1. Sam Tomkins
2. Josh Charnley
3. Kallum Watkins
4. Michael Shenton
5. Ryan Hall
6. Gareth Widdop
7. Matty Smith
8. George Burgess
9. Josh Hodgson
10. James Graham (c)
11. Liam Farrell
12. Joel Tomkins
13. Joe Westerman
14. Daryl Clark
15. Brett Ferres
16. Tom Burgess
17. Chris Hill SAMOA 1. Tim Simona 2. Antonio Winterstein 3. Ricky Leutele 4. Joey Leilua 5. Daniel Vidot 6. Ben Roberts 7. Kyle Stanley 8. Sam Tagaetese 9. Michael Sio 10. David Fa’alogo 11. Frank Pritchard 12. Leeson Ah Mau 13. Josh McGuire
14. Pita Godinet 15. Jesse Sene-Lefao 16. Isaac Liu 17. Mose Masoe 18. Dunamis Lui
By Tony Webeck NRL.com 6:00am Wed 22nd October, 2014 They were two of the most influential front-rowers in the NRL in 2014 but Toa Samoa five-eighth Ben Roberts believes his team has the firepower to match the likes of James Graham and George Burgess when they face England on Saturday evening.
Samoa's task of upsetting the Englishmen has been made slightly more difficult with Reni Maitua, Tautau Moga and Sauaso Sue all made unavailable for selection while the NRL Integrity Unit assists police with investigations into an alleged incident in Brisbane on Saturday night.
But with a forward pack that features Sam Tagataese, David Fa'alogo, Frank Pritchard and Josh McGuire in the starting side and giants such as Mose Masoe and Jesse Sene-Lefao waiting on the bench, Roberts has complete belief that they can match whatever England throws at them through the middle.
"I think we've got a lot of size up front too but also out the backline we've got some size as well," Roberts said, pointing to the likes of Daniel Vidot and Joey Leilua.
"We're expecting them to be a big side, obviously having the Burgess brothers there and James Graham to lead the way so we're looking forward to the challenge.
"We'll expect [Mose] to lead, which I'm sure he will. Obviously having a pretty successful campaign over there in England this year, winning the competition [with St Helens], so he's on a bit of a high and I think all the boys are feeding off that energy.
"[James Graham] would have to be one of the best front-rowers running around in my eyes; he'd have to be the benchmark. It's a good way for our guys up front to measure how well they're going. If we can keep him limited as well as the other Burgess boys I think we're doing a good job.
"I don't think anyone's really giving us much credit or expecting us to do well which doesn't really faze us. We as a team know how well we can play, it's just a matter of us going out there and doing it together."
The inclusion of McGuire a week after representing the Prime Minister's XIII in Papua New Guinea may be confusing to some but represents a tremendous boost to Samoa's chances of causing an upset.
McGuire was widely considered unlucky not to have played State of Origin for Queensland this year and will be a key figure in keeping the Samoan middle tight in the midst of the beefy English onslaught, in particular the English skipper.
"He's a very talented, very skilled front-rower. He's very lucky he's got the skills to play before the line or through the line," McGuire said of Graham. "A lot of front-rowers are pretty straight up and down where he brings a whole other aspect to the game; he's like a halfback but in a front-rower's body really which is why he's so dangerous.
"He's the NRL prop of the year and he's a key member in their structural play. I think a lot of their play will come off him and what he does and I think they'll base a lot of their footy around him this Four Nations.
"Every game that I've played against James he's been a standout player and we've got to be on full alert when we play against England.
"They've got a tremendous side that are full of NRL experience too. I think they've probably got their strongest squad that they've had in a long time so we're very excited but very aware of how good they are."
The Samoan team spent close to a week back in Samoa preparing for the Four Nations tournament where Roberts worked closely with Kyle Stanley to strike up a combination in the halves.
Although Stanley has played the majority of his NRL career in the centres, Roberts says that as long as they work well together they can work off the back of the good work done by the forwards.
"He's a bright young talent that's been unfortunate with a few injuries coming his way in the start of his career but he's done really well this week," Roberts said.
"He's come into camp and is getting along well with the boys and I think the most important thing is that as long as we've got an understanding and working well together we'll get the team around the park pretty good."
By Matt Encarnacion, Western Sydney Correspondent NRL.com 11:45am Wed 22nd October, 2014
Samoa coach Matt Parish has expressed his deep disappointment over the three players who have been stood down Saturday night's tournament-opener against England at Suncorp Stadium.
Tautau Moga, Reni Maitua and Sauaso Sue were left out of Samoa's line-up named by Parish on Tuesday and remain under investigation by the NRL Integrity Unit for an incident in Brisbane last Saturday night.
