The Tri Nations Kangaroos train-on squad!

[DIEHARD]

LAST UPDATED 26.9.05

St George-Illawarra Dragons:
Jason Ryles, Luke Bailey, Mark Gasnier, Matt Cooper, Trent Barrett, Ben Creagh

Parramatta Eels:
Nathan Hindmarsh, Timana Tahu

Newcastle Knights:
Andrew Johns

Melbourne Storm:
Matt King

Brisbane Broncos:
Darren Lockyer, Petero Civoniceva, Brent Tate and Justin Hodges.

Sea Eagles:
Ben Kennedy

Sydney Roosters:
Craig Fitzgibbon, Anthony Minichiello, Craig Wing

Penrith Panthers:
Joel Clinton, Craig Gower, Luke Lewis, Luke Rooney, Trent Waterhouse

New Zealand Warriors:
Steve Price

Canterbury Bulldogs:
Willie Mason, Mark O?Meley, Andrew Ryan

Newcastle Knights:
Danny Buderus, Andrew Johns, Steve Simpson

[Mavfan]

LAST UPDATED 19.9.05

Melbourne Storm:
Matt King

Brisbane Broncos:
Darren Lockyer, Petero Civoniceva, Brent Tate and Justin Hodges.

Sea Eagles:
Ben Kennedy

Sydney Roosters:
Craig Fitzgibbon, Anthony Minichiello, Craig Wing

Penrith Panthers:
Joel Clinton, Craig Gower, Luke Lewis, Luke Rooney, Trent Waterhouse

New Zealand Warriors:
Steve Price

Canterbury Bulldogs:
Willie Mason, Mark O?Meley, Andrew Ryan

Newcastle Knights:
Danny Buderus, Andrew Johns, Steve Simpson

Quite a Strong team. Though i still do not feel that Willie Mason deserves to be there. He hasnt been in the greatest form since coming back from injury.

[DeeGan]

Thanks for starting this off DIEHARD.

An intersting TRAIN-ON Squad thus far. The two most notable ommissions are from Brisbane in Shaun Berrigan and Toni Carroll.

Both players (like the rest of the Brisbane team with a few exceptions) tapered off after Origin and once again suffered a below par back half of the season.

Question, where is Braith Anasta? I have been tied up with a few things for the Gold Coast though Anasta being ommitted is something I would remember

Put it this way, if the side was selected on form, he is there in the first team ahead of Darren Lockyer who was not the Darren Lockyer we have to come to know. Lockyer's so-so form has been on show since the 2005 Origin series started.

[DIEHARD]

Thanks for starting this off DIEHARD.

No problem, international rugby league is my forte.

Lockyer may not have been in his best form, but his Kangaroos captaincy assures him of the 5/8th position.

Anasta scored a try for the Australian Prime Minister's XIII against the PNG PM's XIII in a game the he was hoping would push his claim to being a Kangaroo.

Anasta to push his claim

It is essentially a promotional game but Braith Anasta's trip to Papua New Guinea with the Prime Minister's XIII serves another purpose.

He still feels the disappointment at missing out on selection in the Kangaroos' Tri-Nations train-on squad. The ARL will add to the squad as players finish their finals commitments, or injury or form force a change of personnel.

Anasta hopes Sunday's game against PNG in Port Moresby will be another chance to catch the selectors' eyes.

"Definitely. I'll be going hard and hopefully play a good game and that something might come from it," Anasta said as the team, coached by former Test captain Mal Meninga, assembled in Sydney yesterday.

It will also be Anasta's first chance to play alongside his new partner at the Roosters, halfback Brett Finch.

Anasta was a member of the 2002 Kangaroos who played against PNG en route to England.

"It was an unbelievable experience. I didn't know how big of a deal rugby league was up there or how much they appreciated us playing there," Anasta said.

"We had thousands at the airport, let alone the game. They treated us like kings."

The prominence and influence which rugby league players have in PNG led to the game's involvement in the federal Government's developing nations program, Aus-AID, to spread the message of how to combat HIV-AIDS.

