Five changes isn’t enough for wounded Kangaroos
Roar Pro
By Gabriel Knowles, 5 May 2009 Gabriel Knowles is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Kangaroos, Rugby League, Test rugby league, Tim Sheens
Australia's Greg Inglis races away for a try during the New Zealand Kiwis v Australian Kangaroos Centenary test at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand. Sunday Oct. 14 2007. Australia won the game 58-0. AAP Image/Hagen Hopkins/PHOTOSPORT
If ever there was a time for the Australian selectors to break from their policy of choosing sides full of incumbents, regardless of form, this was it. The Kangaroos hardly covered themselves in glory when they lost the World Cup final to the Kiwi’s last time out.
But you wouldn’t know it after only five of them weren’t selected to play on Friday night in Brisbane.
A lot has been made already this week of the fact that the twelve incumbents have been given the chance to make amends for the their last-start loss. And on a purely emotional level, it’s hard to argue against giving them the chance.
But from a purely sporting perspective, things aren’t always quite that simple.
Of course, there’s the argument that the incumbents have already developed the vital combinations, understanding, and team spirit that are especially priceless given the short preparation time they’ve got for this game.
All well and good, but there are only so many chances at the highest level and the New Zealanders aren’t the easy beats of years gone by.
New South Wales selectors have shown just how far a complacent selection policy can take you in recent years.
The New South Wales comparison mightn’t be exactly on par with that of the Australian side, but they’ve definitely ignored some quality in-form players this time around.
New coach Tim Sheens even said so himself.
There aren’t many players in the history of the game who have had a mortgage on a representative jumper, and those that have are generally talked of as the game’s truly great players.
Scott Prince, for one, must be wondering what he has to do to get a look into any representative side despite his consistently dominant form over the last few seasons.
Another player who should feel a touch aggrieved is Trent Waterhouse.
The Panthers backrower has been in career best form this season and surely had a case for selection ahead Paul Gallen, whose discipline has started to become a real liability.
The Dragons’ Ben Creagh also put forward a good claim for a spot on form and might consider himself unlucky to have missed out to Anthony Laffranchi and Anthony Watmough.
The problem is that whatever way the selectors choose to go, there’ll always be some controversial decisions given the depth they have to pick from.
Theoretically, they could pick a number of different combinations and still be competitive. Let’s just hope they remember to take a peek at the form guide every now and then.
If anything, it’ll keep the current team looking over their shoulders.
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cosmos forever said | May 5th 2009 @ 8:02am | Report comment
The picking of Paul Gallen is a disgrace, the selectors have made it clear they want thugs with vengence on their mind to battle rather than skilled in form players.
It’s like the programmer that chooses the Channel 9 games is also the Australian selector!
The ARL may well be headed down the rocky path of Australian cricket if they continue in this manner – national sides are NOT an elite club side, they are the best players in the country at the time of the game.
GaryGnu said | May 5th 2009 @ 8:54am | Report comment
I am surprised the ghosts of 2005 have not awoken to remind the selectors what happens when you stick doggedly to an incumbents policy. Wayne Bennet and the selectors chose to reward the players who had previously delivered good wins and ignored current form guide and the fact that the game had evolved at the time to one suiting fast running and skilful play. The team consisted mainly of players from teams that missed out on the finals and there were only two representatives from the Grand Finalists. The result? A 25-0 flogging in the Tri-Nations final and the coach disappearing out the back door of the airport in Brisbane to avoid the press. (A decision that, to his credit, he publicly regrets).
Come 2009 and the game has sped up significantly from the previous year yet the national selectors are sticking with the team that were soundly beaten in the World Cup Final. Admittedly, many of the players chosen are in form and are not relying on past exploits to keep their place.Some are not in form. It is a worry though that you choose the roughly the same team on the premise that they will exact revenge and relegate current form to a secondary consideration.
The only caveat on this criticism is whether one referee or two will be used in the test match. If it is one the pace of the game may slow and teams chosen for yesteryear may be more competitive.
As a side note, I wonder whether these mid season tests are distorting the apparent relative strength of Australia and NZ. NZ form in the mid season test has not been great in recent years yet in the last three “big game” finals NZ have won two and been beaten in extra time in the other.
Chop said | May 5th 2009 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
I don’t have too many issues with the side. I think that the back row of Gallen, Lafranchi, Watmough and Glenn Stewart is where the selectors have let themselves down.
Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker, Trent Waterhouse, Mark Minichello, Luke O’Donnell, Ben Creagh, Beau Scott, Shane Shackleton, Andrew Ryan, Keith Galloway have all (IMO) been playing better than the people in the backrow of this squad.
Saying that the Kangaroos should still have the talent to beat the Kiwi’s, they certainly do on paper, but as we saw in the World Cup Final, games aren’t played on paper and the Kiwi’s out-thought and out-enthused.
