From the Australian:
DOES a team 12th on the NRL table deserve five players in the Australian team to be named on Sunday?
That will be a question most fans would ask the four Kangaroos selectors and coach Tim Sheens if the five Sea Eagles concerned - Brent Kite, Josh Perry, Anthony Watmough, Glenn Stewart and David Williams get the nod.
Their incumbency will be a big factor because Sheens has made it clear he is a conservative when it comes to national selections. He is on record as saying he doubts eight rounds is enough time for last year's Kangaroos to play themselves out of form. "And Australia was the best team of the World Cup despite the final result," Sheens said on ABC Grandstand last weekend.
Prop forward Kite, who has the "Mr Honesty" tag in the NRL, said that he and the other Australian players in the Manly side had other things on their minds this week - turning around a 2-5 win-loss this season.
"To be honest, given our start to the season, we've got bigger fish to fry than those personal achievements," Kite said.
So do you expect five Sea Eagles to be on the list on Sunday?
"I don't know - maybe not."
Manly coach Des Hasler privately might prefer to have all his Kangaroos players on deck next week. After taking on Melbourne tonight at Brookvale Oval, Hasler has to prepare for Brisbane a week later at Suncorp Stadium - less than 48 hours after Australia plays New Zealand in the Anzac Test.
If five players were named on Sunday, Hasler would not have them at any training session leading up to the Broncos.
So how many does he think will get the nod on Sunday?
"I don't know," Hasler said. "We've got seven players in the (NSW Origin) orientation squad so that's a question you'd have to ask the selectors."
