Tri-Nations 2006: Game Six: Australia Vs Great Britan Lions

[DIEHARD]

I'll be at the game as will half of Brissie.

If you haven't got ticket yet, GET THEM!

A Test Match at Lang Park is a very special event, especially against the Lions!

[DIEHARD]

Horne replaces Long for Australia battle

Great Britain have selected Hull's Richard Horne to replace the departed Sean Long at scrum-half for Saturday's must-win Tri-Nations game against Australia in Brisbane, and Long's former betting partner, Martin Gleeson, is also given a surprise recall at centre.
Britain's coach, Brian Noble, has chosen Horne, a 24-year-old who broke a try- scoring record for Hull this season and played a key role as they reached the Super League grand final for the first time, ahead of the tiny Leeds half-back Rob Burrow, even though that leaves the Lions without a recognised goalkicker in their starting line-up.

Burrow is one of seven players in contention for the four places on the interchange bench so still has every chance of making his first appearance of the series after, like Horne, sitting out Britain's first three matches.
Gleeson's inclusion is a major surprise after he was dropped following a poor performance in Britain's opening defeat against New Zealand in Christchurch, with Kirk Yeaman, the Hull youngster who has done a solid job in his absence, also in contention for a place on the bench.

Brian Carney has failed to recover from a hamstring injury so Leon Pryce continues on the wing. Danny McGuire retains his place at stand-off but Sean O'Loughlin returns at loose forward after missing last Saturday's record 34-4 defeat by the Kiwis in Wellington with a calf injury. Noble has also gone again with Bradford's Terry Newton at hooker despite the growing clamour for him to promote the St Helens youngster James Roby.

Britain reinforced their siege mentality yesterday as Long's Australian agent attempted to limit the damage caused by his client's sudden departure. Long, who refused to comment when he arrived at Manchester airport in a T-shirt and shorts, was nevertheless quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald citing physical and mental exhaustion as his main reasons for leaving - with no mention of his drunken binge after Saturday's Test in Wellington.

Noble continued to insist that Long had been sent home for personal reasons, dismissing his drunkenness on Sunday's flight back to Sydney as "a minor incident that can get blown out of all proportion".

The players Long left behind trained behind closed doors yesterday and were gagged for the second day running, causing slight frustration but far more amusement to the Australian media, who mocked Noble for extravagant attempts to prevent cameras filming yesterday's session at Brookvale Oval. "I wouldn't have a problem with anybody watching practice today," Noble said with a straight face, despite the sheets that were draped over the entrance to the ground.

Australia's coach, Ricky Stuart, named his team earlier - with five changes from the side beaten 23-12 by Britain in Sydney 11 days ago, including Justin Hodges' return in place of the dropped Jamie Lyon.

Australia: Hunt (Brisbane); Tate (Brisbane), Gasnier (St George Illawarra), Hodges (Brisbane), Inglis (Melbourne); Lockyer (Brisbane, capt), Thurston (North Queensland); Kite (Manly), Smith (Melbourne), Civoniceva (Brisbane), Ryan (Canterbury), Hindmarsh (Parramatta), O'Donnell (North Queensland). Interchange: Berrigan (Brisbane), Tupou (Sydney Roosters), O'Meley (Canterbury), Kaufusi (Melbourne).

Great Britain: Wellens (St Helens); Pryce (St Helens), Gleeson (Warrington ), Senior (Leeds), Raynor (Hull); McGuire (Leeds), Horne (Hull); Fielden (Wigan), Newton (Bradford), Pea**** (Leeds, capt), Hock (Wigan), Ellis (Leeds), O'Loughlin (Wigan). Interchange (from) Roby (St Helens), Morley (Sydney Roosters), Gilmour (St Helens), Wilkin (St Helens), Yeaman (Hull), Carvell (Hull), Burrow (Leeds).

Source: The Guardian uk

[DIEHARD]

Shame about Carney missing out, would have been great for Titans fans to see him run around at Lang Park.

Glad to see Thurston back and Horne will be a good replacement for Long...

[patrick]

Thought Richard Horne would be in the GB side. Pretty nifty player.

[Meh]

They will probably have Leon Pryce at 6 and Danny McGuire at 7 maybe, unless they bring Richard Horne in the side or something.

Good call patrick

[jenny]

Berrigan honoured to play

November 15, 2006 12:00
Article from: The Daily Telegraph



SHAUN Berrigan would most likely have been able to attend his brother's wedding this Saturday if Australia had beaten Great Britain two weeks ago, his adviser and confidant said last night.

But Rob Campbell told The Daily Telegraph Berrigan wanted league supporters to know he was honoured to play in Saturday's rematch at Suncorp Stadium despite being forced to miss brother Barry's big day.

