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  1. #1
    Titans Captain Grimmace's Avatar
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    Default Tri-Nations 2006: Game Six: Australia Kangaroos Vs Great Britan Lions

    Tri-Nations 2006: Game Six

    AUSTRALIA KANGAROOS vs GREAT BRITAIN LIONS


    Referee: Paul Simpkins.

    Team Notes:

    Kangaroos



    Lions





    KANGAROOS

    1. Karmichael Hunt
    2. Brent Tate
    3. Mark Gasnier
    4. Justin Hodges
    5. Greg Inglis
    6. Darren Lockyer (c)
    7. Johnathan Thurston
    8. Brent Kite
    9. Cameron Smith
    10. Petero Civoniceva
    11. Andrew Ryan
    12. Nathan Hindmarsh
    13. Luke O'Donnell



    Interchange:
    14. Shaun Berrigan
    15. Anthony Tupou
    16. Mark O'Meley
    17. Antonio Kaufusi


    LIONS
    Lions
    1. Paul Wellens
    2. Leon Pryce
    3. Martin Gleeson
    4. Keith Senior
    5. Gareth Raynor
    6. Danny McGuire
    7. Richard Horne
    8. Stuart Fielden
    9. Terry Newton
    10. Jamie Pea****
    11 Gareth Hock
    12.Gareth Ellis
    13. Sean O'Loughlin


    Interchange:

    14. James Roby
    15. Adrian Morley
    16. Lee Gilmour
    17. Jon Wilkin
    18. Kirk Yeaman
    19. Garreth Carvell
    20. Rob Burrow
    (Three to be omitted.)

    ***Please use this thread for Tri Nations Game Six information and game day spoilers***
    Last edited by grimmace; 16-11-06 at 09:31 AM.

  2. #2
    Titans Captain Grimmace's Avatar
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    Kangaroos block out final

    November 12, 2006 AUSTRALIA has Great Britain and New Zealand's Tri-Nations fate in its hands, but the Kangaroos are focused purely on getting back into the winner's circle.

    The Kangaroos watched the Kiwis' 34-4 thumping of the Lions from their Brisbane hotel last night, but insisted they were more interested in their own backyard and achieving the two wins needed to reclaim the Tri-Nations title.

    Australia guaranteed itself a position in the final with two wins over New Zealand to start the series and now plays Great Britain in Brisbane on Saturday in a match that will decide its opponent.

    An Australian victory will ensure a re-match of the 2005 final with the Kiwis, while a Lions win will result in an Australia-Great Britain decider in Sydney on November 25.

    The Brits would also carry a significant psychological advantage into the final should they qualify, having already beaten the home nation this series.

    Kangaroos forward Andrew Ryan said Australia would treat next weekend's clash at Suncorp Stadium as a must-win.

    "It's going to be a massive clash and win at all costs for both sides," said Ryan.

    "It's just important for us after losing last week to try and get things back together, get things happening on the field and get the win.

    "We were not really too concerned on (last night's) result, we knew we would have to play better than we did last week regardless and it's going to be a challenge no matter what happened and now it's going to be a bigger one.

    "We've got two massive games to go and hopefully we will play well and get two wins."

    However, the usually reserved forward said it wouldn't be a complete disaster if they lost to the Lions - thereby avoiding another clash with the Kiwis who Ryan described as "impressive" in Wellington.

    "Obviously it would be a good thing to get a win going into the final, but we just need to go through the process and do everything we can to get everything working for the final," said Ryan.

    "It'd be good to get a win but it won't be the end of the world if we don't.

    "I thought (Lions captain Jamie) Pea**** was pretty good and played well for them (against NZ) but they made a few errors they did not make last week.

    "The Kiwis were pretty impressive. They were really intense and ripped in and it obviously showed on the scoreboard.

    "Their intentions were pretty clear from the start.

    "They've had a couple of weeks where it has been brewing up and they unleashed (on the Lions)."

    The Kangaroos trained behind closed doors today, coach Ricky Stuart determined to keep his men focused in the countdown to the Tri-Nations final.



    AAP

  3. #3
    Junior Titan Meh's Avatar
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    Come on the Aussies

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    Come on Lions! woot woot!
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    Australia will win this one for sure! A packed out Suncorp will guide us to victory no worries!!! :win:


    GO THE MAROONS!