The disease is rampant in PNG and Aus-AID officials will have a lengthy briefing with the Australian players in Cairns today to explain the problem and arm them with facts and figures.

"A lot of people worship them up there," Meninga said of his team of NRL stars.

"Rugby league is the number one sport up there so we can use that to get across some very important messages about safe sex and what HIV-AIDS can do to an entire nation."

Test prop Steve Price is mindful of the significance of the trip.

"Obviously, being a guy with kids I'm pretty passionate about it," said Price, who is in the Tri-Nations train-on squad.

Source: FoxSports.com.au

[Mavfan]

No problem, international rugby league is my forte.

Lockyer may not have been in his best form, but his Kangaroos captaincy assures him of the 5/8th position.

Anasta scored a try for the Australian Prime Minister's XIII against the PNG PM's XIII in a game the he was hoping would push his claim to being a Kangaroo.

I honestly feel that Braith could make a solid Contribution playing Lock Forward for this team, as an extra ball player.

But then again, with the fact that Ben Kennedy and Trent Waterhouse will likely tour, id say Braith's chances are very limited.

[DeeGan]

Lockyer may not have been in his best form, but his Kangaroos captaincy assures him of the 5/8th position.

Don't me wrong, Lockyer WILL BE picked as captain and stand off, though as per the norm at selection time, the team/squad selected is not always that of the form team/squad.

At the moment, Trent Barrett is the form five-eight available to selectors yet he is likely not to play a test.

Back to Anasta, for mine, he is an ideal tourist and has played well this season for a pretty ordinary Bulldogs team. I would take Anasta before Mason.

[J-Storm]

Anasta probably deserved a look in just for utility sake but looks like he has no hope of making it now the Dragons are in the final 4 (ie Barrett) and the 'Dogs missed the finals completely, but I'm sure he'll live and move on...

I still can't believe Smith missed out for the Storm and how did Luke Lewis get a run??? Rooney is the better option of those 2 yet Lewis still gets a chance despite his drop off in form! Glad I'm not a selector is all I can say...

[Snow]

i think Lockyer should drop back into the fullback postion he was more lethal when he was a fb

[Queenslander]

One thing that has worried me about the train on squad is no Shaun Berrigan......he played in the Anzac Test and he is one of the top try scorers for the NRL

[Dakink]

My ideal scrum base sorta.

(Once BK retires)

Lock - Anasta
Half - Johns
5\8 - Barrett
Fullback - Lockyer.

Quality and size.

[PARANoIR]

Shaun Berrigans exclusion is an interesting one. Expecially considering he is the incumbent and Bennett is the coach. That basically guarantees Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper will be the centre pairing in the green and gold now aswell.

Personally, I'm glad Berrigan isn't there as I think he is highly over rated, but it's still a surprise to see his non-inclusion.

It's about time Tonie Carroll wasn't selected, it's a joke that he has even played for Australia, I don't care how good of a defender he is.

[Dakink]

I think they could do worse than Gasnier and Cooper with Cross/King/Tahu? as back up. Wingers?

[PARANoIR]

I think they could do worse than Gasnier and Cooper with Cross/King/Tahu? as back up. Wingers?

I dare say Matt King will get a good look in as a Winger after his Origin performances.

After watching Matt Sing play for the Cowboys against the Storm the other night, I'm saying that he MUST be one of the wingers. He is an awesome player and will not let anyone down.

IMO, the other wing spot will be fought out between Matt King, Eric Grothe Jnr, Timana Tahu and Luke Rooney. If Pat Richards wasn't headed to England at the end of the season, he would've got a look in aswell. The fact the King and Tahu can play both Centre and Wing will weigh in their favour in that they are versatile players.

[Dakink]

I am a little surprised that they included Lewis in the train on squad - I would have thought Grothe, King, Tahu, Sing gave them plenty of wing options without choosing someone not in that great form.

[PARANoIR]

Yeah I'm a little bewildered with the Lewis selection. My theory is that he is only there incase one of the more in form wingers gets injured during the finals series.

Thats the only method behind it that I can see.