Tonga V Aus 2018

[manlyfan76]

Sat October 20 530/430

Kangaroos updated squad: Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Daly Cherry-Evans, Damien Cook, Boyd Cordner (c), Tyson Frizell, Dane Gagai, Valentine Holmes, Ben Hunt, Felise Kaufusi, Luke Keary, David Klemmer, Josh McGuire, Jordan McLean, Latrell Mitchell, Tyrone Peachey, James Tedesco, Jake Trbojevic, Tom Trbojevic, Aaron Woods




Tonga squad: Andrew Fifita, Addin Fonua-Blake, David Fusitu’a, Siliva Havilli, Ata Hingano, Will Hopoate, Konileti Hurrell, Michael Jennings, Solomone Kata, Sione Katoa, Tuimoala Lolohea, Sika Manu, Ben Murdoch-Masilla, Joe Ofahengaue, Tevita Pangai, Jason Taumalolo, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Peni Terepo, Daniel Tupou. Development players: Robert Jennings, Leivaha Pulu.

Aussie's might need to get a new 5/8 and some forwards.

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www...gest-in-tongan-history-siliva-havili.amp.html

This is probably the biggest game in our wee little country's history, going up against the world champions," Havili said.

"We need all the time we can get to prepare the best we can - hopefully having these 10 days in camp will pay off.

"The more time we spend together, the more comfortable we get with our teammates and develop that trust, which we hope will lead to a good performance."

Tonga have based themselves in Hamilton for the match preparation, rekindling the fantastic memories of the 2017 World Cup.

Despite a heartbreaking loss to England at Waikato Stadium, which signalled the end of their campaign, the 28-22 win over New Zealand at the same venue represented the greatest moment in the Pacific Island's rugby league history - arguably the greatest moment in Tongan sport.

 

[manlyfan76]

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www...t-a-warm-up-for-the-mate-maa-tonga-clash/amp/

they gave the 2017 Rugby League World Cup the shot in the arm it desperately needed.

I was extremely excited about how Tonga might perform. And I wasn’t disappointed. They lost only one game of the five they played – the semi final to England in which they went down by two points. Over the tournament they scored an average of 30 points a game, while Australia and the Kiwis (who both flogged easy-beat sides) averaged 34. The Tongan matches were all exciting and hotly contested.

And their crowd was totally and utterly berserk. A sea of fanatical red went everywhere with them and it was superb.

The red wave of Tonga seems to be growing exponentially. Of the 25 Test matches that Tonga has played – the first being in 1995 – they have won 12 of them. Six of those wins have come in their last seven games. Prior to 2017 Mate Ma’a Tonga had a 33 per cent win rate. It is now 50 per cent. It is 85 per cent since last May.

Make no mistake, the change has been the eligible players rallying to their cause. When Tonga were defeated 32-18 by Papua New Guinea in 2014, Sika Manu was the only regular NRL first grade player in the team.

The squad to take on the Kangaroos at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday 20 October has 19 regular NRL first grade players in it. Six of them have won premierships.

 

[jbb/james]

Big chance they will do Australia i reckon. Aussies are young, lack direction and experience. Tonga plays on emotion and have a hard skillful team

Big challenge for mal to get this team up. They really need keary to play. If he doesnt i don't see Oz winning

 

[ManEagle]

Could be a cracker of a game, Tonga going all out as they do always, with the Roos smarting from the NZ loss wanting to prove themselves. Dont think Hunt should be there and if so I hope Keary stays on if he gets passed to play. I just felt even with limited opportunities Hunt whiteanted DCE for control, if that happens again and the forwards don't match up we are ripe for the taking.

 

[HoldenV8]

Lets be honest here.....would Tonga be anything more than the international minnows they were if players like Taumalolo had chosen to play for NZ or if Fifita wasn't such a douche and got a ban on playing a couple of games for Australia resulting in him choosing Tonga instead?

The biggest shot in the arm was that players of that caliber decided to play for Tonga rather than what Islanders have done for years which is go the Kiwi or Kangaroo route.

As for the game itself, I think Meninga needs to give DCE license to roam both sides of the field and not confine the halves to one left, one right. Cook as a dummy half goes left a hell of a lot more than he does to the right. He did it in Origin for NSW, he does it for Souffs and he did it last night for the Kangaroos. That is clearly going to favour the half that is on the left which the way the side lines up will be Keary or Hunt. DCE was clearly Australia's better half last night, yet he received probably no more than 33% of the ball stuck out on the right. If this is his team as Meninga said, then let it be his team.

And the biggest problem with continually going left last night was that Cook, Hunt and to a lesser extent Mitchell kept on making errors which handed over possession. When they did go right to Cherry, we usually made ground and scored a couple of times as a result.

Jake needs to start over Maguire, plain and simple. Maguire was soft in defence last night and it hurt the Kangaroos. The rot started when DWZ just ran straight over the top of him.

McLean needs to be dropped altogether for RCG. How he even got picked is beyond me. And don't get me started on Gagai. If he wasn't a Queenslander where there is a smaller talent pool, he wouldn't even be a rep player and no way should he be in this squad ahead of Addo-Carr.

Meninga made some very Barrett-like basic coaching errors last night. He didn't use the side to its strengths and some selections left a bit to be desired.

I wonder if we'll see a ground record attendance for this game?

 

[The Who]

If Ben Hunt plays then the Roos will probably get beaten.
There also needs to be a couple of changes in the forwards. The pack against NZ was the weakest in memory.
With the preponderance of forwards coming to the NRL from from Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, New Guinea etc, Australia will not be sure RL World Champions in the years ahead.

 

[jbb/james]

Lets be honest here.....would Tonga be anything more than the international minnows they were if players like Taumalolo had chosen to play for NZ or if Fifita wasn't such a douche and got a ban on playing a couple of games for Australia resulting in him choosing Tonga instead?

