Totally agree but, you wouldn't bet on his selection for England.
On past form, Macnamara will probably give the spot to Wilkin or, try and entice Sinfield to switch back to league.

Our National team (and GB) have been poor in the halves for years and we don't like to pick specialist HB's for 6 & 7.
Let's just hope that there is a change.

sean o'loughlin

If McBanana picks on form - Gale will be in the squad.

McNamara picking players on form?



Good one!

like he did with Danny Brough?

He did. He picked him for the Exiles game, and he was 5hite, they fell out, which ended any hope of him playing for England again.

yeah, so he wasn't picked because the coach had a personal problem with him, very professional, let's hope others don't fall out with him then or England RL will consist of the same failures from the same clubs.

He fell out with Ryan Atkins as well, stopped picking him for England and he's never been the same player since.

He's been one of the best halves in SL this season. Think he's scored about a dozen tries, got over twenty five try assists, made only about twenty five errors as well as being the top points scorer in the comp.

The problem is, Widdop is a shoe in and rightly so. Then we have Hardaker and Tomkins who both need to be in pivotal positions, which leaves no room for Gale. And out of the 4, he is 4th best.

Haven't seem much of Widdop this year, but is he can organiser with a kicking game?

If not having Tomkins and him in the halfs wouldn't work, as you really need that role.

I'd have Gale in there, I just wish Powell was the coach.

I don't think Widdop should be a shoe in. He's certainly not been playing like it.

Is Tomkins a shoe in and if so why? Is he playing better than say Gale at the moment because I honestly don't think ST offers the England set up that great a deal, certainly not more than Gale in the halves tbh and Hardaker would be massively dissapointed not getting the FB spot.
We've got a good blend right now and whilst individual brilliance can win games Gale is showing that he has a pretty decent set of indidual skills too as well as some attributes that are better than ST.

Tomkins is a problem imo. He's not as good a defender or as good under the high ball as Hardaker and he's not a specialist half back like Gale. He's pretty much just an exceptional open field runner and a penalty milker (which is good when it's your team as you get loads of penalties).

Gale and Williams have been excellent this season and Widdop is obviously a good player. All three are specialist half backs.

I think you'd lose that position specific specialism if Tomkins takes the place of any of those players at FB or HB.

If we're picking on form then Sam Tomkins won't get in the squad and rightly so.

Hardaker has eclipsed Tomkins this year and should be at Full Back for England, anything else would be criminally incompetent from McNamara.

Brough apart, Gale has been the best Scrum Half in SL this year and that's coming from a Wakefield supporter who has no love for Castleford. That should mean a Gale/Widdop partnership which looks decent to me.