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    Titan CEO jenny's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robbie_Dee
    Australia will win this one for sure! A packed out Suncorp will guide us to victory no worries!!! :win:
    yep...it will be an Aussie victory :win:

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  7. #7
    Junior Titan Meh's Avatar
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    Hope its a win, a draw would just be cruel :spit:

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    Quote Originally Posted by Meh
    Hope its a win, a draw would just be cruel :spit:
    *uggghhh* i know...what would happen then Meh???

    I LOVE "BULL" BAILEY
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  9. #9
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    Stuart lays down the law
    Glenn Jackson
    November 13, 2006


    KANGAROOS coach Ricky Stuart has moved to end Australian complacency by penalising his players each time they make a mistake at training.

    The Australians may have already booked a spot in the November 25 Tri-Nations final, but that hasn't stopped Stuart employing the remarkable tactic ahead of Saturday night's match against Great Britain at Suncorp Stadium.

    In a throwback to yesteryear, Stuart has punished his players with fitness drills every time a mistake has been made during the side's two field sessions in Brisbane so far.

    And according to the players, the coach's slightly old-fashioned methods are having the desired effect.

    "Any ball dropped, any error in our training, he's got us doing penalties," hooker Cameron Smith said. "If we're doing run-through plays, and there's no communication there, it's the same. He gets us doing up-and-backs, off the ground, that sort of thing.

    "We all know one area that let us down in the last game [the loss to Great Britain] was ball control, so if he sees any of that stuff, it's straight on the line."

    Skipper Darren Lockyer fully endorsed Stuart's offbeat approach, saying: "We've missed a lot of opportunities because of basic errors, mainly dropped ball. This is the best way to get everyone into the right frame of mind."

    Stuart's plan is part of an aggressive response to the Australians' last-start loss to the Lions after which the Cronulla coach told his team they were too reliant on some players. And in one of the surest signs that the gap between Australia and Great Britain and New Zealand was the smallest it has been for decades, he made it clear they could not get away with it anymore.

    "Sticky [Stuart] just wants to pay more attention to detail," Smith said. "There's no doubt we were going through the motions a bit at training.

    "All the boys are aware of it. We almost got beaten by New Zealand in Melbourne. We've got to realise we were beaten quite easily by Great Britain.

    "Just because we've got a green and gold jumper on, we can't just go out into a park and expect to win. All that starts on the training paddock.

    "You can't train like mugs and to be champions on game day. You could tell we were a little bit off at training. There was a bit of complacency there. That's improved already so far [this camp].

    "We spoke before we broke up in Sydney - Ricky let us know that performance wasn't good enough. He said the same thing when we got back in. We just can't walk out there anymore and expect to win. We're not the dominant nation that we used to be."

    Lockyer said success-fed Australian teams have grown complacent - but after the Kiwis' shock win in last year's tournament and the Lions' upset win at Aussie Stadium, it was clear they could no longer approach games with that mindset.

    "You're always confident when you wear the green and gold. We've been a dominant force for so long," Lockyer said. "But New Zealand in particular and Great Britain have closed the gap on us. We have to work harder more than ever for our victories.

    "I guess we've taken a bit for granted ? We just can't turn up there thinking things will be easy. We're not invincible. It's going to take a fair bit of hard work. What it comes down to is complacency, I feel."

    Lockyer, meanwhile, has joined the chorus of calls for changes to the international judicial laws in the wake of apparent inconsistencies so far during the Tri-Nations.

    Under the current laws, unless a player is reported during a match, he can be cited only if the opposing side registers a complaint.

    The Australians, Lockyer included, want a similar system to the NRL, whereby a match review panel can cite players.

    "All the coaches have got different personalities," Lockyer said. "One of them might be a bit bitter on a game - you've got to take the emotion out of the decision."

    Source:smh

  10. #10
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    Kangaroos must lift, says Lockyer
    Dan Koch
    November 13, 2006
    KANGAROOS skipper Darren Lockyer conceded his team has some ground to make up after watching New Zealand's demolition job on Britain on Saturday night.
    From their hotel in Brisbane, the Australian squad watched the Kiwis rout the Lions 34-4 at Westpac Stadium in Wellington to keep alive their hopes of defending the Tri-Nations title.

    Just seven days after the Lions' stunning upset of the Kangaroos in Sydney, New Zealand ran in six tries to one in an ominously powerful display two weeks out from the final.

    The result leaves Brian Noble's side needing to repeat its shock win over Australia at Suncorp Stadium this Saturday night -- or snatch a draw -- to secure a place in the decider.

    However, Lockyer yesterday warned his team-mates against worrying about potential opponents, saying the Kangaroos needed to worry about making improvements themselves given their disjointed last outing.

