2013: Anzac Test - AUSTRALIA vs NEW ZEALAND in Canberra

[Hail Sezer]

Up the Kiwis. We're gonna be in some strife if we lose Marshall..

[DIEHARD]

Up the Kiwis. We're gonna be in some strife if we lose Marshall..

It'd be a shame if we dont see Marshall out there.

[DIEHARD]

Hotel booked. Should be great to see SBW back. Shame Benji is out.

[Smakked]

My team i picked


Australia

1. Billy Slater (Storm)
2. Nathan Merritt (Rabbitohs)
3. Justin Hodges (Broncos)
4. Greg Inglis (Rabbitohs)
5. Josh Morris (Bulldogs)
6. Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
7. Cooper Cronk (Storm)
8. Matt Scott (Cowboys)
9. Cameron Smith (Storm)
10. James Tamou (Cowboys)
11. Greg Bird (Titans)
12. Nate Myles (Titans)
13. Paul Gallen (Sharks)

14. Sam Thaiday (Broncos)
15. Ben Hannant (Broncos)
16. Kurt Gidley (Knights)
17. David Shillington (Raiders)

http://www.zerotackle.com/nrl/nrl-re...am/?2SlNILTpSz

[Chaos]

Up the Kiwis. We're gonna be in some strife if we lose Marshall..

They don't lose much with Johnson and Foran in the halves.
It might give Keiran Foran a chance to play second receiver for his country...nobody gives a ball at the line like this guy.

[TITAN PETE]

I think the Kiwis will gain from having Benji out Foran is a far superior 5/8 to him.

[DIEHARD]

Thank god there is some quality depth for the Kiwis in the halves these day. Never been the case in recent history.

[Chaos]

I hope Cronk can service Thurston better this time round.
I know he plays well for is club but in past rep games, he only went looking for Slater.
I'd prefer Cherry Evens at 7 but hopefully Sheens can jel Cronk to the rest of the side...not just the Storm connections.
We have some strike in the centres that needs to be used.

[TITAN PETE]

No surprises in Aust rugby league side
By By Ian McCullough
AAP
Sun 14th April,

Knights skipper Kurt Gidley in action for the Kangaroos in 2010
Australia coach Tim Sheens insists there is still Rugby League World Cup places to play for in his side despite naming an 18-man squad containing no shock selections for Friday's Test against New Zealand in Canberra.

Sheens has recalled Sam Thaiday, Anthony Watmough, Luke Lewis, Kurt Gidley and Justin Hodges for the game after the five missed the last-start Test against the Kiwis in Townsville due to injury.

Canterbury's Josh Morris is named 18th man, with Nate Myles keeping his place ahead of Tony Williams, whose early-season form costs him a ninth Test cap.

Canberra prop David Shillington misses out due to a rib cartilage injury, leaving Myles the only front-rower on the bench with Gidley usurping Robbie Farah for the utility spot.

"The configuration of the front row, we've gone an interesting way," Sheens said.

"We will be using (Paul) Gallen and Thaiday as front-rowers when we need them. It's fairly mobile to counteract their running out of dummy-half from around the ruck."

The World Cup takes place in the UK and Ireland in October, but Sheens said there is still plenty to play for a spot on the plane.

"It's a side that is quite familiar, but it is a long year and nobody is guaranteed a spot,' he said.

"Origin always throws up a few candidates and was originally used as a trial for the Test side."

Team: Billy Slater, Darius Boyd, Greg Inglis, Justin Hodges, Brett Morris, Johnathan Thurston. Cooper Cronk, Matt Scott, Cameron Smith (capt), James Tamou, Greg Bird, Sam Thaiday, Paul Gallen. Interchange: Kurt Gidley, Luke Lewis, Nate Myles, Anthony Watmough. 18th man: Josh Morris.

[TITAN PETE]

Kiwis squad named for ANZAC test
Updated at 7:35 pm on 14 April 2013
The 19 year old Sydney Rooster Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has been named in the Kiwis squad to play Australia in Friday's ANZAC test in Canberra.
The Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney says Tuivasa-Sheck is a kiwi with a very bright future
Simon Mannering, who'll captain his country for the first time, leads a team that includes his Warriors team mates Shaun Johnson, Ben Matulino and Elijah Taylor.
Benji Marshall and Sonny Bill Williams were unavailable for selection due to injury.
The Kiwis squad:
Jesse Bromwich, Kieran Foran, Alex Glenn, Josh Hoffman, Shaun Johnson, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Issac Luke, Simon Mannering, Ben Matulino, Sam McKendry, Jason Nightingale, Sam Perrett, Frank Pritchard, Kevin Proctor, Jeremy Smith, Elijah Taylor, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Dean Whare.

[Julius Sezer]

Kurt Gidley is a surprise to me actually

[TITAN PETE]

Kurt Gidley is a surprise to me actually

Agreed i would've taken DCE

[Julius Sezer]

Agreed i would've taken DCE

John Sutton would have been a better option imo. Can play in the pack and can cover the halves position if there is an injury. A versatile player. DCE would only cover the halves and thats it.

[DIEHARD]

I dont know how Boyd always gets selected, especially these days.

[TITAN PETE]

Kiwi Smith set to miss Test due to ban

AAP
Mon 15th April, 3:19pm


New Zealand and Newcastle enforcer Jeremy Smith is set to miss Friday's Test with Australia and faces a further five-game NRL ban after being charged for a head slam from Saturday's win over Penrith.

The back-rower was hit with a grade three dangerous contact head slam charge, from an ugly incident in which Panthers forward Matt Robinson was left heavily concussed and forced from the field on a stretcher.

An early guilty plea would result in a four-game ban for Smith, one of which can be served in Friday's Test to be played in Canberra.

Should the 33-year-old take the charge to the NRL judiciary, his only hope of facing the Kangaroos, and lose, he faces six weeks on the sidelines.

Canterbury second-rower Dale Finucane and Warrior Russell Packer can both escape suspensions with early guilty pleas.

Finucane was charged over an unnecessary arm/shoulder pressure dangerous contact charge on Sydney Roosters winger Daniel Tupou, while Packer was deemed to have applied too much pressure to the head and neck of Canberra prop Brett White.