"Personally? Very [disappointed], but that’s what rugby league is about. You got your ups and downs you’ve got to move on. You can’t change what’s happened. It’s how you react to it," he said on Wednesday morning.
"The group has reacted very positively. We’ve got a mammoth task in front of us on Saturday night. We’ve trained well. We had a good preparation in Samoa."
Parish, whose team qualified for the Four Nations after defeating Fiji in May, admonished his players for their role in the incident but said they have since fully co-operated with the investigation.
"They are professional athletes and they knew we were training the next day. You’ve got to turn up in an appropriate condition to train," he said.
"They are co-operating and have done everything. There is an inquiry going well.
"I can only comment on the football side of it. We’ve done what we think is right from a Samoan management [perspective] and now it’s in the hands of the integrity commission.
"They’ve been honest and upfront. They’ve helped with all the inquiries. It’s not an ideal situation.
"The boys have been good with the way they’ve cooperated. We’ve been trying to concentrate on football as much as possible."
While the incident has been a significant disruption in their preparation for England, Parish said the nation's first appearance in the tournament was a major opportunity for players like Kangaroos reject Josh McGuire to demonstrate their ability at rep level.
"I think they've definitely got a point to prove. I think guys like Josh McGuire, it's a great opportunity to showcase what he's got to Mal Meninga for next year's Origin series," he said.
"Same with BJ [Joey Leilua], Tim Lafai, when he joins us next week, for the NSW team.
"It's a great opportunity for them all. It's a great opportunity for all our players to show what they've got against the world's best."
McGuire impressed in Australia's Prime Minister's XIII against Papua New Guinea recently but failed to crack Tim Sheens' 24-man squad, and Parish said he was only too happy for the Broncos frontman to join the team.
"Obviously he's come out of a good system at the Broncos.
"He's brought that enthusiasm, he obviously played pretty well in the Prime Minster's XIII against PNG and he's unlucky not to make the Australian team," he said.
"But again he's got a great opportunity as I said to show Mal Meninga what he's got against some very good teams and hopefully push his case for the Queensland team next year.
"From our point of view in Samoa, we'd only be too happy for him to play for us and then cement a spot in the Queensland team because that's what it's all about.
"If you look at last year [with] Milford, way he played for us at the World Cup certainly enhanced his career this year. He obviously got close to Queensland selection."
By Tony Webeck
NRL.com
6:00am Wed 22nd October, 2014
It's a record without international success that stretches back almost as long as South Sydney's premiership drought but England prop George Burgess believes his side is better prepared than ever to win a first Four Nations title.
Burgess and twin brother Tom were both named in coach Steve McNamara's team to face Samoa in the first of the double-header encounters at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night with George to partner Bulldogs enforcer James Graham in a formidable starting front row.
Warriors fullback Sam Tomkins and Dragons five-eighth Gareth Widdop round out the England players currently plying their trade in the NRL.
George Burgess and Graham were only shaded just by Sam Burgess for the Clive Churchill Medal in the Rabbitohs' Grand Final triumph but it is McNamara's season spent on the coaching staff with the Sydney Roosters that could pay the greatest dividends over the course of the tournament.
While the likes of halfback Matty Smith, hooker Josh Hodgson and centre Kallum Watkins remain relatively unknown in the southern hemisphere, McNamara has spent an entire Australian winter swotting up on the best talent that the Australians, Kiwis and Samoans can muster.
The last time an England team tasted success at an international tournament was the 1975 World Series but Burgess is a big believer in the power of knowing your opponent's strengths and weaknesses.
"It's a bit of an insight into our opposition," Burgess said of the bonus of NRL exposure.
"In the past we've not always had a great deal of knowledge on who we're coming up against but a few of us have come up against them every week back in the NRL so it's been good for that experience so hopefully we'll be one step ahead of where we've been in the past few years.
"The Australian-based England players, we catch up a fair bit with Steve and have a meal; he shouts it for us so that's good.
"We catch up every now and again and go through some things that we'd usually do with the squad back in England and it's good to have those check points every now and again.
"[Steve] gets to know the NRL pretty well in his first year and he's at a pretty good club at the Roosters so he'll definitely be ahead of where he was last year I think."
Graham will captain the English team on Saturday in the absence of Sean O'Loughlin with a quad strain and having stood tall in the toughest rugby league competition in the world will drive a simple message into his teammates throughout the course of the tournament: They're only human.
"The only thing where it will helps, for me personally, is the confidence levels," Graham said.
"For the new boys who have never played against them before there is always a bit of nervousness, but the lads have just got to give the non-NRL based players a bit of confidence, tell them they are human after all."
Rather than looking ahead to next week's blockbuster against the Kangaroos in Melbourne, Burgess insisted that the squad remains focused only on Samoa and meeting the challenge they present up front.
