The prestigious Arthur Beetson trophy goes on the line tonight as the NRL and Indigenous All Stars clash to signal the arrival of the 2012 NRL season. Join us for live scores and blog from 7:30pm AEDT
Now in its third year, the 2012 Indigenous All Stars match promises to be an exciting affair, given that both sides possess some of the NRL’s most lethal attacking talents.
The Indigenous All Stars line-up makes do with two of the NRL’s leading tryscorers last season in Ben Barba and Nathan Merritt.
Throw in established superstars Greg Inglis, Justin Hodges and Johnathon Thurston into the mix and the Indigenous backline could easily rival the Queensland Origin backline that has tormented NSW over the past six years.
The NRL All Stars however possess plenty of firepower of their own, with captain Benji Marshall, Josh Dugan and Cooper Cronk heading the list of players capable of producing points in an instant.
Prediction: Given that both teams possess great offensive capabilities, the side that controls possession tonight will go a long way towards winning the Arthur Beetson trophy.
The battle between superstar halves Thurston and Marshall will also prove vital in determining which side emerges victorious.
At their best, Marshall and Thurston are the NRL’s leading playmakers, and both players will be looking to use their great ball playing skills in order to involve the devastating backlines they possess at their disposal.
If both teams play their best here, one still favours the Indigenous All Stars to triumph tonight. The reason being that, unlike the NRL All Stars backline, the Indigenous All Stars possess players who have all played with one another at State of Origin level.
Thurston, Hodges, Inglis and Yow Yeh already know each other’s games pretty well, so one would expect that the chemistry in the Indigenous All Stars side will take less time to spark in comparison to their NRL counterparts.
Regardless, this should be a high scoring and entertaining affair that should get fans well in the mood for season 2012.
Indigenous All Stars to win.
Teams:
Indigenous All Stars:
1. Ben Barba
2. Jharal Yow Yeh
3. Greg Inglis
4. Justin Hodges
5. Nathan Merritt
6. Johnathan Thurston (c)
7. Chris Sandow
8. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs
9. Travis Waddell
10. George Rose
11. Sam Thaiday
12. Jamal Idris
13. Greg Bird
Interchange:
14. Andrew Fifita
15. Cory Paterson
16. Matthew Bowen
17. Scott Prince
18. Anthony Mitchell
19. Joel Thompson
20. Nathan Peats
NRL All Stars:
1.Josh Dugan
2.Jason Nightingale
3.Jack Reed*
4.Michael Jennings
5.Manu Vatuvei
6.Benji Marshall – (c)
7.Cooper Cronk
8.Kade Snowden
9. Aaron Payne
10.Luke Bailey
11.Nathan Hindmarsh
12.David Taylor
13.Paul Gallen
Interchange:
14.Adam Blair
15.Frank Pritchard
16.Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
17.Anthony Watmough
18.Nathan Fien
19. Brent Tate
20. Luke Lewis
Conor
Guest
1. Billy slater 2.Brett Morris 3.michael jennings 4.josh morris 5.jarryd hayne 6.benji Marshall 7.shaun Johnson 8.tim grant 9.camron smith (c) 10.paul gallen 11.anthony watmough 12.tony williams 13.dave taylor Interchange 14.james tamou 15.david shillington 16.brent tate 17.jarryd waerea-Hargreaves 18th man : glenn stewart. Nrl allstar 18 man squad
p.Tah
Guest
I thought the big story was how bad some of those hair cuts were...
Alan
Roar Guru
And that concludes our coverage of the latest All Stars match. Just repeating the fulltime score - Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36 Thanks for joining us on The Roar tonight and we look forward to your company on March 1 when the NRL kicks off with a blockbuster game between the Knights and the Dragons.
Alan
Roar Guru
Nathan Merritt wins the Preston Campbell medal here... Full time - Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
The big story here however surrounds Inglis' ankle now. The QLD Origin centre appeared to be greatly distressed shortly after he scored a try. Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
FULL TIME - Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36 A high scoring affair ends with the NRL All Stars winning the match. They were 12 nil down early on but they came back strong in that second half and took advantage of an Indigenous side that failed to match the intensity they displayed in the first half.
Alan
Roar Guru
79th min - Marshall grubber is eventually defused by Mitchell. Thurston combines with Idris but he is thrown into touch. Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
78th min - Marshall nearly makes another break. Gallen to play the ball now deep in Indigenous territory. Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
78th min - Bowen knocks the football on and the NRL All Stars will regain possession now Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
77th min - Marshall with a short drop-out and Lewis regathers the football but knocks it on. Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
77th min - Mitchell with a nice kick in-goal and Vatuvei defuses. Drop-out for the Indigenous All Stars Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
76th min - Six more tackles now for the Indigenous All Stars Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
76th min - NRL All Stars knock the football on its another attacking opportunity for the Indigenous All Stars.
Alan
Roar Guru
Short kick off is regathered by Bird. Indigenous All Stars now on the attack Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
CONVERSION SUCCESSFUL - Marshall converts from the sideline. Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 36
Alan
Roar Guru
TRY NRL ALL STARS - Vatuvei scores in the corner thanks to a trademark Marshall pass that cuts out Jennings. Brilliant. Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 34
John
Guest
G'day, thanks for the updates. Keep them coming! No coverage in VIC. What the hell is a power play?
Alan
Roar Guru
72nd min - Error from the Indigenous All Stars here. Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 30
Alan
Roar Guru
70th min - Thurston's kick is charged down but Bowen regathers possession inside his own half Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 30
Alan
Roar Guru
Big news here now for Rabbitohs fans... Inglis appears to be in trouble with his ankle here. CONVERSION SUCCESSFUL - Sandow converts from the sideline and its 30-28 Indigenous 28 NRL All Stars 30