You really are an odd fellow with an unhealthy obsession with anything anti-wigan.

Anyway. Club before Country = Family before County? Who pays the wages week by week? I agree that playing for your country is an huge honor, but if you are injured and have soldiered on for the good of your club then what's the problem with getting treatment v's playing injured for your country and most probably letting them down.

Or

All players should save themselves for internationals at the expense of the club game?

And.... Josh Perry, op sorted so he can be ready for the call? Really? Born in Aus, 10 years NRL and is now OK for England?

Chris Heighington will be 13.

I think it is looking more like this. Would make our pack a bit lightweight to have Sinfield at 13. Sinfield should be considered as a stand off now i think. It would be a lot to ask him to do 30+ tackles, organise and possibly kick goals.

Heighington plays loose forward for Wests. I hope we don't put Sinfield at 13 - GB/England have tried 'ball handling' loose forwards for years and it simply doesn't work. we have halfbacks and the hooker to set up the plays. Funnily enough NZ and Australia don't need an extra playmaker, and instead prefer somebody who can provide a link if required, but also graft.

Sinfield has played to help out our poor halfs, hopefully with Brough, Widdop, Chase, Maguire, Myler and Sinfield to chose from we won't need a ball handling 13.

The modern 13 plays much more like a 3rd 2nd row these days, that is what we need.

I agree with you. Overrated. No great loss. Jeremy Smith would have shown him up. It might even be a good thing. I'm still not convinced by Widdops kicking game and if crapbanana picks Lomax and he chokes we will need Sinfields kicking or we will get hammered.

But Sinfields never kicked well in an England shirt. Saying that he's probably never been playing in the right position either.

O'Loughlin is rubbish.


O'Loughlin is overrated.



You read it on The Virtual Terrace.

I think if Brough doesnt play then Sinfield has to.

Ive only seen the first half from the Wire/Leeds game but Peacock if continuing in that form has to start with Graham, to offer us some form of presence. Roby picks himself. Back 3 of Ellis, Westwood and Sinfield if no Brough or Ellis, Westwood & Heighington if there is.

I think we need to have more faith in our HB's than reverting to having a LF who's not quite a second rower, and not quite a Stand Off.

I'd go with Heighington, Ellis + Westwood as 11,12 + 13.

HB's likely to be Chase + Widdop, with Tomkins at FB. If we had a hooker like Cam Smith, or Michael Monaghan I'd feel there was enough creativity, but Roby isn't that style of hooker. Try those combinations in a warm up game, if we feel we need a player with a bit more of a kicking game, I'd rather we put Brough in the halves rather than Sinfield at LF.