But rather than taking a leaf out of the Junior Kangaroos' pre-match approach to the haka in New Zealand last weekend, Burgess said they will give the Samoan Manu Siva Tau the respect it deserves.
"Nah we'll just enjoy it and enjoy the experience," said the 22-year-old who played in all five World Cup matches for England last year.
"You don't get to do it often so you've got to enjoy the experience every time you get the chance. I think it's a great spectacle for the fans and something I always look forward to.
"I think the competition is wide open and anyone can win it, Samoa included. You've just got to take each game one at a time and not underestimate anyone or overestimate anyone.
"Any team on its day is going to be tough to beat so you've got to stick to what you do best."
By Dan Walsh NRL.com 5:00pm Wed 22nd October, 2014 The weather's getting warmer, old blokes are cutting about the beach in Speedos like it's socially acceptable and the NRL season is already fading fast into the rear view mirror.
Thankfully for any league fan worth their salt there's the third instalment of the Four Nations tournament to ease the pain of five mostly footy-free months, and we've got the might of the mother country taking on newcomers Samoa to kick it all off.
And with two of the bigger packs seen on the international stage in recent memory, and just as much muscle out wide, the opening clash of Saturday's double-header promises to be a brutal affair.
Which makes it rather fitting that British Bulldog James Graham will be skippering the English as tour captain Sean O'Loughlin sits out the match with a quad strain.
Based on his outstanding 2014 campaign, where the fire in Graham's belly was matched only by his skill with ball in hand and his phenomenal engine, the 29-year-old is a fine choice to lead what Kiwi coach Steve Kearney declared the "form forward pack in the world" earlier this month.
2014 Super League Man of Steel Daryl Clark will offer plenty off the bench as a shock dummy-half weapon for the English as new halves pairing Gareth Widdop and Matty Smith steer the ship, while the back three of Sam Tomkins, Josh Charnley and Ryan Hall (all 105 kilos of him) provide the strike power out wide.
Steve McNamara's 17 also features seven whose last outing was in a grand final, with Graham and South Sydney's Burgess twins backing up from the NRL decider, while Charnley, Smith, and second-rowers Joel Tomkins and Liam Farrell turned out for Wigan in their 14-6 loss to St. Helens in the Super League final.
The Samoans meanwhile join 'The Big Three' of international league courtesy of a bruising 32-16 defeat of Fiji in May, and coach Matt Parish has recalled nine from the historic win that booked the island nation's maiden Four Nations appearance.
They'll be without Tautau Moga, Reni Maitua and Sauaso Sue, who remain under investigation by the NRL Integrity Unit following an incident at a Brisbane nightspot last week, but still boast a formidable forward contingent and enough big game experience to worry the Poms if they're off their game.
Broncos firebrand Josh McGuire leads a pack featuring heavy hitters Frank Pritchard, Sam Tagataese and David Fa'alogo, while UK-bound Ben Roberts goes round for what could be his last few games on Australian turf with a back five outside him that broke just under 300 tackles between them across the course of the NRL season. Watch Out England:
As is to be expected of an island nation that lists 100-kilogram outside backs amongst its chief exports, the Samoans have speed and power to burn in the three-quarter line.
Joey Leilua and Daniel Vidot both weigh in at well over 100 kegs, while North Queensland's Antonio Winterstein and Cronulla's Ricky Leutele punch at just a tad under, and to a man each of them know what to do when given a bit of room to move.
The right-edge combo of Vidot (who averages 163 metres a game – fourth best in the NRL) and Leilua (92 tackle busts in 2014 – equal 12th in the comp) is particularly potent.
On the other flank Winterstein is in fine touch, having finished 2014 with 15 tries and 16 line breaks, while Leutele is capping a breakout year with a well-deserved Test debut, after most memorably producing a mother of a right fend and leaving some bloke named Sonny Bill Williams stone cold for one of the better individual tries of the year.
Watch Out Samoa:
It's hard to argue with Kearney given the output of the Pom's front-row rotation during the NRL Grand Final.
Defensive lines may not be able to tell the difference between the Burgess twins but they certainly feel the full effect of the pair, none more so than the Bulldogs, who George and Tom bent to the tune of a combined 387 running metres that day.
While the British Bunnies turned in one of their best performances yet in the red and green, Graham used everything in his considerable powers, as well as a few plays outside the regular playbook, to keep the Dogs in the contest, and finished up his 2014 campaign as the best prop in the game.
Put your bottom dollar on the likelihood that he's captaining his country will see him strive to pack even more into his game – assuming that's even possible.
Even without the most illustrious Burgess brother in their midst, the Northerners still possess the best go-forward in the tournament and will be licking their chops at the prospect of coming up against Samoa's less heralded pack.
