May 5 test

I think based on form and current availability the kiwi team will be

RTS
Dwz/skd
Kahu
Whare
Rapana
Foran
Johnson
Jbrom
Luke
Taupau/jwh
Proctor
Taumalolo
Mannering

Jwh/taupau
Taylor
Mau
Tapine

Really good on paper.

Bit of Broncos bias but I think Blair will go close. Maybe prop with Taupau to the back row. Not convinced with Taylor either. You probably need someone to play hooker off the bench, but I'm not sure he has much to add. If Niko gets a couple of games off the bench he perhaps adds more for a 25 minute stint. Not sure what other hooker options there are.

Dip wrote:Bit of Broncos bias but I think Blair will go close. Maybe prop with Taupau to the back row. Not convinced with Taylor either. You probably need someone to play hooker off the bench, but I'm not sure he has much to add. If Niko gets a couple of games off the bench he perhaps adds more for a 25 minute stint. Not sure what other hooker options there are.

McIllwrick could be a smokey for that bench spot but think Kearney would go with Taylor as hooker cover.

strong team, i'm sure blair will be there but it is becoming harder for NZ to fit all their forwards in when healthy

Australian doesn't often change to much from the year before, incumbent team is:

1 Darius Boyd
2 Blake Ferguson
3 Greg Inglis
4 Josh Dugan
5 Valentine Holmes
6 Johnathan Thurston
7 Cooper Cronk
8 Matt Scott
9 Cameron Smith (c)
10 Shannon Boyd
11 Boyd Cordner
12 Matt Gillett
13 Trent Merrin
Interchange:
14 David Klemmer
15 Michael Morgan
16 Tyson Frizell
17 Sam Thaiday

don't agree with all of them but i think 13 of these guys are pretty locked in


obviously 2 forced changes for GI & Scott

and i don't think S Boyd and holmes would be locked in yet. Papali was always meant to be part of the make up, so i wouldn't be surprised to see papali come straight back in but it seems we'll at most have 2 legitimate props if thats the case

leaguegod wrote:strong team, i'm sure blair will be there but it is becoming harder for NZ to fit all their forwards in when healthy

Australian doesn't often change to much from the year before, incumbent team is:

1        Darius Boyd
2 Blake Ferguson
3 Greg Inglis
4 Josh Dugan
5 Valentine Holmes
6 Johnathan Thurston
7 Cooper Cronk
8 Matt Scott
9 Cameron Smith (c)
10 Shannon Boyd
11 Boyd Cordner
12 Matt Gillett
13 Trent Merrin
Interchange:
14 David Klemmer
15 Michael Morgan
16 Tyson Frizell
17 Sam Thaiday

don't agree with all of them but i think 13 of these guys are pretty locked in


obviously 2 forced changes for GI & Scott

and i don't think S Boyd and holmes would be locked in yet. Papali was always meant to be part of the make up, so i wouldn't be surprised to see papali come straight back in but it seems we'll at most have 2 legitimate props if thats the case

These days, sadly, incumbency shouldn't exist when we are talking about an end of year test/tour/comp.

That team is riddled with blokes that only made the team based on injuries and lack of interest.

probably a fair call, tho guys like dugan and fergo were there for the mid year test last year


our middle is gonna be a worry, lolo, jbrom, tapau, jwh etc is gonna be hard to stop and we've seen gal and parker retire and scott injured.

Napa has always been a bloke on the rise but i don't think he'd fit in time anyways.


Merrin and woods are probably gonna both end being there but neither fill me with confidence for winning that battle. i think klem and mcguire could do a job but its hard to see us winning that battle, especially if we end up with like 4-5 second rowers who play more on the edge


Australia is gonna have to rely on their spine's brilliance more then ever moving forward if the kiwis can finally stay healthy

leaguegod wrote:probably a fair call, tho guys like dugan and fergo were there for the mid year test last year


our middle is gonna be a worry, lolo, jbrom, tapau, jwh etc is gonna be hard to stop and we've seen gal and parker retire and scott injured.

Napa has always been a bloke on the rise but i don't think he'd fit in time anyways.


Merrin and woods are probably gonna both end being there but neither fill me with confidence for winning that battle. i think klem and mcguire could do a job but its hard to see us winning that battle, especially if we end up with like 4-5 second rowers who play more on the edge


Australia is gonna have to rely on their spine's brilliance more then ever moving forward if the kiwis can finally stay healthy

Agreed.

That Kiwi team on paper is bloody awesome and given we will likely be favourites going into the match (mainly because it is a 1 off test), if I could bet against my team (which I can't) I'd be loading up big time on the Kiwi's.

Is JWH still in the bad books in NZ? Either way that NZforward pack looks great. Personally I don't know what more Mannering brings to the pack. I'd go:
1. RTS
2. SKD
3. Kahu
4. Beale or Whare
5. Rapana
6. Foran
7. Johnson
8. Bromwich
9. Luke
10. JWH
11. Taumololo
12. Proctor
13. Taupau
14. Nikorima if fit otherwise the best alternative running hooker. Maybe even TMM
15. Ma'u
16. Blair
17. Packer or Kasiano.

