Tri-Nations 06: Game Four; Kangaroos vs Lions

[Queenslander]

Civinoceva Looks to Continue Dream Year
Friday, November 3, 2006 - 1:50 PM

While most league fans are savouring the prospect of Mark O?Meley and Willie Mason locking horns with Stuart Fielden and Adrian Morley when Australia meets Great Britain in Game 4 of the Gillette Tri Nations at Aussie Stadium it will be the quiet achiever in the Green and Gold who also plays a key role.

Brisbane, Queensland and Australian prop Petero Civoniceva is having the season of his life having played a key role in both of Australia?s victories in the series so far and the big prop is hoping the year goes on forever.

?Yeah I do it?s been a dream year for me, taking out the premiership with the Broncos, winning the player of the year, State of origin and the success we?ve had so far in the Tri Nations. I?m just hoping it will continue on Saturday and hopefully in the final."

The 30-year-old came under fire at the start of the season, along with many of his Brisbane and Queensland team mates, for being too old and too slow and Civoniceva says he took those barbs to heart and still has the clippings to remind him of that time.

?Of course, you hear these criticisms and they?re things you don?t forget and I suppose for most parts it?s what spurred me on this season so I?m hoping to finish the season on a good note in the Tri Nations and certainly when I look back on those comments and probably be grateful in one respect that it probably helped me get through the season.?

Much like Queensland Civoniceva came in for heavy criticism after game one of the origin series and he says the turnaround to win the series will live with him forever.

?Origin this year will go down as one of the highlights of my career. After all the criticism that was thrown our way following game one and our chances were talked down. But the way we went up in Brisbane and then the way we won in Melbourne was something I?ll remember for the rest of my life.?

Now that criticism is forgotten and the big Queenslander is enjoying his role in the Australian side and says the chance this week to play Great Britain at Aussie Stadium is something he?s looked forward to for a long time.

?I can?t wait. I?ve been fortunate enough to play Great Britain over there so to play on our home soil now is fantastic.

Hopefully we?ll get a good crowd out there to support it. Then the next test going up to play in front of my home crowd up in Brisbane I?ll cherish that, especially having all my family up in the stands.?

While his own form has been top shelf the Kangaroos didn?t hit top gear against the Kiwis and Civoniceva says they might be winning but they need to do more.

?It?s been great but we probably dropped a bit more ball than we wanted to in that second test we created some opportunities for them with our poor discipline. I know this week we?ve done a lot defensively and working on some things in attack to try and give us that edge.?

Mark O?Meley has made his intentions loud and clear this week to target the Great Britain pack, especially Stuart Fielden, and Civoniceva says it?s a challenge he?s savouring as well

?For sure, it?s going to be a great battle up front I can?t wait. I know last time we took the English on it was a very physical encounter. I?m sure Adrian Morley will have all their boys fired up so as a pack we just can?t wait to get out there.?

The Kangaroos are well aware of the ?fear factor? Adrian Morley is capable of at his best and the Aussie prop is ready for a desperate Lions team.

?Not just Adrian, you look at Fielden and all the other forwards it?s going to be a very tough contest for us so I suppose whoever wins the battle up front will make things a lot easier for their playmakers.?

Civoniceva says he?s pretty sure where the Lions will target the home team too, hoping to exploit a perceived weakness.

?In and around our ruck, New Zealand tried to expose us there on quite a few occasions in our previous tests with quick work out of dummy half and I think Britain might see that as a weakness, but we?ve been doing a lot of work in that area this week just trying to get that right so we can lay a good platform for our backs.?

With the Australian team having two home games to go before the Sydney final they?re tipped to go through the series undefeated but Civoniceva says they won?t put the cart before the horse.

?It?s something we haven?t talked about but of course it would be great, I think our main focus is keeping things simple, we were probably down a bit on our New Zealand performance in Melbourne so hopefully we can improve on that and take some good form into the final.?

Source: NRL

[~Wild Child~]

Sam Thaiday.

Good news for Australia, very bad news for the Poms!!

Like the sound of this

[Queenslander]

Stuart unconvinced by Lions shuffle
Friday, November 3, 2006 - 6:41 PM

Ricky Stuart believes Great Britain has pulled a swifty in naming Leon Pryce at five-eighth with the Australian Test coach unconvinced the Lions will run out as selected on Saturday night.