Plays To Watch:
Gareth Widdop to back himself with a cheeky chip and chase job from almost anywhere outside his own 40 metre line;
Roberts to prove particularly dangerous grubbering into the in-goal after his short kicking game came on in leaps and bounds at Melbourne;
Wigan flankman Charnley to sniff out a try from virtually anywhere considering he's currently punched out 130 of the buggers in 120 first grade games;
TheSamoans to pack in plenty of second-phase play – Leilua, Vidot, Winterstein, and Jesse Sene-Lefao each recorded more than 15 offloads across the course of the NRL season.
Where It Will Be Won:
Up front the English have the advantage when it comes to skill, size and big-game experience – not that that means the Samoans will change their approach one iota.
The likes of McGuire, Pritchard and Tagataese will still rip and tear in a bid to hold their own against England's five-star pack.
The Poms should still get over the top of their Samoan counterparts, and should they do so it's in the halves where they hold the ace up their sleeve.
St. George Illawarra's Widdop took to the extra responsibility at the Dragons this year like a duck to water with 20 try-assists and 21 line break assists in the NRL, and he won't shirk his role as a senior half now he's back in national colours.
Uncapped halfback Smith is also icing his best year to date, one that's featured a grand final appearance with Wigan and selection in Super League's Dream Team, but remains an unknown quantity on the international stage.
Which should see Tomkins (18 line break assists, 13 tries and 108 tackle busts in his first NRL season) spend plenty of time flitting in and out of the front line – adding another string to the English bows that the Samoans will struggle to match.
The History:
Never played. This will be the first time the two nations have squared off in an official Test, with their one and only prior meeting of sort going the way of the English 38-14 in the 2006 Federation Shield final.
Match Officials:
Referee – Gerard Sutton; Touch Judges – Jason Walsh & Anthony Eliott; Video Referee – Henry Perenara.
Televised:
Channel Nine – Live 4pm (AEST), 5pm (ADST).
The Way We See It:
With Graham and the Burgess twins lining up against a Samoan pack with not a shrinking violet in its midst, the opening 20 minutes promises to include a firework or two.
And out wide the Samoans do possess the punch to worry the Poms, though with Tomkins, Charnley and Hall – all prolific tryscorers in their own rights – the English have plenty of firepower of their own.
And that looks to be the tale of the tape right across the park.
McNamara's men look to have Toa Samoa covered in all key departments, with the experience in the halves to guide them home safely.
By Tony Webeck NRL.com 6:00am Thu 23rd October, 2014
There was no better player in the Super League in 2014 than Castleford hooker Daryl Clark but Canberra recruit Josh Hodgson has been preferred by coach Steve McNamara to wear the No.9 in England's Four Nations opener against Samoa on Saturday evening.
Clark's explosiveness out of dummy-half captured the imagination of the competition as Castleford broke a four year finals drought by finishing fourth at the end of the regular season and it earned him a place in McNamara's squad and ultimately a spot on the bench against Samoa.
As he prepares to make his Test debut, a humble Hodgson spoke highly of the impact Clark had on the Super League this year and the different styles that they both bring to the England team.
"Daryl is a very quick player and he has a great turn of pace and he has great feet as well," Hodgson said.
"He didn't win Man of Steel for nothing so he's a great player to have in the team and I'm sure he'll cut teams to ribbons when the big blokes around the ruck are tired.
"The way I play, I'm not sure. I like to think that I work hard and do the little things you don't see like the one per centers for the team. I like to play tough and really I just do anything the coach asks me to do."
It's been a meteoric rise for 21-year-old Clark who was sold to Warrington at the end of the 2013 season to keep Castleford from going into financial administration but who was allowed to stay on with the club whom he made his debut as an 18-year-old in 2011.
After scoring a hat-trick against Widnes earlier in the year – he scored 13 tries for the season – Castleford coach Daryl Powell called for Clark to be England's starting hooker in the Four Nations campaign.
"He's got ability, pace, strength and toughness, he's the perfect rugby league player,” Powell told The Guardian.
"He's got that bit of class about him that can trouble the Australians. They don’t know much about him. He's played some special games this year."
Despite wearing the No.14 for the entire Super League season, Clark started in the vast majority of games but says reverting to the bench for the start of the Four Nations may open up some opportunities.
"I'm just happy to be playing. I'm not too fussed about starting or coming off the bench," Clark said.
"When I come through as a youngster I pretty much made a name for myself coming off the bench and after the first 20 or 30 [minutes] when the big blokes are tiring, so hopefully that will work for me on Saturday.
"The Samoans are a pretty big team so hopefully they'll get tired out pretty quickly."
With Clark waiting in the wings all signs point to the Raiders having found a key ingredient in Hodgson in staging a NRL resurgence in 2015 after signing the soon-to-be 25-year-old from Hull Kingston Rovers to a two-year deal.