Brett McKay said | May 5th 2009 @ 12:17pm | Report comment
Gary, only one ref for the Test, but two refs will be used in SOO…
sledgeross said | May 5th 2009 @ 1:05pm | Report comment
Gabriel, not sure how often you watch rugby league, but Gallens “discipline” is no different now to what it was three years ago. If anything, it is better(but to be fair, Id hardly call him an altar boy lol). I agree Waterhouse should be in the squad, but at Gallens expense? Cmon!
Cosmos, what do you want the selectors to pick the team on? Hairstyle? Bank balance? Have a look at Gallens stats mate, he is statistically one on the top ten players in the game. I agree, he can be thuggish, but to say he isnt a “skilled, in-form player” suggest that you know very little about rugby league, or make selections based on emotion, which makes you no better than the selectors you are bagging.
Chop, I agree that you throw up some good players there, but we know selectors favour incumbents especially for one off matches. Gallen has been pretty good this year, Stewart has been solid as usual, but I agree Watmough shouldnt be there. He is the least effective forward tackler in the game at the moment, and like Gallen, gives away silly, aggression riddled penalties. I think Creagh and Waterhouse should feel the most aggrieved, because their form has been exceptional this year.
cosmos forever said | May 5th 2009 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
Ha – no wonder you have the word Sledge in your name, you’re Gallen like with your typing tough guy
Suffice to say that I stand by my assertion that teams should be picked on form not favours and that Gallen is not, in my opinion, MORE skilled or MORE in-form than any of the ten players Chop listed and the two (at the very least) that you agreed with him on.
Gabriel Knowles said | May 5th 2009 @ 2:04pm | Report comment
Sledgeross, the difference between now and three years ago for Gallen is that these days he seems to be a shoo-in whenever the rep sides are picked. Sure his discipline might have improved a touch but it could definitely still be better, you just said it yourself – “like Gallen, gives away silly, aggression riddled penalties.” That’s not good enough for a bloke who’s playing at the highest level.
He’ll probably still do the job but that doesn’t mean Waterhouse shouldn’t feel hard done by considering the form he’s been in and that his team are actually winning some matches.
I agree Chop, if the back row was picked on form it would look a lot different.
Hemjay said | May 5th 2009 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
Australia could probably pick two or three teams to give the Kiwis a re run for the money but I have to agree a national team should represent the best players elegible at the time. I don’t care if you were last months superstar its the here and now thats important.
I’m a Kiwi and I’m leaning towards Australia posting a cricket score come friday but hey its not that big a deal because the Kiwis will still be World Champions inflict as much damage as you like it will not redeem the almighty failure at the World Cup and Australia will not have that opputunity for another 4 years. It may make these incumbents and feel better for a few days but the fact the World Cup trophy is still touring the Highlands and the Dairyfarms is not going to change.
Give the in form lads a chance to prove themselves and introduce some of the new emerging talent. Seems this team has been named soley for a last Hoorah. It will be interesting to see the reaction should the Kiwis pull off another unlikely win.
sledgeross said | May 5th 2009 @ 2:47pm | Report comment
So what are you saying Gabriel, that Gallen doesnt deserve on form to be picked? What about the Manly players picked? They have only won a game more than the Sharks, yet they have three players in the squad?What with that? Watmough is every bit of a “thug” as Gallen, but I dont hear you bleating about him! All Im asking for is honesty. If you dont like the bloke, fine, but dont be so ignorant as to say he doesnt deserve to be there when his form DOES warrant it. Stats dont lie mate.
Comparing the players Creagh, Gallen, Minichello, Laffranchi, O’Donnell, Parker, Thaiday, Stewart, Watmough and Waterhouse from the last round played shows that,
O’Donnell made the most metres (147m from 13 hitups) followed by Gallen (136m/15) and Thaiday (132m/15). Additionally, Gallen made 5 tackle breaks (followed by Parker and Thaiday with 4) and also led with 3 offloads.
Stewart made the most tackles (46 tackles with 2 ineffective tackles, 2 missed tackles), followed by Parker (42, 6 and 2) and Minichello (34, 3 and 2).
Greg Russell said | May 5th 2009 @ 3:08pm | Report comment
When I heard both teams I thought “Yawn – so predictable”.
The only surprise (for me) in the Australian team was Darius Boyd. But even there that was not such a great surprise when reminded that he was in the Kangaroo squad for last year’s World Cup. (What is it saying about the World Cup that I had completely forgotten this?)
Those listening to ABC Grandstand on Sunday would have heard Tim Sheens asked why the team was essentially the same as that which flopped in last year’s WC final. His answer was that with essentially no preparation time, it made no sense to try to put a new team on the park.
This is fair enough. And it implies that one can expect the Australian team to change after new players have put their hands up in this year’s Origin series and when there is more time for Sheens to prepare new combinations.
In this respect Warren Ryan made an interesting follow-up comment on ABC Grandstand. He referred to Tim Sheens making it clear in a recent interview that he wanted Justin Poore in the Australian side and he did not want Brent Kite. As Ryan said, evidently the Australian coach has a far lesser say in Australian selections than the NSW coach does in NSW selections!