought whoever they had filling in at 9 didn't do too badly. Hiku at FB was a bad move though. Decent player but way too green: I think he'd have been better on the wing /centre.

Most of the Kiwis really did acquit themselves well, long after I thought they'd run out of puff. Their forwards really took it to us even without JWH and Frank Paul.

 

[Super Freak]

Sam Moa was pretty good tonight. Ran straight and hard every time, he was a handful.

 

[Big Pete]

Kiwis played with plenty of effort.

As per usual, Gus summed it up nicely. The Australians got through relying on their existing structures and class while the Kiwis out-enthused them in most other areas.

I actually thought it was a solid game and the Kiwis can come out of it with their heads held high.

But still, there was something off about the game. There were some nice moments, but it just felt lethargic. I think it's because my main interest was to watch the likes of Parker & Gillett run round. I thought Parker was pretty ordinary & Gillett got bugger all time. Cordner proved to be the bane of my viewing pleasure but in his defence I felt as if he got better as the game wore on and he'll be better for the run, which is what I think this game should have been about. Still, it would have been nice to see Matt used in a role that would have suited him more...

I think I would have given my MotM to Brett Morris. Scored two tries, came up with two big defensive plays and handled the Kiwis kicking game very well.

Don't know what Gus was talking about either. QLD use DCE off the bench all the time, so its not hard to incorporate him into a game.

Technically it's only been two games for DCE but considering he's simply playing the same role Cronk did back in 2010-11, really you're right.

Still, he may have had a point if only because Sheens kept DCE out of the game until the final 8 minutes, basically admitting that he was only there as a contingency selection.

Having Foran out hurt them terribly. He's a very good foil to Johnson.

To a certain extent, although even then I don't think that combination has been all that good for the Kiwis in the past. I haven't really had the interest to sit down and analyse it, but it just seems like they stifle each other more often than not.

Still, as you pointed out, for defensive purposes alone, Foran would have been a nice improvement.

I thought whoever they had filling in at 9 didn't do too badly. Hiku at FB was a bad move though. Decent player but way too green: I think he'd have been better on the wing /centre.

That was Ben Henry wasn't it? I thought he did a good job too and worked nicely enough with Havili.

Agree on Hiku, his hands let him down at crucial moments. Don't know if playing him out-wide would have fixed things for him per say, but I see RTS as the future and better player regardless.

Sam Moa was pretty good tonight. Ran straight and hard every time, he was a handful.

Moa is the man. Right up there as one of the most underrated players in the game and would go close to my ideal 17. I just like the way he plays, no thrills he just runs extremely hard and has an ideal shape for a prop where he's built low to the ground.

Bromwich was great too and I liked what I saw of Taupau. When the Kiwis were desperately looking for somebody to inspire them, I thought Marty stepped up for them. If nothing else, I'm glad this game existed for a guy like him. It wasn't too long ago he was getting all these wraps for chasing down Gagai in that Junior Test match and it seems like he's finally living up to them after some injuries and issues at Canterbury.

 

[Morkel]

Awkwardness when Johns nabbed Inglis for an interview after the siren. No love lost.

 

[broncos4life]

Awkwardness when Johns nabbed Inglis for an interview after the siren. No love lost.

Haha yeah.

Should have said "not bad hey... For a black ****"

 

[Kimlo]

What??? Anyone have a YouTube link of that ?

 

[broncos4life]

What??? Anyone have a YouTube link of that ?

Oh no mate he didn't say that... Would have been great if he did though

 

[Kimlo]

Hahaha, it would've been. I left shortly after the game but I do remember he said Thurston got 4/5 MOTM, so he now has 5 MOTM out of his last 6 games for Australia? That has to be some kind of record.

 

[Kimlo]

Not a more deserving guy either, I love how he stopped at half time and gave his headgear to a kid in the crowd and no doubt did it again at the end of the game, what a great role model of our game.

 

[Big Pete]

Just a reminder that the U/20s Origin game is set to kick off at 5:30pm.

NSW
1. Clinton Gutherson (Manly Sea Eagles)
2. Jake Mamo (Newcastle Knights)
18. Aaron Gray (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
4. Sione Mata'utia (Newcastle Knights)
5. Tyrone Phillips (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
6. Drew Hutchinson (St. George Illwarra Dragons)
7. Mitchell Moses (West Tigers)
8. Jake Trbojevic (Manly Sea Eagles)
9. Kaysa Pritchard (c) (Parramatta Eels)
10. Matt Lodge (Melbourne Storm)
11. Adam Elliott (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
12. Jakiel Mariner (Sydney Roosters)
13. Jack Bird (St. George Illawarra Dragons)

14. Ryan Matterson (Parramatta Eels)
15. Pauli Pauli (Parramatta Eels)
16. Dean Britt (Melbourne Storm)
17. Rhys Kennedy (Melbourne Storm)

Queensland
1. Valentine Holmes (Cronulla Sharks)
2. Nene McDonald (Sydney Roosters)
3. Brenko Lee (Canberra Raiders)
4. Brendan Elliott (Sydney Roosters)
5. John Folau (Parramatta Eels)
6. Anthony Milford (Canberra Raiders)
7. Jaeleen Feeney (Newcastle Knights)
8. Lloyd Perrett (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
9. Kierran Moseley (Penrith Panthers)
10. Christian Welch (Melbourne Storm)
11. Brett Greinke (Brisbane Broncos)
12. Patrick Mago (Canberra Raiders)
13. Luke Bateman (Canberra Raiders)

14. Cameron Munster (Melbourne Storm)
15. Francis Molo (Brisbane Broncos)
16. Ajuma Adams (Brisbane Broncos)
17. Joe Ofahengaue (Brisbane Broncos)

 

[Ari Gold]

Thanks for the reminder Pete!