its a shame shaun lunt has gone missing this season, i thought he was the top english hooker last year.

i'd agree with the majority of the teams named above. my main concern would be 1/6, tomkins will play in one of those but who plays in the other is anyones guess. maybe danny brough at scrum half to play the paul deacon role if tomkins plays at stand off

a full back
goulding
gleeson
atkins
briscoe
tomkins
brough
morley
roby
graham
burgess
ellis
o'loughlin

westwood
j tomkins
crabtree
wild

widdop's earmarked for FB I think. Whilst I want to see an attacking FB, they need to be solid in defence - Tomkins doesn't impress me too much there.

If Eastmond can't make it (and he does seem pretty injury prone for a young guy) we may as well go for Myler and give him experience. I'd sort of like to see a gobby little git like Brough as well, as I just like that kind of halfback.

brough has gone back to scotland....

with eastmond unlikely to go...i'll be interested if rob burrow gets a re-call?

Id like to see something like

Widdop
T.Briscoe
Gleeson
Atkins
Cudjoe
Tomkins
Brough
Graham
Sinfield
Morley
Ellis
Burgess
O'Loughlin

Roby
J.Tomkins
Fielden
Westwood

We need a good kicker and Brough is the best imo. Burgess to play the 80 and moving up to prop when needed.

BROUGH HAS GONE BACK TO SCOTLAND!!!!

plus widdop has a excellent kicking game...and kev sinfield can kick a ball too...

I was thinking the same thing. I reckon with Eastmond and McGuire crocked and Burrow out of form we might see Sinfield at 6 with Tomkins at 7. I wouldn't have any problem asking Roby to do the full 80 at hooker and stacking the bench with some big hitters. Play to your stengths

I think Roby should be on the field for 80 mins too, no matter where he plays

Taken from an earlier post on the Cherry & Whites, It might go some way to explaining why.

[iAnd that is the problem in the UK, since the A team folded there is no longer a pathway through for emerging players to cut their teeth, they are put straight into the 1st team and its a case of sink or swim, and if they only just tread water we are ready to slag them off because they are'nt cutting it, we should be looking at better pathways to break in future emerging players.

Widdop had 2 years in the Acadamy (U1icon_cool.gif at Melbourne Storm, 2 years at U20 Toyota Cup and was voted Player of the Year at fullback and named in the U20 Dream Team of the Year, 1 year NSW Cup playing fullback and stand off and also picked for the NSW Residents, State of Origin Team at stand off, was stand off of the year in the NSW Dream Team of the Year.
He made is debut during the last year playing centre in place of Greg Inglis, then played two further games at fullback and centre. And then we all know about his debut against France.

I,m not trying to big up Widdop in anyway, but am trying to highlight the probable reasons for what seems as an earlier than normal call up than that of a Uk based player, the different pathways he has received in Oz as opposed to the pathways that are on offer in the UK to other emerging players are far greater. The Storm have nurtured him through their feeder teams, as they have done with many other players in the past, (Ingliss, Slater, Smith, Cronk, Hoffman, D Johnson, Blair, Lima, etc, etc, all Internationals) before releasing him into fulltime 1st grade,
he will move into the 1st grade team next year at stand off.

So as far as the question of experiance goes, he has had quiet a good pathway to be considered for the England squad, he has already played against many of the players that you will see in the Aus/NZ Squad so mentally you could say he is more prepared than most debutants, physically, only time will tell. If infact Steve is getting a team together for the World Cup, then I think he should allow more of the younger emerging international players to tour irrelevant of wether we win or lose, they will gain valuable experiance playing against some of the best players in the World, I'm not saying fill the whole team, but take some of the names thrown up above instaed of bringing back some of the old guard.

Going off thread a bit here but I have listed below the pathway's that most NRL players go through beforte reaching grade.

Harold Matthews U16
SG Ball U18
Bundaberg Red Cup Open Age (Feeder Teams)
NSW Cup Open Age (Feeder Teams) Qld Cup Open Age (Feeder Teams)
Toyota Cup U20 (2nd Grade)

Then NRL 1st Grade.

Also you have the Arrive Alive National School Boy Comp (U1icon_cool.gif and the National School Boys Chamionships (U1icon_cool.gif that the Junior Kangaroos are picked from.

All the above are good standards of Rugby League and are heavily supported by the NRL.

There is not anything like the same pathways in the UK?

THE END [/i

1widdop
2hall
3shenton
4atkins
5briscoe
6tompkins
7 eastmond
8 morley
9 sinfield
10 graham
11 ellis
12 westwood
13 burgess

14 lynch
15 crabtree
16 frodo
17 roby

18 gleeson
19 goulding/riley
20 scruton
21 carvell
22 myler
23 westerman/ j. tompkins
24 lunt

Tomkins
Goulding
Gleeson
Atkins
Riley

Eastmond
Sinfield

Morley
Roby
Graham

Ellis
Clint Newton

Burgess

J. Tomkins
Robinson
Lynch
B.Harrison

Well i never Alex

Widdop at Fullback, Sam tomkins and Sinfield in the halves and Roby at hooker.

Not just saying this as wigan bias, but surely Mickey Mcllorum could fill the 2nd hooking roll? He's been top draw in the play-offs against leeds and saints and outplayed Cunningham last night. He's a tough little bstard with great defense which lets face it, we will need against the aussies

if i was planning a tour to take in the games i would re plan and avoid the embarrasment we are going to face!

I hate to say this but I think we are going to get mullered.