The only Leeds players who I would try to justify their selection this season would be Hall and Ablett. The latter is especially written off as 'garbage' but he has probably been our best player this year for consistency and has put some excellent performances in.

I completely agree.

Wikipedia has it announced as "a bridge between the academy and first class sides". So this must be between the academy sides and National selection. So players who have the potential to be top class England internationals. The concept is to be applauded but the current application is to be questionned. As you mention players don't seem to be able to get into the side based on form - Greg Eden? Chris Hill? John Bateman? If it was based on form Lee Gaskell would not have had a spot & Chris Clarkson is being dropped from the Leeds team are just two examples - there are many more!

McNamara states that McIlorum has 'one or two areas' he needs to work on. Then surely the Knights squad is the way to go about it? To 'bridge the gap between the academy and first class sides" - surely there isn't a more applicable case? So then why isn't he included? Zak Hardaker and Gary Wheeler in there but no Darrell Goulding? At the start of the year I could have accepted that but on form it just looks like a ridiculous selection. How does a player like Darrell Goulding get into either side?

It needs clarification & more scrutiny that it's getting. There's not much difference between this Knights squad and the one we had last year. This is despite a drop in form for several players and the emergence/improvement of several players in Super League.

The whole England selection needs reviewing for both sides because I think we've made some alarming omissions. I mean how on earth can we possible compete with the Aussies/Kiwis if we're not picking the best sides?

He's isn't known as McBanana for nothing!

Still picking Peacock and still using him as captain? Crazy!!

Why are we going with average, passed it players such as JJB, Peacock, Wilkin & Sinfield (Who aren't in form) when we oculd have blood some youngsters.

i think the KJnights team could give the main team a run for their money.

McNamara seems to have provoked a number of hissy fits from Wigan and Hull KR fans. I'm starting to warm to him.

The biggest missed opportunity missed for me is the opportunity to give some of the younger players a chance against top opposition and get used to being with the other England 1st Team players.
We have no 'big' internationals this year - there is no 4 Nations, just a series against Wales and France (as well as the exiles) - and this is a perfect opportunity to blood the younger players who will be knocking on the door for next year's world cup.

I don't mind Peacock and similar being in the squad as he will give a good influence over the camp and to the younger players, but I think that there should have been more of the younger players who will definitely be internationals in the future such as Patrick, Houghton and Ratchford.

I haven't seen any hissy fits from KR fans?
Myself a kr fan I wouldn't have expected any player to get in the first squad, I would have thought Welham would have made the knights team but I'm pleased that Hodgson, Watts and Taylor got in

IIRC Goulding played in the 2010 4N & was crap. He has improved markedly since then but is nothing more than a good quality SL 3/4 in a fantastically coached side. Ditto McIllorum who reminds me of Nicky Kiss, a good workmanlike hooker but not international standard.

I agree about some of the apparent inconsistencies - Clarkson, Gaskell, Wheeler IMO are way off the mark at the moment & I am not sure they will ever be good enough. Perhaps this will show it. There are others I would have had in but I am not losing sleep over it.

Goulding played on the wing in 2010 but he certainly isn't a winger. Now that he's playing in his natural position he's playing well. I'm not convinced that Goulding would be good at international level but you never know unless they get the chance. In order to get the chance you have to be playing well and to be fair he's done just that. Cudjoe has been very disappointing this year and isn't showing any real form. He's probably got more potential but you can never be sure about these things.

Having said that, it's not that bad if he's not in the England squad. I'd rather have him unappreciated and underrated and being one of Wigan's best players week in week out than playing more games and risking injury.

As for McIlorum though, it's his improvement that has had one of the biggest influences to Wigan's strong start to the season. Top teams need top hookers and top hookers can allow even a weakened pack to get on top through intelligent play. Wigan's improvement is not the cause of McIlorum's improvement. He's always had talent he's just taken a while to show it consistently. He's matured as a player and developed his game considerably.

Goulding being left out isn't a suprise to me as he's only just moved back in to the centre position after a few seasons playing on the wing. He's on fire at the minute and if he keeps that form up he'll be hard to ignore going forward. I'm not convinced Goulding is a player that physically suits international rugby though.

The one I don't get is McIlorum! He's a brute of a player and his alround game has come on ten fold. He is physical, an aggressive defender and just a general nasty git to play against. He is an ideal fit to play international matches and would work well with Roby. I'd have McIlorum bashing them up for 20 mins and then bring Roby from the bench shifting between 9 and 13 just doing what he does best and getting at defences with the ball!

As for Wilkin, JJB and Sinfield being in I can only hope it's due to a lack of available options with guys like Westwood being injured and us having our 2 best backrowers playing in the NRL.

Goulding on fire is not an expression I would use, nor recognise. He's not fast enough or big enough for international RL, a good club 3/4. But at the moment there is no-one, Atkins apart (who has failed previously), who I would be happy in there. Watkins & Hardaker look to have the potential but one is permanently injured & the other can't pass to one of the best wingers in the world. Otherwise it's those in the Goulding camp - Whelam & Yeaman, who are not quite good enough. I hope McB is not planning playing Ablett there - another great club player whose effort cannot be faulted, but not international class.

Regarding McIlorum, he's not a brute. He's niggly in your namesake's mould. He's not even the best hooker in Wigan, Tommy is brutal in defence with the flair going forward. Just because Phil Clarke creams himself over McIlorum every week, don't make it true.

To be fair he did say goulding may not be upto it physically, but that dont stop him beingvthe best centre in the comp at the moment, who at least deserves the chancd to show he is upto it dont you think?

As for micky i would love to know what these one or two things he needs to improve are, as half of the squad who been picked fall into this bracket and some of those have more than two really basic things they need to improve!

I disagree he is the form centre, he is the centre in the form team. Just because Wigan have been exceptionally coached doesn't mean that will automatically transfer to McBanana's coaching. A number of clubs' fans could argue their centres are equally as impressive, it depends what you use as the basis of your argument - Welham, Hardaker, Hall, Turner, Bridge have pretty good returns, despite being in poorer performing teams or playing poorly themselves of late. They perhaps deserve the chance to show if they are up to it as well?



I agree with both you & McBanana there. I would hope & expect the England coaching team have highlighted to every potential player the areas they need to concentrate on.

MCILORUM IS THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD. EVER.