GB players - the Crunch Test : Sat Nov 16, 2019 12:43 pm
In honour of the GB team marking their return to the international arena by sending out the worst representative RL team that's left these shores since 2008, I thought I'd apply what I call the Crunch Test to the 2019 tourists and the form they've shown when coming up against REAL opposition (though they've not even played Australia, we should remember). It's the same one I've applied to various Wigan teams over the years and is not complex.A = Exceptional; B = Good; C = Average; D = Poor; E = Total rubbish.
Players who've barely appeared are also going to be included, because all this means is that they've not been deemed good enough for selection even in a team as awful as this one. Players who got injured will be judged on the little we saw of them before they limped off.
For what it's worth, I've always reckoned that no successful team can afford to field more than a couple of players who are C-standard or below. So, let's see how this lot measure up.
James Graham - E
Blake Austin - D
John Bateman - C
Tom Burgess - D
Daryl Clark - C
Jake Connor - E
Lachlan Coote - E
Oliver Gildart - E
Zak Hardaker - E
Jackson Hastings - C
Ryan Hall - E
Chris Hill - E
Josh Hodgson - C
Jack Hughes - E
Josh Jones - E
Jonny Lomax - D
Jermaine McGillvary - E
Joe Philbin - D
Luke Thompson - D
Jake Trueman - E
Alex Walmsley - E
Elliott Whitehead - D
Gareth Widdop - E
George Williams - E
Yep. I reckon that just about says it all.