The Lions moved St Helens pivot Pryce from the wing to five-eighth for the Tri-Nations clash at Aussie Stadium after Danny McGuire lost his battle with a thigh strain.

Despite the lack of a viable alternative in the Lions squad, Stuart believes the tourists may still have something up their sleeve.

"I'm not too sure what they'll do at five-eighth," Stuart said.

"There's talk of Pryce there but I think ... I don't know what decision they'll make.

"It's not going to be a major drama for us, we'll just play what's in front of us."

Earlier in the day Great Britain coach Brian Noble talked up his new halves pairing, with the Pryce-Sean Long scrumbase combination the same one which delivered St Helens a trophy treble this season.

Kangaroos captain Darren Lockyer talked up the possibility of Pryce moving into pivot, admitting he was impressed with what he saw from Pryce against the Kiwis last weekend.

"He's had a good season for St Helens at that position and last week I though every time he touched the ball he was probably one of their most dangerous players," Lockyer said.

"I think getting him closer to the action is a good thing for him."

The Kangaroos have issues of their own in the halves with Lockyer and debutant Ben Hornby teaming up for the first time at any level.

Hornby, the St George Illawarra utility who until this season was better known as a fullback, has been given the opportunity by Stuart to push for a berth in the November 25 final ahead of incumbent Johnathan Thurston, the Australians already assured of making the decider.

"I've been really impressed by Ben the whole camp, he's been very good at training," Lockyer said.

"Obviously he's very excited about his debut and I think it's a big challenge for him, but just from what I've seen on the training paddock I think he's more than capable of doing the job."

Predicted wet weather in Sydney on Saturday night could curtail Stuart's plans to unleash his star-studded backline, but the Kangaroos mentor remains more concerned with the amount of room referee Ashley Klein gives his outside men.

The Australians were known to be upset by Klein's 10 metres in their two wins over New Zealand earlier in the tournament, while Noble said he would also talk to referees' co-ordinator Robert Finch about interpretations at the ruck.

"I think it will be quite a physical game, quite confrontational," Stuart said.

"It's important that we don't get bogged down in this match so that you players get a little bit more football, if we're allowed to play.

"I know Great Britain will be very keen on a slugfest style of footy game, a typical Test match.

"With the flair and the attacking ability we've got we'd like to get that on."

Source: AAP

[hugebrianfan]

yea...it may be a tough match though for Great Britian...well i wish them good luck!!! and i get to see my fav player Brian Carney

[~Wild Child~]

Trust Mason to throw the first punch :ok:

[Steelers]

Mason should have got 10 in the bin for that punch IMO.

[Poida]

Mason should have got 10 in the bin for that punch IMO.

i agree and now theyre thinking morley might enact some revenge

[~Wild Child~]

Mason should have got 10 in the bin for that punch IMO.

:ok: And then he gives another penalty...:ok:
Just as the commentators said, "Mason has'nt got any friends out there at all".

[Steelers]

Strange reshuffle by Staurt with Gaz going off, moving alot of players, including Hornby to fullback.


Hornby sets up an intercept try for Inglis

6-0 to Australia

[Poida]

hornby looked a little offside

[Robbie_Dee]

The games lacking something, its not at the same intensity as the previous games, it started off looking like it was gunna be a game full of fights, but died off later in the 1st half.

Let me just say that i think Thurston should never have been 'rested'

[Poida]

The games lacking something, its not at the same intensity as the previous games, it started off looking like it was gunna be a game full of fights, but died off later in the 1st half.

Let me just say that i think Thurston should never have been 'rested'

:lol!: i knew you were gonna say that and i agree.
plus i though hornby was a little offside

[Poida]

ok i admit i was wrong hornby wasnt offside lol but still

[Robbie_Dee]

Willie Mason...You are a legend! You have gained back all my respect! He landed an awesome punch on that player, knocked him straight to the ground!

[Poida]

Willie Mason...You are a legend! You have gained back all my respect! He landed an awesome punch on that player, knocked him straight to the ground!

:lol!: . he didnt need to retaliate