Basically, we did a Chelsea. Get a lead, then shut up shop. Chelsea, more often than not, manage to see the game out.
That game was there for the taking, and due to non-existant attacking threat for 20 odd minutes, and then panic station for the last 10, we bottled it....against the weakest Aussie side I can ever remember.
MacNamara is now becoming a master in heroic failure, with no plan B
The ref was, quite frankly, out of his depth. EVERY time we had a kick, either Widdop or Smith was CLATTERED by the on running tackler(s), along side with two second late "flops" which happened umpteen times during the game.
Clark needs to realise that he has teammates, and needs to offload at the correct time. 2 or 3 times he bombed clear cut chances, when he could have taken the easier option of a pass.
Joel Tomkins is currently nowhere near international class, as is Josh Hodgson.
Hall superb. This fellow is a beast. Hill superb. Graham kept getting up after bad knocks.
I can see another heroic defeat next week. Shame, as the players deserve a better coach.
Basically, we did a Chelsea. Get a lead, then shut up shop. Chelsea, more often than not, manage to see the game out.
That game was there for the taking, and due to non-existant attacking threat for 20 odd minutes, and then panic station for the last 10, we bottled it....against the weakest Aussie side I can ever remember.
MacNamara is now becoming a master in heroic failure, with no plan B
The ref was, quite frankly, out of his depth. EVERY time we had a kick, either Widdop or Smith was CLATTERED by the on running tackler(s), along side with two second late "flops" which happened umpteen times during the game.
Clark needs to realise that he has teammates, and needs to offload at the correct time. 2 or 3 times he bombed clear cut chances, when he could have taken the easier option of a pass.
Joel Tomkins is currently nowhere near international class, as is Josh Hodgson.
Hall superb. This fellow is a beast. Hill superb. Graham kept getting up after bad knocks.
I can see another heroic defeat next week. Shame, as the players deserve a better coach.
This
If ferris and JT is the best we can muster for Hock and Westwood then McNamara in charge down yonder clearly exhibits how well the appointment is working!!!
McNamara is too soft. Bad decisions go against his team and he just takes it. "oh, i'm not sure if it was a try or not".
If he wants to see how to go on a proper rant, he needs to check out Matt Parrish's recent interview regarding match officials.
Of course, the difference is Parrish doesn't have a job in the NRL, McNamara does and he's probably s**tting it because if he stirs anything up, he thinks he could lose his job.
With respect to England's response to the VR decision Australian captian Cameron Smith said: "I think they were trying to bluff the referee, a lot of teams do that".
Interesting comment from Wilkins in the highlight show to the effect that England look at their most dangerous when Hill and Clarke are on the pitch together.... the future is bright, the future is PnB!
Joel Tomkins inclusion in this side baffled me but didn't surprise me, when you have a 1st team coach 11 and a half thousand miles away running the team!!!
JT was the England replacement for Hock or Westwood, take your pick. That is a MASSIVE drop in back rower talent, I would have even been satisfied with Ablett. There was even Cooper in that squad he could have selected before him, and from McNamara's own back garden, raving it up!!!
Okay I know there are excuses for not selecting two of them but please! Charnley showed more skill before kick off with his finger up his nose! JT perhaps 10 SL games? No preseason conditioning, a flop in Union not getting game time.
Would the Aussies put up with such an farce of a coaching set up as ours with McNanara? And I hope the donuts on here who backed him on another thread and told me to shut it revise their thoughts!
Elliot Whitehead must have watched that game today and thought "what the love is going on?!" I said on the last page, Whitehead was the best back rower in SL last season and he was nowhere to be seen.
Yet JTomkins, the turncoat Union nice bloke, gets straight in the team after less than a dozen average games back in SL and he contributed absolutely nothing in two games in this Four Nations. Then you have Ferres, who hasn't impressed me in any game I've seen him play in for over a year gets in the team as a sub for these two games and contributes absolutely nothing as well.
Elliot Whitehead must have watched that game today and thought "what the love is going on?!" I said on the last page, Whitehead was the best back rower in SL last season and he was nowhere to be seen.
Yet JTomkins, the turncoat Union nice bloke, gets straight in the team after less than a dozen average games back in SL and he contributed absolutely nothing in two games in this Four Nations. Then you have Ferres, who hasn't impressed me in any game I've seen him play in for over a year gets in the team as a sub for these two games and contributes absolutely nothing as well.
Could be worse, the toffs are talking about where Sam Burgess will feature in their England squad before he has even played a minute of the sport. Embarrassing.
Ferris was on fire, last year. Sadly, that was last year. That's a bench spot taken up. Tomkins J just nowhere near what's required Westerman living on previous years' reputations You never know if SO'L is going to be fit or not Farrell is too "in and out" in his performances
So that's the scrum's back 3 covered, and it's not great. It's certainly not Test level.
This MUST give the likes of Currie and Laithwaite the fillip they need to reach Test level (even though they aren't there, atm). They can't do any worse than what's was out there, this morning.