Meninga & the Aus Team

  • We had an issue with background services between march 10th and 15th or there about. This meant the payment services were not linking to automatic upgrades. If you paid for premium membership and are still seeing ads please let me know and the email you used against PayPal and I cam manually verify and upgrade your account.

CBreeagles

Reserve Grader
This guy had an interview today about the Four Nations and the players who may be chosen. Tom's name came up and obviously he is having surgery so will most likely be made unavailable but Meninga basically ruled out choosing him saying he was down on the pecking order for all of wing, centre and fullback. Now I enjoy international footy and if this year's Test match is anything to go by then Australia will get demolished by New Zealand if Meninga decides to once again choose his golden boys. I hope he doesn't use the Four Nations and the World Cup as a way for him to have one last hoorah with his Qld boys but rather blood the new generation so they could be competitive in the World Cup.
 
As much as I would love to see him play.
Let him have his surgery and recover so he will be ready for the pre season
 
Personally I think Jake Trbojevic and Darcy Lussick are the Manly players currently pushing for a Four Nations spot.

Maybe Ferris as well.

But for some reason I can't shake the feeling that Mal is going to be a bit of a biased Queenslander with his Aussie teams. Not sure why I think that, but I do.
 
Australia is strong in the fullback and wing positions, so it is not surprising that a 19 year old is down the pecking order.
Having seen Tom up close yesterday I'm delighted that he has really filled out. He is the tallest in our team, and he is getting on towards the size and body shape of Inglis. He will become a similar player to Inglis, being able to bust tackles and take hit-ups, as well as using guile and ball skills to beat an opposition player.
 
Better for Tom et al to deliver manly a few premierships before going into rep footy
 
Tommy has the instincts of a Slater (sniffing around the ruck) in the body of a young Inglis. I think he combines the best of the two and barring injury will be a dangerous force for many years.

I do agree he's down the pecking order for Australia and should be. NSW beckons next year.
 
I think Tom will push for a Kangaroos test spot once he establishes himself for NSW which will probably be from next year.

For now I think they're being smart by not really looking at him as a selection for this year. Remember that yesterday was only his 26th first grade game, plus I think the selectors and Mal probably remember the failed experiment of having some untried kids in the team in 2014.
 
He's a nsw certainty next year on the wing or centre, maybe even fullback the way he is playing. And should also be a Aus selection. But don't put 2017 at risk with four nations, get the surgery and play for manly. He is good enough we all know that probably should be one of the first selected but mal is a biased wanker!

Mals Aus four nations team

1: D Boyd
2: C Oates
3: G Inglis
4: J O'Neill
5: D Gagai
6: C Cronk
7: J Thurston
8: M Scott
9: C Smith
10: J McGuire
11: J Papalii
12: M Gillett
13: C Parker

14: M Morgan
15: S Thiaday
16: A Woods
17: G Cooper
 
He's a nsw certainty next year on the wing or centre, maybe even fullback the way he is playing. And should also be a Aus selection. But don't put 2017 at risk with four nations, get the surgery and play for manly. He is good enough we all know that probably should be one of the first selected but mal is a biased wanker!

Mals Aus four nations team

1: D Boyd
2: C Oates
3: G Inglis
4: J O'Neill
5: D Gagai
6: C Cronk
7: J Thurston
8: M Scott
9: C Smith
10: J McGuire
11: J Papalii
12: M Gillett
13: C Parker

14: M Morgan
15: S Thiaday
16: A Woods
17: G Cooper
Did Woods backflip on his state?
 
If Mal picked the best team out there instead of his **** Buddies

1: D Boyd
2: J Mansour
3: D Walker
4: J Leilua
5: T Trbojevic
6: J Thurston
7: C Cronk
8: A Woods
9: C Smith
10: R James
11: T Frizell
12: J Jackson
13: J Trbojevic

14: J Bird
15: B Cartwright
16: D Klemmer
17: A Fifita

But then this team is just as biased as mal? No it's actually picked on form, all players in my side should be there.
 
I've always felt Meninga has been over rated as a coach. I mean he has had some of the giants of the game such as Slater, Inglis, Cronk, Thurston, Cam Smith and one or two others in his Qld side and quite frankly NSW havent had the personnel to complete with them. Coaching a side with that group would have been like coaching Australia's David Cup side decades ago with Laver, Rosewell, Newcombe, Emerson, Roach, Hoad and Stolle with Woodforde and Woodbridge for the doubles. You just needed to turn up with that group.
 
If Mal picked the best team out there instead of his **** Buddies

1: D Boyd
2: J Mansour
3: D Walker
4: J Leilua
5: T Trbojevic
6: J Thurston
7: C Cronk
8: A Woods
9: C Smith
10: R James
11: T Frizell
12: J Jackson
13: J Trbojevic

14: J Bird
15: B Cartwright
16: D Klemmer
17: A Fifita

But then this team is just as biased as mal? No it's actually picked on form, all players in my side should be there.
See the issue is when you mix those NSW players with those old Qld blokes the Qld blokes drop off their passion. Look how hard they play for their State and then look at the Test match which we barely scraped home against a woeful NZ missing like 8 key players. They need to usher in a new group of young blokes and get them used to playing with each other in time for the World Cup.
 
I've always felt Meninga has been over rated as a coach. I mean he has had some of the giants of the game such as Slater, Inglis, Cronk, Thurston, Cam Smith and one or two others in his Qld side and quite frankly NSW havent had the personnel to complete with them. Coaching a side with that group would have been like coaching Australia's David Cup side decades ago with Laver, Rosewell, Newcombe, Emerson, Roach, Hoad and Stolle with Woodforde and Woodbridge for the doubles. You just needed to turn up with that group.
It's common knowledge that Michael Hagan really coached Qld for most of the decade, while Mal ambled about in the dressing room shaking the odd hand, patting the odd back.
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
3 2 1 45 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 22 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
3 2 1 10 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
Back
Top Bottom