Hull born and bred and with a father who was something of a legend in the local leagues and will be proudly watching his son run out for England from back home, Hodgson is not coming to the NRL to ride on the coat-tails of others but to help coach Ricky Stuart usher in an exciting wave of young talent coming up through the grades.
He topped Hull KR's stats for both metres gained and tackles made, was second for tries scored at the club in 2014 with 11 and his 11 try assists were the third-most by a Rovers player and is confident his five years in the Super League have prepared him to take on a leadership role in Canberra.
"I managed to co-captain the Hull Kingston Rovers alongside Travis Burns last year as well, and one of main things I'd usually say was 'practice what you preach' so I think that's one thing I've always tried to live by," Hodgson told NRL.com.
"It is all well and good to talk a big game but you have to go out there and do it yourself and I'd like to think that I did that in my time with Hull KR.
"[Stuart] has said he is looking to rebuild the team and he has some good young kids there from what I'm hearing so he wants me to be a part of that.
"I'm hoping to bring a lot to the side and hopefully if there's a few young kids there in my position I can help them out and hopefully there a few there that can give me a few words of wisdom about the NRL.
"Playing in the NRL is something I have been thinking about for a while and when it came up I just wanted to make it happen really.
"I still had two years on my Hull KR deal but the club were good enough to make it happen for me and let me fulfil my dreams and ambitions as well so they understood... and now I just want to back myself to do a good job for the Raiders."
Thu 23rd October, 10:56AM Newcastle Knights Dave Fa’alogo and Joey Leilua were among the Toa Samoa Four Nations rugby league side that received a rock star welcome arriving at Woodbridge High School in Logan for the team’s official fan day.
Hundreds of fans came out for an autograph session ahead of the side’s maiden Four Nations game against England at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
The Toa Samoan players had a mock game with an under 14s Samoan representative side before taking part in an energy filled battle of war cries against the younger team.
Local Samoan performers then put on a show in the school’s hall with the players not shy in joining in on the traditional dancing.
The Four Nation reps also put on their own show of what to expect prior to the game, which kicks off at 4.30pm on Saturday.
The players were overwhelmed by the number of passionate Samoan fans who came along to meet the representative team and take part in the cultural activities.
The squad spent time in camp in Samoa before they travelled to Brisbane to prepare for the game and experienced a similair outpouring of support while they were staying on the island.
The Four Nations opener will be the first time the two nations face each other in an official test.
By Dan Walsh and Tony Webeck NRL.com 10:00am Fri 24th October, 2014
It's been a big old year for The Big Show.
A maiden call-up to the Queensland Origin squad.
A representative tug-of-war that had the Maroons, Kangaroos, Samoa and at one stage New Zealand all clamouring for his services.
An average of 130 metres and 35 tackles a game that ensured he was one of the first names pencilled onto the Broncos team sheet each week.
And those hefty numbers should result in a similarly robust increase in the digits on his payslip when he inks a new contract sometime in the next 12 months.
It's been a big year on the field and an even bigger one off it for 24-year-old Josh McGuire, who became a first-time father to now five-month old daughter Maiya mid-way through the year, and is set to tie the knot with partner Tanyssa on November 29.
As he gears up for Toa Samoa's opening Four Nations encounter with England, we put on our Captain Obvious cap and float a theory – could the success McGuire's enjoying on the park be somehow related to the brave new world of fatherhood he's just entered off it?
"It's definitely changed me; it just gives you something else to play for really," McGuire told NRL.com.
"[Fatherhood gives you] a responsibility. Your actions don't just involve you any more. They involve your partner and your kids.
"On and off the field you've always got to be professional. It's something else to think about and care for.
"I'm just excited, I want more! It's great. It's a life changer. "
Not to mention a game changer. The same day Maiya was born in late May, McGuire jumped aboard a flight to Sydney, threw on the boots and churned through 114 metres, 15 runs and 45 tackles against the Tigers.
The Aspley junior has played 14 games since, and run for 140 metres or more and made at least 38 tackles in eight of them.
It's the same head down, posterior well and truly up approach that has made McGuire one of the most sought-after young props in the game, and one he's happy to adopt around the house.
"I'm very hands on, I'm one of six boys so I'm very used to kids," McGuire says.
"I love to do as much as I can when home. As a professional athlete you're away a lot, so my partner Tanyssa is amazing and the work she does when I'm away – I can't thank her enough.
"But when I'm home I'm very hands on. I like to get in there and feed her, do the nappies. There's no job that I think I can't do."
So winding up in the Samoan Four Nations squad, after coming within a whisker of being named in Tim Sheens' Kangaroos cohort, is actually a pretty natural fit for McGuire, who qualifies through the Samoan heritage of his New Zealand-born mother Karlene.
"It is different to any other camp that you go to when you play for Samoa," he says.