    "It would be a mistake for us to start worrying about who we will be playing in the final or what New Zealand and Great Britain are doing because we have a lot of things in our own game that we need to be focused on," Lockyer said.

    "We know they are two very good teams, so our focus has to be on improving the areas we let ourselves down in last time.

    "There is so much talent in this Australian squad, it is a matter of just getting the little things right, the things that make you a team, that is what makes you win games at this level."

    New Zealand's unwavering discipline was the difference between the two teams in Wellington and Lockyer conceded it was an area that coach Ricky Stuart had addressed with his team after its 23-12 loss to the British.

    The Kiwis made just eight errors compared to Britain's 17, completing 11 more sets in possession and forcing the Lions to make a staggering 116 more tackles in the 80 minutes.

    A week earlier Australia handed over possession to Britain 15 times, gave away 10 penalties and missed more than 30 tackles in a lamentable display and Lockyer conceded Australia could not afford a repeat effort.

    "New Zealand showed how effective you can be if you are disciplined with the ball and stick to your game plan," Lockyer said.

    "If we can do that, we have the strike power across the park to finish things off.

    "But we can't expect things just to click in the final, we have to start getting them right now and Ricky has put some things in place on the training track to make sure that happens." After being criticised for resting several of his key players in Sydney, Stuart will recall halfback Johnathan Thurston and hooker Cameron Smith to the starting line-up.

    Andrew Ryan is expected to replace Willie Mason (suspended) in the backrow, while Mark Gasnier (hip) and Matt King (calf) are still in doubt. Justin Hodges is likely to be given a start in the centres in front of his home crowd. Australia is a heavy favourite to end Britain's Tri-Nations campaign, with the Kiwis equally as confident of a Kangaroos victory, having already booked flights to Sydney on Wednesday to begin a 10-day camp leading up to the November 25 final at Aussie Stadium in Sydney.

    Although New Zealand and Britain share two points on the Tri-Nations table, the Kiwis have a 32-point advantage in the for-and-against columns, meaning Britain must win or draw to make the final.

    All 17 New Zealand players in action in Wellington pulled up well yesterday before returning to home ports until Wednesday.

    Penrith forward Frank Pritchard corked his leg, while Parramatta skipper Nathan Cayless, who broke his nose in a mid-week game at Greymouth on New Zealand's south island, had his head in a towel after another whack against the Lions
    Source: The Australian

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    Kaufusi keen to prove Test mettle
    By Steve Ricketts
    November 13, 2006 ANTONIO Kaufusi hopes a strong training performance today will convince Australia coach Ricky Stuart that he is ready to make his Test debut against Great Britain at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

    A former student at Brisbane's Nudgee College, Kaufusi says the Queensland capital still feels like home despite his four years as a Melbourne player and he is excited by the prospect of playing in front of family and friends.

    His parents, six sisters and a brother live in Bundaberg and they are anxiously waiting to hear the make-up of the Australia team - which will be named tomorrow.

    Kaufusi was earmarked to make his debut against Britain in Sydney on November 4 but was ruled out with a hamstring strain.

    He was restricted to boxing and bike work last Friday when the Australians came back into camp and did not participate fully when he joined the squad for a field session on Saturday.

    "To get called up for this Test would be unbelievable," Kaufusi said.

    "I'm going to rip in at training tomorrow to show Ricky I'm keen to play.

    "The games in this series have been really tough. I don't mind a confrontational style of football and this week's game is going to be huge with so much riding on it.

    "But at the end of the day the coach has to do what he thinks is best for the team."

    Stuart's player rotation policy came in for criticism in the wake of Australia's 23-12 loss to Britain in Sydney and if he elects to pick a "form" team Kaufusi could miss out although Willie Mason's suspension gives the 21-year-old a strong chance of a place on the bench.

    Tonga-born Kaufusi and Parramatta wing Jarryd Hayne are the only players yet to get a run in the tournament, with Hayne's father, former South Sydney winger Manoa Thompson, ready to book a flight from Sydney to Brisbane for the match if his son is selected.

    Queensland State of Origin coach Mal Meninga short-listed Kaufusi for the Maroons this year but injuries ruined the player's chances of selection.

    The Maroons will play two matches at Suncorp Stadium next year when they defend their title and Kaufusi will put pressure on veteran Steve Price for his spot in the side with Price overlooked for the Tri-Nations.

    Kaufusi says he has not stewed over Melbourne's 15-8 loss to the Broncos in the NRL grand final.

    "I'm one of those blokes who likes to look back at all the good stuff we've done and not reflect on the negatives," he said.

