Im just glad there are only two Wigan players in this squad, minimum damage to our pre season. Lockers can come back fit and fresh. Hasnt the England Knights game been cancelled anyway? So Mossop, Charnley, Farrell will have nothing to do anyway? Complete waste of time.

Yeah thats 2 positions(shenton over atkins till he got injured but yeah atkins over ablett/Bailey anybody over him)what about the rest?The squad picked is more or less good ARE THERE NO POSITIVES IN THIS SQUAD FOR ANYBODY WHOS POSTED ON THIS THREAD?.Even if mcnamara wasnt in charge would the team be so incomprehensivley different from this one?

Too many Yorkshire men in there - 15??

Agreed on the players who should not be in the squad. Mcnamara is not good enough for SL as a coach nevermind England. Give the job back to Tony Smith. Full time coach is not needed and another waste of money by the Pillocks RFL.

Why play the likes of Sinfield/JJB etc etc when we know they aren't good enough, and they weren't/arent young enough that they are going to improve?

I can think of 3 or 4 young, talented English second rowers knocking around the league.

Put it this way, I think the Knights team (props excluded) would give the first team a run for their money, and those players are much younger ones, with all the potential.

Sam
Hall
Reed
Yeaman
Briscoe
Chase
Widdop
Graham
Roby
Morley
Ellis
Westwood
Heighington

Carvell
Peacock
Wilkin/JJB (thought we were strong in the forwards!?)
Sinfield/McIlorum/Lomax (maybe Chase could spell at hooker?)

Tomkins
Briscoe widdup Reed Hall
Chase Lomax
Graham Roby Carvell
Westwood Ellis
Sinfield

McIlorum, Morley, Heighington, Peacock

There ya go whats up with that?Atkins was cack last year although id like to have seen him in there but give or take a tweak not bad at all imo

I think most are going a little over the top here.

It doesn't look that bad to me and certainly looks a lot better than recent previous sides. Whilst admittedly a lot of that has to do with the influx of the Australian converts, it looks more competitive than years gone by to me.

Like I said on the VT, I would have had Brough, Robinson and Atkins over Lomax, Mcilorum and Ablett but apart from that not many complaints from me. I would have picked Mossop but he needs an operation. Other guys being suggested like Foster and Charnley aren't ready, possibly in Foster's case never will be.

Widdop has never played centre for his club, Sinfield/Mcillorum are both very average players, and I like Lomax but him + Chase are too similar.

The first XIII is decent, but the bench looks poor whetever way around we shape it. But I supposed with Burrow, Lockers, Joel, Bridge etc having withdrawn it does kind of leave it limited.

I suppose my main point is I don't see what JJB, Sinfield, Bailey and the like can bring that younger players of equal or more talent can't.

If Sinfield is playing 13 as Lockers is out, then I'd rather have Westerman. More physical presence, ball handling ability and is young enough to perhaps be able to up his game to at least compete internationally.

Your just not going to budge
are you?you gotta be pragmatic mate about what talent pool we got to fish from and on nt form this squad is bloody good given the injuries and limited players with EXPERIENCE(thinking of your england knights alternative).Look at the cack selections of the past that were absolutey dire but competed with BETTER oz teams than this JUST PUT IT IN PERPECTIVE A LITTLE AND SEE HOW MUCH BETTER IN TERMS OF QUALITY THIS TIME ROUND IT IS

Smith was very poor, all he did was pick all the Leeds and Saints players available, not realising that they didn't speak to each other!

CMON lol if lomax and chase hit form what we know they are capable of(please God fingers crossed)the ozzies will $hit bricks theyll have headaches how to contain em.Sinfield you cant NOT pick him especially on current form and hes the kicker of choice at present,jjb not my favourite but is an 80 minute bloke, INSIDE MAN OUR FORWARDS ARE BETTER THAN THE OTHERS this time we actually have quality running off our forwards our backline is not at all bad briscoe hall either wing im not complaining, dont forget mcnamara can swapwiddup and sam at FB releasing sam into the halves BLOODY HELL AS PAULINES PENS FAMOUSLY SAID"WE'VE GOT OPTIONS"..........BOTTOM LINE IF A BIG IF,ENGLAND DONT DO THEIR FAMOUS 10 MINUTES FALL ASLEEP WHILE THE OZZIES RATTLE UP 18 POINTS we can beat em keep the faith

Its not as bad as people are making out. If S Burgess, Flanders, and Burrow weren't injured and Tompkins wasn't off to union then McColorum, JJB, Wilkin and Ablett wouldn't have been in the squad. They're in as squad players because most of them can play in 2 or 3 positions to a good standard, and most likely only be in if injuries occur.

The only concern for me is the lack of an organising HB, which may mean Sinfield goes to loose to allow Widdop and Chase to take on the line.

Rat boy
Hall
Reed
Yeaman
Briscoe
Widdop
Chase
Graham
Roby
Peacock
Ellis
Westwood
Sinfield / Heightington

Morley
Carvell
Sinfield / Heightington
JJB

I know it would never happen but I would actually pay to see England RL vs England Knights.

1. Sam Tomkins vs Chris Riley
2. BJB vs Josh Charnley
3. Jack Reed vs Zak Hardaker
4. Kirk Yeaman vs Kris Welham
5. Ryan Hall vs Jamie Foster
6. Gareth Widdop vs Stefan Ratchford
7. Jonny Lomax vs Richie Myler
8. James Graham vs Lee Mossop
9. James Roby vs Scott Moore
10. Adrian Morley vs Ben Harrison
11. Gareth Ellis vs Liam Farrell
12. Ben Westwood vs James Donaldson
13. Chris Heightington vs Joe Westerman

14. Rangi Chase vs Matty Smith
15. Kevin Sinfield vs Paul Clough
16. Gareth Carvell vs Mike Cooper
17. Jamie Peacock vs Liam Watts

The England RL is obviously stronger on paper but each of those Knights play SL with or against the first team every week and there is some real quality in there.

It would most certainly be a competitive game! There's very little between some of the players on either side.