4Nations: Australian Kangaroos Announced

[DIEHARD]

Titans overlooked for Kangaroos squad
Adam Gardini

The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans will not be represented in the Australian squad to contest the upcoming Four Nations tournament after trio Scott Prince, Ashley Harrison and Anthony Laffranchi were today overlooked for selection.

The Jetstar Titans trio were initially selected in an Australian Kangaroos train-on squad following the club's exit from the finals a fortnight ago.

However, they were all overlooked for selection in the final 24-man squad despite the club's efforts to finish the regular season in third on the NRL ladder.

The Chairman of the Australian Rugby League, Mr Colin Love AM, today announced the selection of the following 24 players in the VB Kangaroos squad to contest the upcoming Gillette Four Nations tournament.

Petero Civoniceva (Penrith Panthers)
Cooper Cronk (Melbourne Storm)
Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers)
Israel Folau (Brisbane Broncos)
Paul Gallen (Cronulla Sharks)
Kurt Gidley (Newcastle Knights)
Ben Hannant (Bulldogs)
Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta Eels)
Nathan Hindmarsh (Parramatta Eels)
Justin Hodges (Brisbane Broncos)
Ryan Hoffman (Melbourne Storm)
Greg Inglis (Melbourne Storm)
Michael Jennings (Penrith Panthers)
Darren Lockyer (c) (Brisbane Broncos)
Luke Lewis (Penrith Panthers)
Josh Morris (Bulldogs)
David Shillington (Canberra Raiders)
Billy Slater (Melbourne Storm)
Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm)
Sam Thaiday (Brisbane Broncos)
Johnathan Thurston (North Queensland Cowboys)
Trent Waterhouse (Penrith Panthers)
Anthony Watmough (Manly Sea Eagles)
Brett White (Melbourne Storm)

Source: http://www.titans.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Morris added to squad as Folau ruled out

St George Illawarra winger Brett Morris has been added to Australia's 24-man Four Nations squad after Brisbane star Israel Folau pulled out of the tour with an ankle injury.

Morris is the only player from the Dragons to be picked in the Kangaroos side, after St George Illawarra became the first team in over half a century to be snubbed by Test selectors after winning the minor premiership.

Folau had been given until next Tuesday to prove his fitness by coach Tim Sheens, but ruled himself out of the tour after consulting with Broncos medical staff about the recovery time required for his injury.

"I'm definitely not going," Folau said.

"It's disappointing but I've got time on my side for future Australian teams."

Grand final heroes Nathan Hindmarsh and Brett White remain in doubt for the tour with shoulder injuries.

NSW captain Kurt Gidley is another at risk of missing the tour with a calf strain, while Ben Hannant (arm), Petero Civoniceva (toe) and Luke Lewis (foot) have all been cleared to tour.

"White has an appointment with the specialist tomorrow and it doesn't look too bad, but will depend on the specialist's report," said Sheens.

"Hindy (Hindmarsh), we will give him until Tuesday next week."

Hindmarsh played the entire NRL finals series with painkillers, but Sheens won't allow it for the Kangaroo tour.

"I'm very loath to give needles to play," he said.

"He didn't play at all on the last tour because of a knee (injury).

"I've told him that come Tuesday we will have to make a call.

"I'm not keen to play anyone with a needle when we get there for game one."

http://www.nrl.com

[BUCKYOU]

Congrats to Broncos that made it. Unlucky for the Titans, especially Ashley.

[DIEHARD]

Kurt Gidley and Brett White confirmed fit for Kangaroos Four Nations tour

Kangaroos pair Brett White and Kurt Gidley have confirmed their spots for the Four Nations tournament in Europe after passing fitness tests on Tuesday.

Newcastle Knights and New South Wales skipper Gidley had been struggling with a calf injury picked up in the Knights' NRL finals defeat to the Bulldogs last month, but the 27-year-old said the problem was never going to be enough to rule him out.

"It was reported that I was touch and go to make the tour but I was always confident it would be fine," he said.

"I haven't been on a tour like this before and I can't wait to get into training and getting onto the plane on Friday."

Melbourne Storm prop White had been nursing a shoulder problem he picked up in his side?s grand final win over Parramatta, and after putting his wedding back to make the tour he said he was never going to miss out.

"I went to see a shoulder specialist this week and he has no concerns at all and obviously if I need anything done we will reassess it after the tour," he said.

"It is a lifetime experience, I have heard older players talk about going on tour and looking at some of the players sitting upstairs (in the hotel) such as Petero Civoniceva I'm looking forward to learning from them."

White said being named in the squad completed the most memorable season of his career in a year that saw him recalled to the NSW side and win a second NRL premiership with the Storm.

"I didn't know where I was going at the start of the year so to be standing here now is such a great thing," he said.

"To have injuries and working through them it is such a positive thing, this is what you work long hours for in the gym and out on the paddock."

White's Melbourne teammate Billy Slater also said there has been no reaction to a hip problem and would also be fit to take his place on the flight to the UK on Friday.

Parramatta second-rower Nathan Hindmarsh is also expected to be given the all clear to tour following a shoulder problem.

Source: http://www.foxsports.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Cool Cronk not carrying emotional baggage

COOPER CRONK is no Tommy Raudonikis. He'll resist the temptation to intimidate Johnathan Thurston by hurling his luggage off a verandah, getting under the sheets of the big bed and demanding a flat white with a couple of sugars. The Storm's in-form No.7 will state his Test selection case more subtly - and Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens has opened the door a crack by revealing Thurston's incumbency will count for nil after Australia's opening game of the Four Nations tournament.