Following revelations yesterday that Brisbane's Berrigan had suggested having this weekend off as part of Australia's Tri-Nations rotation policy, coach Ricky Stuart yesterday denied any such system existed.

"It's like when the Australian cricket team first started doing it ? rotation was a dirty word," said Campbell, agent for Barry who helps Shaun with some management duties.

"But they were doing it.

"They needed to give so many guys a run in case they needed them. I would say if we had beaten England (sic) two weeks ago, Shauny would have had the week off."

Into Stuart's team come centre Justin Hodges, halfback Johnathan Thurston, second-rower Andrew Ryan and debutant benchman Antonio Kaufusi.

Out are the injured winger Matt King (calf), suspended second-rower Willie Mason, plus halfback Ben Hornby, centre Jamie Lyon and interchange forward Sam Thaiday.

BIG SUPPORT FOR WEDDING:

AN overwhelming majority of The Daily Telegraph online readers yesterday supported Shaun Berrigan's wish to attend his brother Barry's wedding.

As of 9pm yesterday, 2073 people had voted with 86 per cent , or 1799 voters, siding in favour of the Broncos hooker and 14 per cent, or 274 voters suggesting Berrigan should be made to play

[patrick]

Good call patrick

Aren't I good, I said it well before they officially said it!

[Grimmace]

Kangaroos 'will miss Willie'
By Mick Daly
November 16, 2006 AUSTRALIA stars Darren Lockyer and Andrew Ryan have leapt to the defence of chastised enforcer Willie Mason, describing the most controversial character in rugby league as an inspiration, a leader and a players' player.

Mason will miss Tri-Nations Test against Great Britain at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday after being suspended for belting rival big man Stuart Fielden in Sydney two weeks ago.

Lockyer said the Kangaroos would need to lift in Mason's absence.

"He'll be missed, not only for his talent but also his presence on the field," he sai

."He's very animated and helps you through the tough times."

Ryan added: "You take it for granted a bit playing with a guy like Willie. It's disappointing not having him there.

"I think everyone realises we've all got to lift a little and take on a bit of the slack."

The Mason-Fielden incident happened after New Zealand coach Brian McClennan branded Mason "a joke" who needed to "have a good look at himself" following the Australian's expletive-ridden outburst during the Kiwis' pre-match haka in Auckland.

The colourful giant has opinions divided, with some insisting he has breathed new life into international football and others labelling him a disgrace.

But Australia captain Lockyer and Bulldogs captain Ryan, who will start in the second row, said last night that Mason was one of the Kangaroos' most popular and respected players.

"Willie's a character in our game," Lockyer said.

"People always say the game, because of its professionalism, is probably losing its characters. But Willie is one of those guys.

"Underneath Willie being Willie, there's a part of him that is very kind and he cares a lot about the team."

Clubmate Ryan said Mason's greatest attributes were his infectious energy and staunch loyalty.

"He's enthusiastic, he's a great talker, he's a leader," Ryan said.

"He gets hammered a lot in the media and in the public, but he's a great bloke to have around.

"He's just always pumped and ready to go. It's a pretty hard thing to do in such a long season. He just keeps lifting people every week.

"A lot of blokes follow him because he's just so enthusiastic and so keen."



Source: Courier Mail.

[Go_The_Doggies]

Hopefully this stint on the sidelines will give Willie some time just to think, and calm down a little. Then if Australia win *hopefully*..him and Kidwell can start their war of words again, well Mason can lol, as Kidwell doesnt really talk much in the media.

[Grimmace]

Inglis Ready to Show Best
Thursday, November 16, 2006 - 10:23 AM

Greg Inglis has had a bumper year. He has gone from a bench player to become a valued member of the Kangaroos team, but for now the flying winger is focused on Great Britain and getting one back on the Lions after the defeat the Kangaroos suffered last start.



?We?re all training good and we are really looking forward to this weeks game. Training has been good this week so hopefully we can get one back on the Poms?.



Inglis doesn?t only want to beat the Great Britain team to exact a measure of revenge but also to play in the Tri Nations final that he has been dreaming of since he was a younger teenager.



?To be honest I would rather play New Zealand in the final. They have always been the more dominant team in the past and are the more traditional rival recently. Great Britain has loads of talent as well and they have some great players, but growing up as a kid New Zealand were the rivals, and I would rather play them. I just want to get one up on the Poms too?.



It has been a fierce introduction to the International arena for Inglis with this Tri-Nations series being famously aggressive and full of spite, but Inglis expected it and wouldn?t have it any other way.



?I expected it would be a physical series. They are all proud teams that are in the Tri-Nations. New Zealand Great Britain have some tough players in their teams.



We want to get back the title we lost last year, and with that pride and wanting it back you can always expect some fireworks?.



