ooops mis red it plank

No thought of K Whelham, D Hodgson, Scott Taylor
The squads a joke both Whelham and Hodgson have scored more this season in a supposedly inferior team, and Taylor's stats speak for themselves!!

But they are ginners?

And it is a joke. It's a very funny joke.

Mike McIlorum - the form hooker of Super League. At the very fulcrum of the in-form, top of the league, Barcelona-esque Wigan side that have systematically annihiliated and humiliated Leeds & St.Helens in the space of two weeks yet the hookers for both sides - Burrow/Roby - get picked above him. Joke number one.

Joke number two: Leroy Cudjoe is picked above Darrell Goulding. Daz Goulding - red hot partnership with the most lethal on form combination in Super League with Josh Charnley who is the runaway leading try scorer in Super League who is looking to threaten the record of most tries in a season held by Lesley Vainikolo. Cudjoe (although not a poor player) is playing for a side that are on a complete downfall at the moment & statistically Daz blows him out the water playing his part in the on form team in Super League.

Joke number three: omitting Adrian Morley (bravo!) yet playing & naming Jamie Peacock as your captain. How can you correctly omit Morley but not Jamie Peacock? Why is a 34-year old out of form/past his best/ (Leeds fans will back me up here) get picked religiously as an automatic selection & not only that - he's made captain!

Joke number four: the fact McNamara ever omitted Ryan Atkins in the first place.

Joke number five: Carl Ablett/Jon Wilkin over Larne Patrick. Simple as that.

And the headline act is the Knights squad. Chris Hill? John Bateman? Also if Daz/McIlorum have areas they need to improve (Big Macca's words not mine) then surely the Knights squad is the place to do it? How have players like Chris Clarkson and Gary Wheeler got picked and them two London lads Dan Sarginson and Keiron Dixon not got picked? Elliot Whitehead? Even Matty Russell? Let's look to youth?

Surprised me too but for different reasons - the correct call for once.

Kris Welham can't defend to save his life. He might as well not be there. The ease in which Sam Tomkins just walked past him at the DW earlier this year was staggering. He just saw Sam and fell on his backside. Could you imagine Greg Inglis running at Kris Welham? They are so far apart as RL players it's like comparing Susan Boyle to Megan Fox. He's .

Well McNamara's selections are baffling. As a Bradford fan not surprised at all.

No Rhys Lovegrove in either squad is beyond belief.

Not really, he's an Aussie who declared for Scotland.

McNamara has completely lost the plot and should lose his job asap. This squad as in no way been picked on form and is a complete joke. I was going to go to the match next week but dont think I will bother now and will not waste my money again whilst this clown is in charge.

There are more than just a few players that do not deserve to be in the England squad. Most of the Leeds contingent immediately spring to mind and 6 players (the most from one club) from the team in ninth is laughable. Peacock, Sinfield, Burrow, Ablett and Jones-Buchanan are all either past their best or are simply not good enough and all are out of form anyway. They simply should not have been selected by whatever measure you choose to use, bar name and reputation. In the case of Peacock and Sinfield they have had their chances, repeatedly, and failed time and again. There are also players in this squad such as Cudjoe, Carvell and Wilkin who fans of their respective teams have said over the last couple of months should be dropped by their clubs as they are playing that poorly and yet they are picked for England. They are average at best. Almost half the squad straight away shouldn't be in it and thats before you even get to the debatable selections

It is truly baffling that Goulding and McIlorum arent in who have been the best players in their respective positions over the course of the season. Goulding has been outstanding this season and has laid tries on a plate for Charnley with excellant centre play. He has outplayed centres that are in the England squads and is the form centre in Super League. McIlorum has been immense all season and is the form hooker in Super League and offers an awful lot to any team in the middle of the park, particularly in tense close games like you would get in an international. Goulding and McIlorum are not even in the England Knights squad and yet players like Wheeler who they have completely outplayed are and even worse players that cant even get in their club teams are.

McNamara's not got a clue.

Given that there are lots of older experienced players in the current squad and many younger players who will no doubt find it hard to get a look in I would have been interested to see two England squads go head to head. One side would be made up of more experienced or slightly older players and the second team made up of young players with less experience.
It's essentially England vs England Knights except the Knights squad is focused purely on young players currently playing well and possibly pushing for a place in the full squad.
Players like Lee Mossop and Josh Charnley who are called up to the full England squad but haven't made their debut or haven't played many games would play for the younger side.

Something like -

'Experienced'

FB Sam Tomkins
RW Ryan Hall
RC Leroy Cudjoe
LC Ryan Atkins
LW Tom Briscoe
SO Rangi Chase
SH Danny Brough
P Jamie Peacock
H James Roby
P Garreth Carvell
SR Jamie Jones-Buchanan
SR Gareth Hock
LF Sean O'Loughlin

Sub Rob Burrow
Sub Eorl Crabtree
Sub Adrian Morley
Sub Jon Wilkin


'Young England'

FB Greg Eden
RW Josh Charnley
RC Darrell Goulding
LC Zak Hardaker
LW Luke George
SO Jonny Lomax
SH Matty Smith
P Lee Mossop
H Mike McIlorum
P Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook
SR Liam Farrell
SR Elliott Whitehead
LF Carl Ablett

Sub Danny Houghton
Sub Larne Patrick
Sub Scott Taylor
Sub Joe Westerman

Same old garbage.