Buzzing for this now. It?s true, they can beat us if we don?t complete high and make as many sloppy/unlucky (depending on how to see it) individual errors as we have done the last few weeks. However, there is so much to exploit in their team. A three quarter line that is paper thin, two halves with no confidence, and a pack that?s full of penalties and mistakes. The props they?ve assembled in the last few weeks - Singleton, Salabio, Dezaria - are intense, aggressive, but so daft, and if we just play professional robot rugby in the middle third, we?ll kill them. I imagine they?ll line up: Hoy, Qareqare, Cini, Wood, Kershaw, Asi, Milnes, Lawler, Horne, Singleton, Simbiken, Mellor, Westerman. Rimbu, Dezaria, Salabio, Okora. Pretty much their starting 13. 


As for us, Max returning makes me feel so much more positive. I?d give Griffin another week off, purely because we have two better second rowers in front of him now. For me it?s Rourke, Johnstone, Pratt, Scott, Walmsley, Jowitt, Lino, McMeeken, Hood, Uele, Vagana, Nikotemo, Pitts. Smith, Rodwell, Atoni, Cozza.


Hall, Griffin, Croft, Faatili can feel unlucky to miss out, but that?s the great thing about our depth now. If anyone plays lazy on Thursday, they?re cut. Could do with another halfback, like! Then we really will be dangerous.

Would you not say Dom Young is in front of him?
Tom is certainly in contention.


All I'm saying is at that level there are fine margins that get you the spot and he'll do better if he can turn a break like that into a try.
Hoy is a good player but he isn't getting within 50 players of a 1 spot in the team Tom will be playing against 

Yeah, he does a bit. Saying that, I'd love to know the stats of how many minutes he's averaging a game and then comparing it against other middles, because I can't see anyone being close who plays Prop. Obviously, when he's played long minutes, penalties creep in, so it goes hand in hand with playing him all match or most of it. I know he's playing a bit less than he was, but still. It's why we need to give Faatili more game time, he seems to be up to speed now after gradually building up his minutes since he arrived. Otherwise Mike will be shagged half way through the season.

I have no idea. I don?t watch NRL. But in the games Tom was fit for Tom he has been selected. 

There are fine margins but you not believe the fine margins such as chasing from opposite wing twice saving 4 points, retaining possession from drop outs are not plays worth of international level? I think they are. Those plays could be the difference to winning vs Australia as much as not passing which i still think watching it I?m not convinced we would have scored if he did. 


As for break the line or score try?s we saw it only last week vs Saints when he sent Pratt in with a cracking pass that he?s clearly got that in his locker to turn breaks into try?s. In fact it?s a rarity he fails to do so and maybe this was one of those times. In a tight game where Cas were well up for it though I think a few of them chasing back really was a top defensive effort from them. 


I don?t disagree with fine margins playing a part in being toe to toe with teams like Australia like you say but there were more than a few of those in this weeks game where Tom was involved in that he got right and they ultimately in the end did make the difference. 


I don?t know if he will get in. I hope he does as I will probably go to Wembley to watch but I won?t go if there?s no Trinity players playing. Pretty sure Mckmeeken will be a shoe in though.


I?m not saying your wrong I just think there?s other moments that we are glossing over that mattered even more that are of international standard. 


Hey, at least we are in a position to talk about of a couple of players are in line for a starting shirt. How times have changed for the better. 
 

You are saying the same as me about him, except if others are more consistent it will be noticed.


He is outstanding at recovering the ball at a drop out. Don't know whether Wane will use that tactic of course but it's invaluable to us.


I'm not criticising him as a player. He's one of our best.


But to be an International you need to pick up on those small things.


He's not alone. Ashton looks great but let Welsby out maneuver him to stop a try. They both need to pick up on those little things.
It's the kind of thing Hall McGilivray and even Makinson did at their best.
He has all the attributes, but needs to consistently do those small things.


Chasing back was one of the things that won us the game. But if Walmsley had been on that wing I'd have expected him to do the same. And I think he would.

Think he must be averaging 60/70 minutes a game surely, whilst playing 3/4 full games. As a modern Prop that?s immense. Think I?ve said it before but Faatili needs to be doing 2 20 minute spells to give Mcmeeken a rest, like you say he?ll end up Cooked big time.