"I played in 2010 and the boys are very close. It's very family orientated. Everyone here's very professional and hungry to have success in the competition. The boys have been training well and we're excited for our first Four Nations."
Having played two tests for Toa Samoa at the age of 20, McGuire's representative allegiances have been a bone of contention pretty much ever since.
Under the current rules a player is permitted to make one change to their country of choice per World Cup cycle, meaning he can turn out for Samoa in the Four Nations and still play for Queensland and Australia in the future.
But had he made that call earlier in the year for Samoa's mid-year clash with Fiji – a 32-16 win that earned them a call-up to the Four Nations – then he would have used up his switch, and according to Maroons insiders, have placed a future Origin spot in jeopardy.
It's a dance McGuire's getting somewhat used to, so after once again being passed over for a Kangaroos spot after playing in the Prime Minister's XIII last week (the PM's XIII team is not classed as an official Australian side, so this game doesn't affect his eligibility), the blockbusting prop is concentrating on his chance to represent Toa Samoa, and not the disappointment of missing out on the Australian side.
"It's definitely a goal of mine still [to play for Australia] but at the moment I'm 100 per cent focused on Samoa and doing the job for them," McGuire says.
"I watched the mid-year Test. I didn't go to that game; I decided to watch... you only get one change so it is what it is. But I was very excited when the boys won. I was very happy for them and happy for the country.
"[A Kangaroos berth] is hopefully something that will arise one day but at the moment I'm committed to playing for Samoa and playing my best footy.
"The opportunity to play against the best in the world and to represent my mum's heritage is a great opportunity. I'm looking forward to it."
24 fun Four Nations facts NRL.com
1:00pm Fri 24th October, 2014
1. The last person to touch a Steeden in Four Nations football was Darren Lockyer in 2011. His final act on a Rugby League field was during the closing stages of the Four Nations Final when he missed a shot at conversion from all but right in front of the posts in his last game at Elland Road, Leeds. A Four Nations ball hasn’t been kicked in anger since. We’ll call it his Bradman moment.
2. Australia has only lost one game in Four Nations history – it just happened to be the 2010 Final against New Zealand, after they had beat the Kiwis 34-20 a week prior. Ouch.
3. There have been 197 players used across 21 games, three tournaments and six participating nations since the tournament started in 2009.
4. Most Four Nations caps: Cameron Smith, Sam Thaiday, Paul Gallen and James Graham have all played 11 games.
5. England forward Brett Ferres is the only player remaining from the solitary international between England and Samoa – a Federation Shield clash won by England 38-14 in 2006. Though Frank Winterstein (elder brother of current winger Antonio) and Isaak Ah Mau (Leeson’s brother) did turn out for the Samoan side.
6. 2014 England Four Nations squad member and reigning Man of Steel winner Daryl Clark is one of only three players from Castleford to win the Super League's highest honour, the others being former NRL stars Adrian Vowles (1999) and Rangi Chase (2011).
7. Two of England's 2014 Four Nations squad members – Ryan Hall and Sam Tomkins – are level on 21 Test tries as the all-time leading try-scorers for England.
8. England centre Lee Smith scored the first try in Four Nations history, against France in Doncaster.
9. Papua New Guinea are the only team to be held scoreless in a Four Nations fixture – they lost 42-0 to Australia in 2010.
10. Samoa are the fourth different qualifying team in the four iterations of the tournament to join Australia, England and New Zealand since its inception. The other three have been France (2009), PNG (2010) and Wales (2011).
11. Samoa qualified for the tournament this year for the first time by defeating World Cup semi-finalists Fiji 32-16 earlier this year in front of almost 10,000 fans.
12. The biggest crowd in Four Nations history was in Auckland where 44,324 fans witnessed a double-header involving England v PNG and New Zealand v Australia in 2010.
13. The two highest scores in Four Nations history belong to New Zealand: 76-12 over PNG in 2010 and 62-12 over France in 2009. Australia’s biggest score to date is a 56-14 victory over Wales in 2011 that saw the international debuts of Daly Cherry-Evans and Beau Scott.
14. The highest point-scorer in Four Nations history is Johnathan Thurston (94). The closest to 'JT' are Kevin Sinfield and Benji Marshall who have each racked up 54 points.
15. The highest try-scorer in Four Nations history is Brett Morris (nine) followed by Billy Slater (eight). New Zealand trio Sam Perrett, Junior Sa’u and Jason Nightingale are tied third with six tries each. Nightingale, Ryan Hall, Sam Tomkins, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk (five apiece) all have a chance to steal the top try-scoring mantle of Morris this tournament.
16. There have been 62 individual try-scorers in the tournament's history.
17. There have been 176 tries scored at the Four Nations. Australia have scored 70 of them. New Zealand are next with 50 to their name, England have scored 43, France five with Wales and Papua New Guinea scoring four tries each.
