After the poor last twenty five minutes of the game against the New Zealand Maori Saturday gone at Mount Smart stadium, where IMO we we're lucky to escape with a draw, McNamara now has six days to look at the tape and find out what worked well and what didn't.



After watching the replay of yesterdays game, I feel that Widdop (despite the criticism from some posters) offers us a threat when being brought into the attacking line and for the first fifty minutes of the game looked positionally solid at full back.



Shenton didn't really do anything (again) but he's a better player than Gleeson and I think we're all waiting for his moment of magic which I hope arrives in this game.



Kevin Brown is not good enough I'm afraid so I would play Robbinson and Sam Tomkins in the halfs although my concern about Tomkins in this position is that for a good 80% of the Super League season he's played at full back for Wigan and has orchestrated some super tries from this position (see the 70m wonder score vs Huddersfield and try vs Leeds in the play-off game).



I wasn't happy with Roby and his lack of ability to get a clean pass out in time, so maybe we could look at using Luke Robbinson in this position?



But I would drop Roby to bench and use him as a impact sub, while promoting Lunt to the starting XIII.



With Morley potentially out for the rest of the Four Nations with a ruptured bicep, I wouldn't hesitate to start with Graham and Burgess as the starting props with Crabtree and Fielden on the bench.



I think Crabtree stood out today with some good damaging runs, making good yards so gets the nod on the bench over Griffin.



My side for the New Zealand game would be this:





Widdop

Briscoe

Shenton

Atkins

Hall

S Tomkins

Robinson

Graham

Lunt

Ellis

Westwood

Burgess

O'Loughlin





Roby

Crabtree

Fielden

J Tomkins



How does everyone see the first game of the Four Nations going?



I think we'll give a good opening first forty before running out of gas and going down by about 10-16 points.

New Zealand 19 man squad:



Lance Hohaia, Jason Nightingale, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Junior Sa'u, Manu Vatuvei, Benji Marshall (captain), Nathan Fien, Greg Eastwood, Thomas Leuluai, Adam Blair, Simon Mannering, Bronson Harrison, Jeremy Smith.

Interchange: Issac Luke, Ben Matulino, Frank-Paul Nuuausala, Frank Pritchard, Sika Manu, Sam Perrett.



Nine of the above played in the World Cup final.

Match Officials:



Referee: Tony Archer (Australia)



Video Referee: Steve Clark (Australia)



God help us after Archer screwed us at Energy Australia Stadium in the 2008 World Cup

Mick, the third option in the poll is fairly unsavoury. Give the fella a chance whoever he is. The Arc Angel Tony Smith fecked it up spectacularly last year, Macca will do no worse.



As for the team, not far off. Roby's dummy half passing is far too slow and erratic at times.



Robinson isn't a quality player. I'm not interested how well he plays against Salford, Quins or Crusaders. Or his blonde, wag wannabe entourage.



O'Loughlin at 6 and Sam Tomkins 7. Best options available. Brown isn't good enough.



Ellis isn't a prop Mick and wasted there. Burgess, Westwood and Ellis should be the back row if the above comes into play, with Burgess to prop in spells to accommodate the above connotation.



Fielden and Graham need to start.



Joel Tomkins worries me. Great talent but a penalty machine. Not the sharpest tool in the shed methinks.



Ben Harrison on the bench. Great workrate and a hugely underrated player for mine. Carvell won't be physically or mentally there just yet.



All said, still not a team that is likely to trouble the Kiwis.

Is it really on the BBC?

Quote debaser="debaser"Is it really on the BBC?'" www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vjs88 No doubt we will have the easily excitable Jonathon Davies screaming from the TV. Albeit with no Ryan Bailey to pish and moan about, shall we begin a sweepstake on his new target for unfounded vitriol? I'm going for the obvious; king dummy spitter, Graham.

Quote debaser="debaser"Is it really on the BBC?'" www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vjs88 No doubt we will have the easily excitable Jonathon Davies screaming from the TV. Albeit with no Ryan Bailey to pish and moan about, shall we begin a sweepstake on his new target for unfounded vitriol? I'm going for the obvious; king dummy spitter, Graham.

G1 Nz 44 England 6

G2 Aus 42 England 4

G3 PNG 16 England 28

Get in. I can watch in on normal tv. That's good.

To be honest Mick the fact that Shenton is even considered as an international centre shows why we find it so difficult to beat either NZ or the Kiwis in a series; he wouldn't get in the 'train on' squad of either of those sides. I think Gleason [ihas been[/i a far better player than Shenton is ever likely to be, though he has fallen a bit from the heights of yesteryear. To be truthful I think there's far more chance of Leon Pryce turning up at Odsal than there is of Shenton ever being an international quality centre.

Widdop

Briscoe

Shenton

Atkins

Hall

O'Loughlin (I have to agree with GB, Brown isn't good enough)

Tomkins

Graham

Robinson

Fielden

Burgess

Ellis

Harrison



Roby

Crabtree

Carvell

Westwood

Yes, hence why it's not in HD, because the BBC can't be @rsed with HD when it comes to RL. So far they've shown a whole ONE game in High Def, and yet have shown lower league football in it. (Whereas Sky show every Super League, International, NRL Final & Origin game in HD).



Sooner we get away from the BBC, the better IMO. It's just another example that they don't care enough to give the sport the proper respect.

Not great when you're used to watching in beautiful HD. The BBC's coverage is appalling.