All Stars shortlist of 64 announced
NRL.com Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:06:00
With Stage One of the NRL All Stars public selection process now complete, a shortlist of 64 players has revealed the contenders for Wayne Bennett’s side to take on the ‘Learn. Earn. Legend!’ Indigenous All Stars in the 2011 Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars match, at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast on February 12.
More than 21,000 Rugby League fans took up the challenge of playing selector and now the public has the tough task of choosing just one player from each of the 16 NRL Clubs to join Kangaroos captain Darren Lockyer and New Zealand captain Benji Marshall in the 20-man squad.
Fans must now decide between players like Todd Carney, Nate Myles, Braith Anasta and Shaun Kenny -Dowall from the Roosters, Josh Dugan, David Shillington, Bronson Harrison and Jarrod Croker from the Raiders and Feleti Mateo, Simon Mannering, Lance Hohaia and Manu Vatuvei from the Warriors.
“The second stage of NRL All Stars voting is certainly a challenging task for the fans,†NRL Chief Executive, David Gallop, said today.
“You only have to look at the players who missed out to realise just how competitive the voting process is.
“Some of Rugby League’s biggest names have missed out including players like Mark Gasnier, Mitchell Pearce and Michael Ennis.
“Now the fans have the difficult task of choosing one player from each NRL club and between players such as Nathan Hindmarsh and Jarryd Hayne to represent the Eels and Luke Lewis and Michael Jennings for the Panthers.â€Â
The following 64 players have been shortlisted for selection in the 2011 NRL All Stars:
Brisbane Broncos
Corey Parker, Ben Hannant – Forwards
Alex Glenn, Ben Hunt - Backs
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Greg Eastwood, Frank Pritchard - Forwards
Bryson Goodwin, Ben Roberts - Backs
Canberra Raiders
David Shillington, Bronson Harrison - Forwards
Josh Dugan, Jarrod Croker - Backs
Cronulla Sharks
Paul Gallen, Jeremy Smith - Forwards
Nathan Gardner, Colin Best - Backs
Gold Coast Titans
Ashley Harrison, Mark Minichiello - Forwards
Kevin Gordon, William Zillman - Backs
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Anthony Watmough, Brent Kite - Forwards
Jamie Lyon, Tony Williams - Backs
Melbourne Storm
Cameron Smith, Adam Blair - Forwards
Cooper Cronk, Chase Stanley - Backs
Newcastle Knights
Neville Costigan, Zeb Taia - Forwards
Akuila Uate, Kurt Gidley - Backs
North Queensland Cowboys
Dallas Johnson, Matthew Scott - Forwards
Antonio Winterstein, Ashley Graham - Backs
Parramatta Eels
Nathan Hindmarsh, Tim Mannah - Forwards
Jarryd Hayne, Luke Burt - Backs
Penrith Panthers
Luke Lewis, Petero Civoniceva - Forwards
Michael Jennings, Michael Gordon - Backs
St George Illawarra Dragons
Ben Creagh, Dean Young - Forwards
Darius Boyd, Brett Morris - Backs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Dave Taylor, Roy Asotasi - Forwards
Fetuli Talanoa, Junior Vaivai - Backs
Sydney Roosters
Nate Myles, Braith Anasta - Forwards
Todd Carney, Shaun Kenny-Dowall - Backs
New Zealand Warriors
Feleti Mateo, Simon Mannering - Forwards
Lance Hohaia, Manu Vatuvei - Backs
Wests Tigers
Gareth Ellis, Robbie Farah - Forwards
Lote Tuqiri, Chris Lawrence - Backs
Please note: Sam Burgess and Billy Slater were both withdrawn from the voting process due to injury.
The next stage of voting will see NRL All Stars coach Wayne Bennett guide fans by placing the 64 shortlisted players into positions he wants them to be considered for as well as outlining the make-up of the bench positions he wants covered.
Bennett’s positions will be released on January 2, 2011, with Stage Two voting opening at Midday AEDT (11:00am Queensland time) on January 3 at
www.nrl.com/allstars
and continuing until 11:59pm AEDT on January 27.
At the end of Stage One, the top 10 voted players for the NRL All Stars are:
1. Nathan Hindmarsh, Parramatta Eels
2. Josh Dugan, Canberra Raiders
3. Sam Burgess*, South Sydney Rabbitohs
4. Todd Carney, Sydney Roosters
5. Jarryd Hayne, Parramatta Eels
6. Anthony Watmough, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
7. Fetuli Talanoa, South Sydney Rabbitohs
8. Alex Glenn, Brisbane Broncos
9. Luke Lewis, Penrith Panthers
10. Michael Jennings, Penrith Panthers
* Withdrawn from voting due to injury.
Overview of NRL All Stars voting:
- The first player to be chosen in the NRL All Stars team will be the player who scores the highest number of overall votes in a position.
- Once a player from one club is placed in the team, no other player from that club can be chosen.
- If a player withdraws from the team due to injury, he will be replaced by someone from the bench.
- The open bench spot will then be replaced by someone from the injured player’s club, with the new player having recorded the second highest number of votes from that club, either as a forward, back or utility, depending on the position needed for the bench.
The NRL All Stars will play the Indigenous All Stars in the 2011 Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast on Saturday, February 12.
The Indigenous All Stars line-up was announced in November by coach Laurie Daley and features: Preston Campbell (c), Nathan Merritt, Willie Tonga, Greg Inglis, Jharal Yow Yeh, Scott Prince, Johnathan Thurston, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Travis Waddell, George Rose, Sam Thaiday, Jamal Idris, Greg Bird, Ben Barba, Jamie Soward, Carl Webb, Cory Paterson, Joel Thompson, Ryan James and Matt Bowen.
Less than 2000 tickets remain for the match. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketek outlets, by calling 132 849 or online at www.ticketek.com.au or click here.
New Zealand customers can call 0800 842 538 or +61 132 849.