18. Johnathan Thurston broke the record for most points in a single rugby league tournament (excluding World Cups) in 2011 with his 56-point haul. The previous record of 42 was set in the 2005 Tri-Nations by New Zealand's Stacey Jones.
19. The Warriors boast the strongest club representation across the Four Nations squads, with eight of Andrew McFadden’s men; Shaun Johnson, Siliva Havili, Thomas Leuluai, Simon Mannering, Suaia Matagi, Manu Vatuvei (New Zealand), Sam Tomkins (England), Dominique Peyroux and Michael Sio (Samoa) turning out in the tournament. Melbourne, St George Illawarra, Wests Tigers, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Super League outfit Wigan have all contributed seven players each.
20. Parramatta are the only NRL club without a single representative after Jarryd Hayne’s withdrawal from the Kangaroos squad, while Australian forwards Josh Papalii and Greg Bird are flying the flags for the Raiders and Titans respectively as the lone players from their clubs in the tournament.
21. Tim Sheens is the only man to coach Australia at a Four Nations tournament and his 10 wins (from 12 matches, with one loss and one draw) is as many as every other coach combined. New Zealand's Stephen Kearney (five wins from 10 games), and England's Steve McNamara (three wins from seven games) and Tony Smith (two wins from four games) have the other 10.
22. There is only one player from 2014 Super League champions St Helens represented in the Four Nations, Samoa’s Mose Masoe.
23. To celebrate his selection in the Kangaroos team Josh Mansour went through with his promise of shaving off his beard, clogging up the sink in the team’s hotel and upsetting roommate Michael Jennings.
24. Sparks may fly between Broncos teammates Sam Thaiday and Josh McGuire when Australia plays Samoa in Wollongong on November 9. Both Thaiday and McGuire – along with Samoan forward Dunamis Lui – have signed up to fight in a charity boxing night in Brisbane on Saturday December 13 that will raise funds and increase awareness of depression and anxiety for the BeyondBlue organisation.
By Tony Webeck NRL.com 8:00am Sat 25th October, 2014
England halfback Matty Smith has revealed how the pages of Darren Lockyer's autobiography have helped to calm his nerves and find his place in the England squad ahead of his Test debut against Samoa on Saturday evening.
Fittingly Smith will earn his first full cap for England at the stadium once owned by 'The King' before being passed on to Lockyer where he will partner Dragons five-eighth Gareth Widdop in the England halves in the opening match of the Four Nations tournament.
A tourist with Wigan for the World Club Challenge at the start of the year, Smith said that he has been a long-time admirer of Lockyer's and that the demeanour the Queensland and Australia great displayed on so many occasions - including in a record 59 Tests for Australia - is something he hopes to emulate.
"Of the Aussies Darren Lockyer is my favourite player," Smith told NRL.com.
"I read his book and he's not the loudest character and that's probably me as well.
"I tend to let other people be the class clowns and I just come in and do me job and work hard so I grew up watching Darren Lockyer, he was one of my favourite players."
To draw another comparison with a Queensland great, Smith's style is most easily compared to Kangaroos half Cooper Cronk, an organisational type more content to be the director of highlight reels than to be the star of the show himself.
"Me best attributes are probably my organisation, me kicking game, getting the team around the park, that's what I've done pretty well for Wigan, and just being solid," he said.
"Hopefully defending well and just being a solid player and I think that's probably what England needs at the minute.
"We don't really need the flash players we just need to be consistent, complete, kick long and just go toe-to-toe with Australia."
Man of the match in Wigan's Challenge Cup Final win in 2013, Smith trod a long and winding road before arriving at the Super League powerhouse, unable to crack a St Helens team that boasted the likes of Sean Long, Keiron Cunningham and Paul Sculthorpe as a young player coming through.
Although he played 20 games for St Helens between 2006 and 2010, Smith played the majority of Super League games early in his career while on loan to Widnes, the Celtic Crusaders and then Salford, the Red Devils finally offering him a two-year deal in 2011.
A move to Wigan followed in 2013 and when a four-year deal was placed in front of him by the Warriors in September, the 27-year-old saw it as an offer too good to refuse.
"I'd have liked to [have played in the NRL] but just signing a four-year deal with Wigan that's where my future lies," Smith said.
"I come through St Helens from when I was a young bloke and I don't think you ever want to leave your home-town club but at the point I was behind Sean Long and I was ready to play.
"Going on loan and going to them lower clubs and doing it tough where we weren't winning many games has probably helped me at this stage where I am now.
"Being at Wigan I respect it a little bit more and a great club so I think I've done it the tough way but it's definitely helped me as a person and a player."