    "The boys were hurting after the grand final but I told them to to keep their heads high and be proud of everything we achieved."

    Kaufusi's roommate is Jamie Lyon, one of the stars of St Helens' Super League grand final win over Hull last month.

    The Australians will train at Wests Arana Hills ground at 9am today with the British due in Brisbane on Thursday.

    Source: Courier Mail




    Call for Inglis to play fullback
    By Ray Chesterton
    November 13, 2006 AUSTRALIA great Graeme Langlands says precocious Greg Inglis should be moved from wing to fullback in the Tri-Nations match against Great Britain this weekend to take full advantage of his spectacular talents.

    Inglis has enjoyed great success this season as a wing, but Langlands, a legendary fullback and Test captain, believes he would have even greater impact as a fullback.

    "He is wasted on the wing," Langlands said.

    "Inglis should be the Australian fullback.

    "Can you imagine how damaging he would be with the extra room to move and chiming into the backline?

    "He's tall so getting up for bombs wouldn't be a problem.

    "He deserves a run at fullback.

    "He has done well on the wing but I think he would do even better as a fullback."

    Inglis is regarded as arguably the most promising talent Australian rugby league has unearthed.

    He is a proven matchwinner at fullback, wing and centre, and his club, Melbourne, is talking of playing him five-eighth next season.

    Tall, electrifyingly fast and elusive with a solid fend, Inglis has stampeded over protocols this year to star for Melbourne in the NRL, for Queensland in Origin, and for Australia in the Tri-Nations.

    In three Tests, Inglis has scored four tries, displaying the same bewildering elusiveness that hallmarked Langlands's stellar career.

    Despite Inglis's credentials, the Test selectors will probably prefer to keep him on the wing.


    Source: Daily Telegraph.
    Last edited by grimmace; 13-11-06 at 12:30 PM.

  12. #12
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    Hayne should play, and i reckon that Kaufusi should replace Tupou on bench, with Thaiday.
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    Lions reel as Long leaves

    By Steve Mascord and Dean Ritchie

    November 14, 2006 12:00
    Article from: The Daily Telegraph


    GREAT Britain coach Brian Noble last night admitted Sean Long appeared intoxicated on a flight at the weekend but insisted it had nothing to do with the halfback's dramatic departure from the Tri-Nations.

    In a development even more surprising than New Zealand's grannygate scandal, GB players were called to a team-meeting at their Manly hotel last night and told by Noble their playmaker was already thousands of miles away, en route to Manchester Management cited "personal reasons", with Long's heavily pregnant girlfriend a matter of public record.

    But a number of sources have told the Daily Telegraph the St Helens No.7 and Noble had endured a strained relationship during the tournament while an alcohol infringement en route from Wellington to Sydney ON Sunday was also blamed in British reports.

    Asked about the St Helens' half's behaviour the day after Saturday's heavy loss to New Zealand, Noble told the Daily Telegraph: "I'm not going to deny that.

    There were 10 journalists there while he was singing and stuff.

    "But we don't have an alcohol ban. He did not go home because of that. It was purely personal reasons."

    Noble revealed 30-year-old Long broached the issue of going home to be with his girlfriend late on Sunday night.

    The coach spent 45 minutes yesterday trying to talk him out of it.

    "He was intent on going home and doing what he felt he had to do," Noble said.

    "I had a talk to him for an hour last night. "Today I spoke to him for about another three quarters of an hour, thinking I might be able to convince him to stay but he wanted to go."

    There is intense conjecture Long's unhappiness had been exacerbated by his disagreements with Noble over tactics, training and the squad's general routine.

    Asked if he had clashed with Long at all during the tournament, Noble said: "Not at all. He has been in the loop all the way through.

    "We have had a fantastic relationship and I have been very impressed with Sean's attitude."

    It's thought Noble's coaching philosophy is based primarily on defence.

    Long ? whose problems with the coach are professional and not personal ? wanted to attack.

    There are also suggestions of concern that Long has been publicly offering himself to NRL clubs but, while doing that, played poorly against New Zealand last weekend.

    But Noble said: "I can also categorically deny that. What Sean does with his contract and St Helens is up to him and I think it's wonderful the amount of publicity the sport gets here."

    Long's agent, Jim Banagahan, said his client had paid his own way home.

    Banaghan said he had "not been briefed" on any alcohol ban or internal tensions but that some early reports yesterday about the reasons for his departure had been "disappointing and defamatory".

    Lions manager Abi Ekoko said "We don't have an alcohol ban. This is the top end of sport. If you don't know your limits, you shouldn't be here."

