Best Kangaroos ever

Quote: Roy Haggerty "It's become a cliché - almost a reflex - of RL fans on this side of the world to make statements like "This isn't a classic Australian side", or "This is a sub-standard Kangaroos squad" when the green and golds hove into view. Usually such a statement is made in the context of trying to show just how poor the England/GB side is, because they can't even beat a weakened Roos team. I've certainly heard that this time round, and indeed certainly every tournament since the 1995 World Cup.

I'm here to say that such statements are b@llox. Anyone claiming this isn't a superb Kangaroos side is talking out of their Harris, and has no greater value than an old fella moaning that nothing's as good as Van Vollenhoven/Boston/Huddart etc.

The reason I've heard given for why this set of Aussies are "not a classic side" is because they don't have stand-out players like a Lockyer, a Lewis or a Meninga. Cobblers. The reason they don't have particularly stand-out players is because they are ALL stand-out players. It's like saying that the Louvre's collection of art is weak because none of the works stand out.

Smith, Thurston, Cronk, Inglis, Slater, Thaiday, Gallen
There is much of your post that I agree with. The 2013 Kangaroos are a very good team and totally dominated a Kiwi team that many were saying were on their way to another World Cup win when they strolled through their group

What I don’t agree with is the specific status that you apply to certain players. We have been watching International RL for a similar length of time, I started with the 1986 Kangaroos but I watched a lot of the ’78 and ’82 games also

You state that Smith, Thurston, Cronk, Inglis, Slater, Thaiday and Gallen would walk into any Australian team since 1982 (“and their team mates” but I won’t address that bit). I agree about Smith and Slater and probably Inglis but for Thurston to walk into any team means he is better than Wally Lewis from 1986 or Lockyer more recently. While I agree that Thurston is very good, I don’t think he is better than these two (or even Kenny or Fittler)

And for Cronk to walk into any side he would need to be better than Sterling or Langer but, most importantly, better than Andrew Johns. Cronk is a good player but he is simply not better than Andrew Johns

I would take a number of second rowers over Thaiday including Noel Cleal and Bradley Clyde was a better loose forward than Gallen

So, while the 2013 variety of the Kangaroos are a good side, I think only three of them would push for a spot in my all-time Kangaroo team, Smith at hooker, Slater at full back and perhaps Inglis at centre (although he would have very stiff competition from the likes of Gene Miles, Mal Meninga and Steve Rogers to name just a few)

p.s. I don’t think the Louvre was a very good comparison to use as one piece hanging in the Louvre does stand out as the single greatest masterpiece in art