IMO that team is every bit as good or better than the Australian team across the board except hooker, the second centre, and the 5 minute period SKD will have 3 brain explosions. Evin if they have a few injuries in the forwards, guys like Liu, Kenny Bromwich, Alex Glenn, Mannering, Tapine will do just fine.

I think mannering is a defensive wall so having a guy like that is like having a josh Jackson who probably wouldn't be out of place in the Australian team.

No harris I think is a big loss as he plays like cordner. Yeah I think E taylor can service as a hooker but you would think niko if he gets some first grade time would be better. Also a much better all round utility playing pretty much every back line position.

Backline cover is probably okay. Ma'u can play centre and Kahu can move to fullback, wing or 5/8.

Of you can get a bookie to pay better than bank interest on Australia, take it.

The 2017 ANZAC Test Kangaroos squad is:

1 Darius Boyd
2 Blake Ferguson
3 Josh Dugan
4 Will Chambers
5 Valentine Holmes
6 Johnathan Thurston
7 Cooper Cronk
8 Aaron Woods
9 Cameron Smith
10 David Klemmer
11 Boyd Cordner
12 Matt Gillett
13 Trent Merrin
14 Michael Morgan
15 Josh Papalii
16 Tyson Frizell
17 Sam Thaiday
18th man - Shannon Boyd
19th man - James Maloney
20th man - Justin O’Neill

Even with incumbancy preference, Merrin, Morgan and Thaiday would have to consider themselves very lucky. Thaiday has played well for us this year but at the moment Bennett prefers Glenn, McGuire and Ese' Ese' to him, so to me that indicates he's lucky.

You could probably argue one of Ferguson and Holmes are lucky too, but I get the feeling big Mal didn't want to make the call of Boyd to the wing for Slater. Probably found it easier just to leave him out altogether.

i'm ok with incumbency being a preference given the short turn around but merrin is incredibly lucky, been very poor for penny and still hasn't performed that well in rep footy yet for mine (unlike some of the other out of form incumbents )

holmes probably in the same ilk but his start to the year was delayed by an injury so i can live with it


gonna be a tough game against a strong kiwi team tho, they may actually be better on paper but i am actually starting to believe that Mal may just get Australian players caring as much about this game then origin and with them celebrating smith 50th, i think we'll get up

Fuck me dead there are some blokes in that team who are very very very lucky.

leaguegod wrote:i'm ok with incumbency being a preference given the short turn around but merrin is incredibly lucky, been very poor for penny and still hasn't performed that well in rep footy yet for mine (unlike some of the other out of form incumbents )

holmes probably in the same ilk but his start to the year was delayed by an injury so i can live with it


gonna be a tough game against a strong kiwi team tho, they may actually be better on paper but i am actually starting to believe that Mal may just get Australian players caring as much about this game then origin and with them celebrating smith 50th, i think we'll get up

I argued this a few years ago when Mal was first being discussed as a national coach.

Based on his recent QLD coaching success a lot of people seem to have forgotten that back in the day Big Mal was an Australian legend also.....and this was back when making the Roo's team was considered a greater honour than Origin.

I like what he is doing and it is a similar approach to what he employed at QLD - get a bit of meaning and national pride back in the guernsey.

Dip wrote:Even with incumbancy preference, Merrin, Morgan and Thaiday would have to consider themselves very lucky. Thaiday has played well for us this year but at the moment Bennett prefers Glenn, McGuire and Ese' Ese' to him, so to me that indicates he's lucky.

Bennett has stated he's doing the job off the bench. He's also started a few times as well, so it's 6 of one, half a dozen....

He's shored up our middle after the starters have come off, and he's done it well. We were getting creamed when all the experienced big boppers started. Having Sam come in fresh, and pushing in made a difference in my opinion. (Yes, for some reason, I've been keeping half an eye closely on the big unit this season).

No way he gets a starting gig for the Aussies anymore, but off the bench makes sense. You can make a case for the impact style impact player, but you've already got two of them in Friz and Papi. Sam brings the experience. He won't let you down.

dasherhalo wrote:

Bennett has stated he's doing the job off the bench. He's also started a few times as well, so it's 6 of one, half a dozen....

He's shored up our middle after the starters have come off, and he's done it well. We were getting creamed when all the experienced big boppers started. Having Sam come in fresh, and pushing in made a difference in my opinion. (Yes, for some reason, I've been keeping half an eye closely on the big unit this season).

No way he gets a starting gig for the Aussies anymore, but off the bench makes sense. You can make a case for the impact style impact player, but you've already got two of them in Friz and Papi. Sam brings the experience. He won't let you down.

+1 - Thaiday has never played a bad rep game for QLD or AUS. He'd be the first bench player picked.

Meh. There are plenty of starters in the league that can easily do the job Thiaday does.

Merrin, Thaiday, Morgan, Holmes and Fergo all can thank mal for the ridiculous incumbency policy for the a 1 off test.

Ridiculous? 2 to 1 w/l ratio as QLD coach, and 6-zip as national coach.

I'm not saying he's the second coming, as he's had some good cattle, but if the water-cooler chat that he's trying to instill pride in the national jersey is correct, then I'm more than happy to cut him some slack before carping at him from the sidelines.

Feel free to jump in if he loses 1 game though.