    Hull's Richard Horne is tipped to beat Leeds' Rob Burrow to the no.7 shirt for Saturday night's clash against Australia at Suncorp Stadium which Great Britain must win to keep their campaign alive.

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    Berrigan faces Test dilemma

    By Steve Ricketts

    November 14, 2006 12:00
    Article from: The Daily Telegraph



    AUSTRALIAN hooker Shaun Berrigan has asked to be stood down from Saturday's Tri-Nations rugby league Test against Great Britain at Suncorp Stadium to be best man at his brother Barry's wedding.
    But Australian coach Ricky Stuart is set to name him in his side today with the suspension of prop Willie Mason and injuries to winger Matt King (calf) and prop Antonio Kaufusi (hamstring) reducing his options.

    Berrigan started at hooker in Australia's 23-12 loss to Britain in Sydney on November 4 and it is likely Cameron Smith will reclaim the No. 9 jumper for the Brisbane Test.

    But Berrigan shapes as the best man for an interchange role and Stuart is unlikely to let sentiment get in the way of his desire to win back the Tri-Nations crown from New Zealand.

    If Australia beat Britain on Saturday they will play New Zealand in the final at Sydney's Aussie Stadium on Saturday week.

    If the Kangaroos lose or are held to a draw they will play Britain in the final.

    Ben Hornby, who played halfback in the November 4 loss, is the alternative interchange player to Berrigan who has featured in all three of Australia's matches.

    Stuart has adopted a player rotation system for the tournament and Berrigan asked if he could have a break this weekend because of his brother's wedding.

    Barry, 31, was forced into retirement by a neck injury in March after establishing himself as the Broncos' No. 1 hooker.

    Shaun dedicated his premiership win to his brother and paid for his travel to Sydney for the grand final in which the Broncos beat Melbourne 15-8.

    Berrigan's father Barry Sr attended Australian training yesterday and spoke of his son's anguish at having to choose between family and country.

    "Shaun and Barry are very close and Barry obviously wants him to be best man," Barry Sr said. "But he also realises it's not every day you get to represent your country.

    "When the date was set for the wedding it was safely viewed as the off-season. Shaun didn't play in last year's Tri-Nations and missed out on the Test in May so it seemed unlikely he would make the side this time."

    Barry, who has a successful tiling business, will marry long-time sweetheart Vicki Hobson in a beach ceremony.

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    THURSTON, HODGES AND RYAN RECALLED, TUPOU RETAINED
    Tuesday 14 Nov 2006 15:14
    by Matthew O'Neill




    Johnathan Thurston, Justin Hodges and Andrew Ryan have been recalled to the Australian Test side following their shock loss against Great Britain two weeks ago whilst Anthony Tupou has been retained in the side.

    Thurston, Hodges and Ryan were all omitted for the last clash, which Australia lost 23-12 and coach Ricky Stuart has rushed the trio back into the starting side in place of Ben Hornby, Jamie Lyon and the suspended Willie Mason.

    Brent Tate has been retained on the wing with Matt King still struggling with injury, Brent Kite and Mark O'Meley swap places in the squad, as do Cameron Smith and Shaun Berrigan. Stuart has named Berrigan who was requesting the weekend off to be best man at his brothers wedding. Barry Berrigan, the former Canterbury and Brisbane utility is getting married this weekend and with Shaun selected in the Australian side, it's highly unlikely that Stuart or the ARL will allow him the time off to attend to a major family event.

    Antonio Kaufusi will make his Test debut as he takes the place of Sam Thaiday who was depserately unlucky to be dropped whilst Tupou continues to enjoy a free ride in the side despite his performances not reaching to the levels of International standard.

    Great Britain who have been rocked by the Sean Long scandal will be desperate for victory on Saturday night at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium as they have to win or draw at all costs to qualify for the Tri Nations Final. The Lions and New Zealand are locked on two points each with the Kiwis enjoying a better for and against record.

    The Australian side to face Great Britain is as follows:

    1. Karmichael Hunt
    2. Brent Tate
    3. Mark Gasnier
    4. Justin Hodges
    5. Greg Inglis
    6. Darren Lockyer (c)
    7. Johnathan Thurston
    8. Brent Kite
    9. Cameron Smith
    10. Petero Civoniceva
    11. Andrew Ryan
    12. Nathan Hindmarsh
    13. Luke O'Donnell

    Subs:
    14. Shaun Berrigan
    15. Anthony Tupou
    16. Mark O'Meley
    17. Antonio Kaufusi


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