Sheens yesterday indicated every incumbent in Australia's powerhouse 24-man squad will play the first match against New Zealand next weekend. After that, he runs out of promises.

''You have to keep proving you deserve your Australian jumper,'' Sheens told the Herald.

''I haven't actually said that to the squad yet, but I will. That is the challenge I will be putting to them.''

Australia depart for their tour of England and France tomorrow with a healthy dose of intrigue surrounding the No.7 jersey. Thurston is clearly entitled to retain his jersey but having fallen short of piloting North Queensland into the finals, he's desperately shy of match toughness. Cronk is running on momentum and sky-high confidence after a five-star grand final performance for Melbourne and could receive an opportunity if Thurston is out of whack in Australia's first assignment against New Zealand.

''To me, the selection process comes around game by game,'' Sheens said. ''Certainly that first game is going to be important. If you play well, you'll be rewarded. If not, we'll see. It's a strong squad and it's healthy for us to have competition. There's not much between any of the blokes here. We're not talking about first-graders and second-graders. They're all Test-class players. I expect the guys outside the top 17 to put a lot of pressure on as the series progresses. Cooper has trained well and been in good form. I'll be looking hard at everyone at training and in that first game. I can't say to the incumbents, 'You've played well for Australia in the past so that guarantees you this or that.' They have to play well every game.''

Cronk is talking down his chances of usurping Thurston. At some stage, his fellow tourist/sparring partner/rival will undoubtedly talk up his fear of losing his place. ''Thirsty has obviously had the job for a long time and done a great job,'' Cronk said. ''All I can do is work hard and keep rolling the sleeves up. But I've got to be realistic, he's been there a long time and never done anything wrong.

''We're good mates and I think it might help us both to become better players. It's been two years since I played the only Test I've had and I'd like to think I've improved in a lot of areas since then. The competition between the whole squad is going to help us. That's the way it's supposed to be.''

Cronk's and Thurston's mutual admiration society contrasts with more mule-headed past rivalries among halfbacks. The best of them was between Raudonikis and Steve Mortimer at a NSW Origin camp. Mortimer had replaced Raudonikis as the starting No.7. They were roomed together in Brisbane. On offer was one single bed and a double. Mortimer, according to legend, threw his bag on the bed and said words to the effect of: ''I'm the starting halfback, I'll take the big bed.''

Raudonikis, again according to legend, finished their introduction to camp by picking up Mortimer's bag, walking out to the balcony and dropping it into the car park and suggested Mortimer get him a flat white with two sugars on his way back up - to the small bed.

''Me and Thirsty are pretty good mates,'' Cronk laughed. ''I don't know who's rooming with who - but there won't be any bags going off any verandah.''

Source: http://www.leaguehq.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Kangaroos get serious for Four Nations

Still smarting from their upset defeat in last year's World Cup final against New Zealand, Australia have got serious with their preparation for this month's Four Nations Tournament.

Veteran backrower Nathan Hindmarsh hasn't been part of the Kangaroos make-up since 2007, but says the past week has been his hardest ever in the green and gold.

"It feels like pre-season training to be honest with you," he told reporters on Thursday.

"Every day we've done conditioning - hard conditioning. The bones are a bit sore at the moment and the muscles, but hopefully it'll make us a little bit fitter than the other teams.

"This has been the hardest definitely. I've been on a few where it was kind of just get your team stuff done and don't worry about the conditioning because you're already fit enough.

"The competition's getting tighter and tighter. The Kiwis are world champs and the Poms are playing good football as well so being fit is going to help us hopefully."

The man who has been the squad's worst nightmare over the past week has been conditioner Alex Corvo and his hardline approach hasn't surprised hooker Cameron Smith, who works alongside Corvo at NRL club Melbourne.

But the Queenslander, a member of the team which lost last year's World Cup final, says that defeat is all the motivation he and his teammates need going into the tournament against the Kiwis, England and France.

"Definitely we took a lot of lessons out of what happened last year," Smith said.

"We're working really hard at the moment and that's what we need to do.

"We need to continue that overseas as well when we get over there."

Smith says the loss to the Kiwis isn't a "stain" on his representative career, but it definitely still hurts.

"It's very disappointing and the guys that were involved last year might not get another chance because it's a fairly long way away the next World Cup," he said.

"I don't think we're training any harder than what we have in the past, we're just doing it more often.

"I think Sticky (former coach Ricky Stuart) did a really good job last year. Every day of that World Cup tournament people were writing other teams off and saying we were certainties.

"We never believed that, we worked hard and the Kiwis played a very good game that night.

"Some errors crept into our game and they were too good for us.

"But this year we can't let it happen. We've got to be playing our best football every time we step onto the field."

Hindmarsh, who watched the World Cup final from the stands at Suncorp Stadium, said there was at least one positive from the result - the reinvigoration of international rugby league.

"I'm not saying it was getting boring by any chance but everyone was expecting Australia to win and that's usually what was happening," he said.

"I think it's given everyone a bit more excitement about who's going to win because they're not sure who is going to win.

"Maybe it (complacency) did, but definitely not on this tour, I don't think it's going to creep in."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au