While Inglis has been a regular in the team, plenty of others have been in and out of the side at various stages of the tournament including some of his own Melbourne team-mates, and while Matt King is missing out through injury this time he could not be happier for Storm front rower Antonio Kaufusi to be making his debut.



?I really feel for Matt King being out of the game with hid calf, but the team has a few days to prepare with a bit of a different squad. We are doing all we can, the team seems ready?.



?Antonio Kaufusi is in the side and that is huge for him. He has had a huge year and it?s something he deserved?.



Knowing this game will have a huge impact on the rest of the series, they are expecting a big crowd at Suncorp, which may contain a few members of the Barmy Army, but Inglis believes the fans who cheer for him at Origin time will turn up in droves to outnumber the Lions fans, and names that as a major reason he enjoys playing at Suncorp Stadium.



?There will always be a lot of Poms, but you know there will always be more Aussies, especially up here, the crowds are always great. I really enjoy playing in Queensland?.



Inglis enjoyed it so much that he insists the people are the reason he decided to become a maroon in the first place.



?I only had one year up here. I love the passion the boys play with and that the people have. They are the reasons I love being in Queensland, especially playing at Suncorp.



Playing for Australia is the highlight of my career and wearing that green and gold out on to Suncorp this Saturday will be huge for me?.





Source: NRL

[Victor]

Go great britian

[Grimmace]

Hodges link between two stars
By Dan Koch
November 16, 2006

AUSTRALIA centre Justin Hodges says he is happy to fill a "middleman" role between match-winning duo Darren Lockyer and Greg Inglis in Saturday night's match against Britain at Suncorp Stadium.

Hodges will partner Inglis in a potentially devastating combination on Australia's left side after overcoming a hamstring complaint which saw him miss the shock 23-12 loss to the Lions in Sydney two weeks ago.

In the opening two games of the series against New Zealand, Inglis, 19, confirmed himself as the game's next superstar, averaging more than 150m with the football and running in three tries, including two sensational individual efforts in Australia's come-from-behind win in Melbourne.

In the disjointed performance against the Lions at Aussie Stadium, Inglis saw little quality ball on the wing, leading to calls for him to be switched to fullback.

While he and custodian Karmichael Hunt will interchange throughout the 80 minutes on Saturday night, Inglis will spend most of his time on the end of the Queensland-dominated backline.

"It is my job to make sure he gets some good, early ball because he has shown he can take care of the rest," Hodges said.

"You saw how good he is with the ball in his hands in that second game against New Zealand. He carved them up.

"So I guess it is up to me to get in there and try to create some space for him to work in."

Like Inglis, Lockyer struggled to have his usual impact on the match in Sydney, with Ben Hornby assuming most of the playmaking duties in the early stages before the veteran skipper took over in the second stanza, but was unable to drag his side over the line.

Hodges said it was crucial that the rest of the team "do their bit" and give Lockyer and Inglis the support they needed to get Australia's Tri-Nations campaign back on track.

"If you lay a platform for Locky he knows what to do," Hodges said.

"With guys like Locky and Greg, we have enough talent to win as long as we do the little things right like controlling the ball and being really strong in the wrestle."

With 10 Queenslanders in the 17, Hodges said he was confident there would be plenty of support for the Kangaroos and also suggested the familiar faces will make for a more polished display.

The successful State of Origin combination of Hunt, Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith will fill the key ball-playing roles for Ricky Stuart's side.

"Our last ball session was the sharpest we have done since we came into camp," Hodges said.

"Those guys know each other's game and all work together really well.

"They complement each other and it makes it really easy for you out wide."

Stuart and assistant coach Craig Bellamy have also had the squad working hard on its work in the ruck area, after it was caught out several times by the big British forwards.

Despite speculation about his supposedly frosty relationship with his former coach at the Roosters, Hodges was yesterday full of praise for Stuart and said he would return to club football a better player for the experience.

"It's been everything I thought it would be. More even," Hodges said.

"Being around these guys and training and playing with them. They are the best players in the game and it's an awesome experience.

"Working with Ricky has been great as well. He is a great coach and is so passionate about Australia and I think that rubs off."

Britain has named Hull's Richard Horne to replace halfback Sean Long, who left the tourists' camp on Monday amid allegations of misbehaviour.

Long landed in London yesterday, but dismissed claims he had been kicked off the tour, saying he was exhausted after playing more than 40 games this season.

Wing Brian Carney was ruled out, while lock Sean O'Loughlin returns after missing last week's loss to the Kiwis with a hamstring strain.

The Lions need a draw or a win on Saturday to earn a spot in next weekend's final against Australia.



source: The Australian

[Coaster]

Bah i cant make the game.