The biggest shot in the arm was that players of that caliber decided to play for Tonga rather than what Islanders have done for years which is go the Kiwi or Kangaroo route.

As for the game itself, I think Meninga needs to give DCE license to roam both sides of the field and not confine the halves to one left, one right. Cook as a dummy half goes left a hell of a lot more than he does to the right. He did it in Origin for NSW, he does it for Souffs and he did it last night for the Kangaroos. That is clearly going to favour the half that is on the left which the way the side lines up will be Keary or Hunt. DCE was clearly Australia's better half last night, yet he received probably no more than 33% of the ball stuck out on the right. If this is his team as Meninga said, then let it be his team.

And the biggest problem with continually going left last night was that Cook, Hunt and to a lesser extent Mitchell kept on making errors which handed over possession. When they did go right to Cherry, we usually made ground and scored a couple of times as a result.

Jake needs to start over Maguire, plain and simple. Maguire was soft in defence last night and it hurt the Kangaroos. The rot started when DWZ just ran straight over the top of him.

McLean needs to be dropped altogether for RCG. How he even got picked is beyond me. And don't get me started on Gagai. If he wasn't a Queenslander where there is a smaller talent pool, he wouldn't even be a rep player and no way should he be in this squad ahead of Addo-Carr.

Meninga made some very Barrett-like basic coaching errors last night. He didn't use the side to its strengths and some selections left a bit to be desired.

I wonder if we'll see a ground record attendance for this game?

Interesting that you mention cooks selection of sides. It was part of it for sure. While mitchell did have poor hands that side did get early clean ball and looked very dangerous when they controlled it.

Turbo and gagai got none unless they went in for hit ups and i dare say it wasnt all as a result of cook. There were a lot of similarities in the aussie game as to manly in that regard. Also cherry did spend a lot of time at dummy half in the second half which i thought was strange

Add to that, when a trick shot was tried near the end it was hunt that chipped and cherry chased. Cherry does not demand the ball in tough situations very often. He is happy to let someone else take control. You have to take that into account as well. He was oretty quiet except for his involvement in 2 tries. One was great play , the other somewhat lucky

 

[HappilyManly]

https://twitter.com/Kangaroos/status/1051760901282390016?s=19

 

[The '47ers]

Maybe we could scare them off with a few bottles of this stuff!

https://www.news.com.au/technology/...e/news-story/eacbc5d8834aad62f86aa64b1039ad10

 

[HappilyManly]

Australia squad

1. James Tedesco

2. Dane Gagai

3. Latrell Mitchell

4. Tom Trbojevic

5. Valentine Holmes

6. Luke Keary

7. Daly Cherry-Evans

8. David Klemmer

9. Damien Cook

10. Jordan McLean

11. Boyd Cordner (C)

12. Felise Kaufusi

13. Josh McGuire.

Interchange:

14. Ben Hunt

15. Jake Trbojevic

16. Tyson Frizell

17 Aaron Woods

 

[HappilyManly]

Tonga team

1. Will Hopate

2. Daniel Tupou

3. Michael Jennings

4. Solomone Kata

5. David Fusitu’a

6. Tuimoala Lolohea

7. Ata Hingano

8. Andrew Fifita

9. Siliva Havili

10. Siosua Taukaiaho

11. Tevita Pangai Jr

12. Sika Manu

13. Jason Taumalolo

Interchange:

14. Sione Katoa

15. Addin Fonua-Blake

16. Joe Ofahengaue

17. Peni Terepo

 

[Harvies elbow]

Australia squad

1. James Tedesco

2. Dane Gagai

3. Latrell Mitchell

4. Tom Trbojevic

5. Valentine Holmes

6. Luke Keary

7. Daly Cherry-Evans

8. David Klemmer

9. Damien Cook

10. Jordan McLean

11. Boyd Cordner (C)

12. Felise Kaufusi

13. Josh McGuire.

Interchange:

14. Ben Hunt

15. Jake Trbojevic

16. Tyson Frizell

17 Aaron Woods

Ben Hunt.
Wow...

 

[The Who]

Tonga's forwards are the equal of ours but their half and 5/8 are not as good as ours - provided Hunt doesn't play.

 

[Blake A]

Australia will think they are playing in Tonga on Sat night. It will be a sea of red. Being a Kiwi, I have a soft spot for Tonga..... but I want Australia to hammer them for 2 reasons.... 1. The Manly boys confidence and 2. I really am sick of Andrew Fifita.

 

[jbb/james]

The tongan forwards will tear us a new one if they get more ball, particulary early. However i dont see a sustainded defence from the tongans so it could work the other way around.

Ball control and posession wins this game.

Mal wont want to lose 2 in a row so i suspect the aussies will start methodically, with a good kick chase .

It would be great for the game though if the tongans got up and Australia came back to the pack. Even the poms would fancy there chances if the tongans got up

 

[manlyfan76]

The tongan forwards will tear us a new one if they get more ball, particulary early. However i dont see a sustainded defence from the tongans so it could work the other way around.

Ball control and posession wins this game.

Mal wont want to lose 2 in a row so i suspect the aussies will start methodically, with a good kick chase .

It would be great for the game though if the tongans got up and Australia came back to the pack. Even the poms would fancy there chances if the tongans got up

We havnt lost two in a row since forever.

 

[manlyfan76]

Josh mcguire starting. Lol.

 

[Blake A]

Josh mcguire starting. Lol.

I can't believe he is even in the squad. He is so slow, and a grub.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I'm not convinced by Cordner either really, just in the right place at the right time. Needs a big game to cement his spot..

 

[Blake A]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=274108213237669