Whilst that is a bit contradictory (you criticise Widdop and then say our halves need to play in the NRL to improve, even though Widdop has come through the NRL system) I am mostly in agreement.
The NRL is certainly a competition where halves get much less time to make decisions and as such, the likes of Thurston, Cronk, Morgan et al have much more experience playing in intense game (even more so when they have experienced many origin games).
Our players lack that experience and it showed in some of the decisions they made today, which I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have made given the extra thinking time they get in Super League (I’ve never seen Gale kick on the second tackle for a Castleford, particularly when chasing points).
However, and here’s the conundrum, playing in big games is a massive learning curve. It would seem rather daft now Gale has built this, to kick him into touch (metaphorically) and replace him with someone with no big game international experience who will need to go through the same learning curve! He’s young enough to be available for the next World Cup, so building on his experience so far seems more sensible than replacing him with someone who hasn’t been as good domestically and doesn’t have the international experience. However, that’s not to say he should be an automatic pick if some young half back explodes into the scene in the next four years, or if Gale’s domestic form goes out of the window (though that didn’t seem to matter for Kevin Brown!).
Of course, we all hope that there are some teenagers waiting to become the next World-class English half and by the next World Cup we have a 21 year old Englishman ripping NRL defences fo shreds. But unless that happens we are better to take advantage of the experience our players have built through this tournament and the next three years to bring home the trophy in 2021 (or whenever it is).

It was an outstanding effort, it truly was. We went into their own backyard and took them the distance. Ultimately, we can't ask any more.

We need to not be too disheartened, execution in the final third let us down, but if we keep putting ourselves in these games that will come.

Eh? Widdop was head and shoulders our best player today. Was a utterly stupid thing to say

Regards

King James

Good at FB, very poor at Stand Off. Too stuttering, slow and predictable. He will never in a million years make a decent international stand off.

With all due respect, I completely disagree. Graham, Whitehead and Hill were better than Widdop. Watch it back. Whitehead came up with another couple of try savers at vital times. Widdop made a couple of wrong options in attack, dropped the ball etc.

Widdop also played full back last time i checked. My point about 6 and 7 was aimed at Brown and Gale. Just not up to it i'm afraid.

A gutsy performance, but we lost. Put Edwards and Gregory in at 6 & 7 in their prime and they'd have torn the aussies apart.

Put meninga at 3 and Daley at 6 and they would have torn the Pom’s apart

Regards

King James

Cronk gone now, although I always thought he was the weakest of the 3. I think the other 2 will retire too as only 1 Aussies test next year and neither will still be going by the time the next tourney is happening anyhow.

]

So you admit you were wrong about Widdop?

Think Slater pretty much said as much in his post match interview that this would be it for him at international level.

Thought widdop was great, heighington when he came on just did the basics but not a danger to the Aussies
Bateman made about 10 yards all game and never looked like breaking a tackle and was stood watching when they had the ball, if he’s a international or a centre then there’s still a chance for me and I’m in my fifties in all it was not taking chances when they came in the end

Bateman made 140 metres

Personally I thought the difference was Smith. He controlled their play very well and pulled our defence all over.

We did everything we could in effort and bravery. Absolutely top marks. I also think we were near 90% in terms of talent. We might have had a little more to give but not much. A little bit more game management and a little more discipline under pressure and we can be top of the World. Both those things can be learned.

I think we are getting a little bit ahead of ourselves here. In the past when we have gone in front or drawn level the aussies have always had what required to kick a gear and make the vital play to win the match. They never had to do that today because we didn't score. Ironically being behind until nearly the end could have been the undoing of the aussies if the Watkins ankle tap had resulted in a try, but i feel we didn't see the best of them due to us never getting on the board. I've seen lots of 'if we had scored that try we would have gone on to win'. That's a massive disrespect to what the aussies are capable of when put under pressure.

I think they'd have buckled had Watkins got away and fed Whitehead. They've tired more noticeably then us in the two games and that is the first time I've seen that in 30 years of watching us play the Aussies.

I've come away from a few Aussies deciders thinking 'we could've won' but today is probably the first time in my 30 years watching us against them where I came away thinking 'we should've won':

I'm stunned by this comment

I could go in to detailed explanations of why this comment is crazy but I won't

Rewatch the match and count the attacks at the Aussie line, they were far more numerous when widdop moved to SO