But i will be wearing my Bundy Roo shirt from early this year with pride

[Grimmace]

Brits eyeing greatness: Noble
By Laine Clark
November 16, 2006 A TRI-Nations final berth will be on the line against Australia at Brisbane on Saturday night - but Great Britain coach Brian Noble believes something much bigger is on offer.

Forget Tri-Nations survival - Noble says his embattled team is eyeing rugby league greatness.

Noble tonight said his team did not want to miss its chance of going down in the annals as one of the great Great Britain sides by claiming an historic Tri Nations title in Australia.

On paper, Great Britain is reeling after matchwinner Sean Long returned home due to personal reasons following last weekend's record 34-4 loss to New Zealand in Wellington.

However, Noble staunchly believes his side still has what it takes to not only keep its Tri Nations campaign alive, but to enter the history books.

Asked if he had discussed the team's chance to go down in Test football annals as great achievers by winning the Tri-Nations, Noble said: "People talk about heroes and legends of yesteryear - we're in a position to write our own stories.

"We came here wanting to earn a fair bit of respect from Australia and the Kiwis and I think we have put our foot in the door.

"But we need to put another foot in there and we will do that with performance.

"We know Australia is determined to put right from wrong after Sydney (a 23-12 loss by the Kangaroos) but this is what it is about - we have to stand up.

"I think we've got every chance of doing that."

Noble hoped his side would react to the Long controversy the same way New Zealand responded after having two competition points deducted and Nathan Fien banned from playing the tournament over the "Grannygate" affair.

"I hope they do, but they are not focussing too much on the Long affair," he said.

"No one has done anything wrong to us. No one has poked us with a stick and said 'you can't do that'.

"We have lost a player for personal reasons which we should respect.

"What we are is very determined to put right our performance from last weekend."

While Noble said his side was very unlucky during the 34-4 loss, he still believed Great Britain "weren't ready mentally" - and vowed not to let it happen again.

"There is a great feeling in the camp. Sometimes you have to go through an experience like last week in Wellington to reinforce the fact that perhaps we weren't ready mentally to go forward with another physical tussle," he said.

"I think they are this week, plus we are in a do or die situation - that reinforces that determination."

Of being handed the "underdog" tag for Saturday night's clash, Noble said: "I don't think there is such a thing at this level.

"We know Australia is a pretty good team but we think we are as well - we still own our destiny."

Noble tonight trimmed his seven-man bench, cutting Hull duo Kirk Yeaman and Garreth Carvell and Leeds utility Rob Burrow.

AAP

[jenny]

Seeking Suncorp redemption

By Dean Ritchie

November 17, 2006 12:00
Article from: The Daily Telegraph



AUSTRALIAN players are ignoring the dead-rubber scenario and are seeking immediate redemption in tomorrow night's Tri-Nations Test against Great Britain in Brisbane.

The Kangaroos are still hurting from their shock 23-12 loss to Great Britain in Sydney a fortnight ago and are taking a ruthless edge into the Suncorp Stadium match. "We want some redemption,'' Australian prop Petero Civoniceva told The Daily Telegraph last night.

"We are all proud Australians and love playing Test football. Traditionally Australia and Great Britain have such great rivalry so that's more of a reason why it hurt so much losing that Test and the fact it happened on our home soil.

"But we have another opportunity to bury the demons. We were all disappointed by our previous game. A lot of the boys know how important this match is to us as a team.''

Great Britain appear jaded and mentally down ahead of the game. Halfback Sean Long's sudden departure has not helped a camp tired after a gruelling six week tour.

"It is very important we go into the final feeling confident,'' Civoniceva said. "We don't want to get to the stage where we're not improving as the tournament goes on. If anything after the Great Britain loss, we have taken a step back.

"There wasn't one bloke in our 17 who wasn't really disappointed in our effort against Great Britain in Sydney. If we could turn the clock back I'm sure we would do things differently. But that is all history now and we have the chance to put that behind us.''

Australian forward Andrew Ryan agreed his side will be ready and waiting for the tourists. "They came out of the block and were on fire last time and they will be ready to play this weekend,'' Ryan said. "It's win at all costs for them and it is definitely going to be a big challenge for us.''

Civoniceva said the British were simply too good in Sydney. "Take nothing away from Great Britain,'' he said. "They were very committed and we certainly didn't help ourselves by the amount of cheap possession we turned over. We also lacked patience when it got tight.''

New Zealand coach Brian McClennan says Australia should be cautious tomorrow evening. "I definitely wouldn't write Great Britain off, but I also think Australia's proud tradition in rugby league is so strong that they'll be very, very difficult to beat,'' he said.

"They haven't been beaten twice in a row in the same year by a team in decades. They're very proud of that record.''