It's scary that Williams and Myler are the best we have at 6 & 7.
We have plenty up front and enough quality in the three quarters but, our 6 & 7 wont scare anyone.
I'd rather have Tomkins in the halves just to give us some "x" factor and Lomax at 1.

They aren’t the best but they aren’t injured either unlike other options.

I’d imagine Widdop & Gale are currently first choice. Even with those injured I’m sure there must be a better option than Myler?

I think Bennett will go for this...

Tomkins
McGilvary
Connor
Percival
Makinson
Lomax
Myler
Hill
Hodgson
Graham
Bateman
Whitehead
O’Loughlin

Clark
T,Burgess
G,Burgess
L,Thompson

He's said Lomax will start ahead of Tomkins at FB, Makinson ahead of Johnstone and he was talking up Jake Connor, so I reckon we're looking at:

1. Lomax
2. McGillvary
3. Percival
4. Gildart
5. Makinson
6. Williams
7. Myler
8. Graham
9. Hodgson
10. T.Burgess
11. Bateman
12. Whitehead
13. O'Loughlin

14. G.Burgess
15. Connor
16. Hill
17. Thompson

Not what I would pick, but what I expect.

I'm surprised Tomkins isn't in the mix because he has a lot of experience and shared wavelengths of Madge and the Kiwi's and would have that extra bit of anticipation compared to Lomax. IMO he also has better game management.

Swap the centres around and you may well be right.

I'll be disappointed if Lomax starts at 1 and Tomkins isn't featured. It's a really key position for England's attack given the gulf between their 3/4s and that of NZ. I haven't seen anything to convince me that Lomax can consistently be an attacking threat from FB at international level.

In the last series v NZ England had recently crowned MOS Zak Hardaker at 1 and he was made to look well out of his depth with ball in hand.

Who then?

And Myler hasn’t done too bad considering how poor a team he was in this year, up near the top of the try assists list.

I would have Tomkins in over Lomax because Lomax is crap full stop, show pony nothing more, he is only inn the side because for some inexplicable reason he is on a central contract. i would have Ratcford in over both of them and he is not all that.

Having stopped to think about that I’m struggling. The only one I could come up with is Sneyd.

Has Myler been good? He reminds me of Tony Smith a few years back at Wigan, ok player but rarely creates space with his passing game.

We don't have many good consistent half backs, never mind any international class ones. Having said that, I cannot recall Andy Gregory, Shaun Edwards or Shaun Long (to name but three) getting the better of the Aussies when it mattered. These days, were reliant on our pack to win games with brute strength.

Rathford injured or dropped?

Probably not good but those other terms we’ve used “ok” and “not bad”....unfortunately that’s the reality of the depth of English HB’s.

Edwards no, long definitely not,(apart from one good game in Sydney) Gregory plenty, second best British scrum half ever behind Ale Murphy, best in my lifetime, and finally got the nod for the Hall of fame.

Gregory - 2 wins versus Australia
Edwards - 1 win versus Australia
Long - 1 win versus Australia

Long - 04 in Wigan and 06 in Sydney, arguably the man of the match in both

But not when it mattered.

Gregory ripped to kangaroos apart in the 3 rd test in 86, we was robbed by the most outrageous penalty try ever given.
close to winning series in 88 and should have won in 1990 unlucky with injury on 92 tour he may have been the difference in deciding close 3rd test, fact is we have not really looked like beating them in a test series since 1994. o to be playing the kangaroos as GB every 2 years again.

Thing is that we've had better half backs over the years, but have not managed to win a test series decider, world cup knock out fixture or 4 nations match when it matters against the Aussies for a very long time.

We just don't lay them enough anymore and they have state of origin to raise the bar for their elite players. We only have NZ as a real test match match team willing to play, and that's like every 4 years, we used to play NZ tour every 4 years sandwiched in between kangaroo tours every 4 plus tours against both down under. when your playing them combined on average 3 times a year even with lesser players in the 80's we could raise our game and run them close. 82 kangaroos and to some extent the 86 kangaroos are exceptions but even in 86 (a better side than the 82 kangaroos for me) we played some good stuff in first test and should have won the 3rd. Tragic state of affairs is we simply have allowed international Rl to wither away.

I believe that the GB and Australia tours will be back on, which would be a positive move. Also, I use to really enjoy the the club v Australia tour games of the eighties, and would watch games at Naughton Park and Knowsley Road as well as Wilderspool. The skills that those green and gold teams possessed were a joy to watch.

Jackson Hastings. He should be playing in this series, he is the best player available.

Now I can't stand the troll and can't believe I'm agreeing with him/her/it but he/she/it may actually be talking some sense for once. Hastings is a class above Myler but it would have been tough to throw him in at such short notice.
However, he's eligible and if he shows he's 100% committed to playing in the shirt with pride (which he's managed to do with Salford!) and he's the best option available then he's well worth a shot. And before people say he's been playing in the middle 8's.... well so has Myler, and he didn't exactly dominate them like Hastings did he?

Agree about 86. He made a big difference that day. Shame he didn't figure in the earlier games due to him being in dispute IIRC.

88 series wasn't that close. We played well for 40mins in the first test, got stuffed in the second before winning the third. 90 series was the closest we've come and he was instrumental in that with Hanley and Schofield. 92 I think he was past his best, according to his book he was injured and in two minds before being talked into going. His sin bin in the 1st test didn't help and he quickly went off tour when he gouged someone in a midweek game.

Still wish we had someone as good as him for Saturday.