And wearing the No.7 for the glamour club of the Super League following in the footsteps of the likes of Shaun Edwards and Andy Gregory has also prepared him for what awaits him in the Test arena.
"The history behind the club and the people who have played especially in my position, the likes of Shaun Edwards and Andy Gregory and people like that who have all toured with Great Britain, there is quite a bit of pressure but I think it's a good pressure," said Smith, who has formed a formidable combination with Storm-bound Blake Green over the past two years.
"I've managed to play well the last two years with that added pressure on me but this is a different pressure.
"This is playing for your country against the best of the best in the world so it's going to be tough but I'm at that stage of my career now where I'm 27, I'm playing well for my club so the next step is to play well for your country and I think I'm ready to do that."
By Matt Harris NRL.com 6:00am Sat 25th October, 2014
England coach Steve McNamara and Samoa counterpart Matt Parish have made no secret of the fact that their respective forward packs hold the key to victory in the opening game of the Four Nations.
Both coaches were quick to recognise the importance of winning the battle through the middle when the two sides meet in the opening game of the double-header at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, a job made slightly easier with the number of NRL-based players featured across each squad.
"I think we're pretty strong up front. I think it's well recognised with George and Tom Burgess in particular and James Graham – who are very familiar faces in the NRL – that we've got a pretty strong pack," McNamara said.
England has six players from the NRL in their squad, while all bar two players in the Samoan squad are based in Australia, ensuring plenty of familiar faces will be on show for the tournament opener.
McNamara, no stranger to the NRL haven taken up the role as assistant coach at the Roosters in season 2014, plans to use his knowledge of the Samoan players who ply their trade in the NRL in order to benefit the England side.
"We are very fortunate that we've got a lot of players that are based in the NRL, so we know a lot of the individuals we're coming up against," he said.
And as far as his own squad is concerned, the England coach feels he has the perfect mixture of NRL and Super League-based players at his disposal.
"I think it's been a good mix for our group, having six of our group who play in the NRL is a healthy number," he said.
"It's not for everybody to play in the NRL. I think that our Super League competition is an outstanding competition.
"It's well respected across the world and I think getting the right balance between players playing in the NRL and staying in the domestic competition is important for us as an English national team.
"Having the benefit of having those players [in the NRL] has given us a great insight into the opposition we'll come up against down here."
Meanwhile Matt Parish, who coached the Samoans to a quarter-final appearance in the 2013 World Cup, insists that his side aren’t just in the Four Nations to make up the numbers.
"Obviously we're pretty proud of our efforts over the past 12 months, but we're in a competition now and we want to compete," said Parish, who also likes the way his squad shaping up ahead of their clash with England.
"Our team has a good cross-section of guys that have been there and done it, while some guys are trying to get NRL contracts, so there won't be any lack of effort.
"We trained really well with a lot of enthusiasm and passion as you'd expect with a Pacific nations team and we need to take that to the game on Saturday."
The Samoan game plan, much like the English, will be a simple one involving their mobile forward pack according to veteran Newcastle back-rower and Toa Samoa skipper David Fa'alogo, who is relishing the prospect of playing in the first Four Nations tournament involving Samoa.
"We intend to run the ball hard and use the forwards that we have. [We'll go] through the middle and do what we can," Fa'alogo said.
"We have a group of players that play in the NRL and Super League so we're confident in the team we have… We're looking forward to making history by playing in the Four Nations against the top-three countries in the world.
"For us to be here is an honour as well as a challenge, so it means a lot."
By Tony Webeck NRL.com 6:00am Sat 25th October, 2014
The list of brothers to have played top level rugby league together is a long and distinguished one but Samoa pair Jesse Sene-Lefao and Tim Simona may create their own slice of history when they line up against England on Saturday evening.
Contrary to reports that surfaced during the week, Simona is not Sene-Lefao's uncle but as the pair prepare to play together for the first time since they were representing Patrician Brothers Blacktown in high school there is a unique family bond that joins them.
Sene-Lefao's grandfather, Sele Sele, and Simona's mother, Pele, are brother and sister.
That makes Simona first cousins with Sene-Lefao's mother and according to genealogy references makes the Samoan Test reps first cousins once removed.
Yet despite the generational gap, Sene-Lefao is the elder of the pair by two years.
Confused? So is Simona.
"I'm the uncle but he's the oldest," he told NRL.com.
"I try to look after him. His mum tells me to look after him so I think I'm in charge," added Sene-Lefao.
It's an example of the bond within a team that prides itself on culture, family and representing their nation and the people in it and which shapes as a driving motivator to prove the pundits wrong throughout the Four Nations tournament.
Prior to coming into camp in Brisbane the majority of the Samoan squad spent close to a week back in their homeland not only getting to know their teammates a little better but also themselves.
Five-eighth Ben Roberts was born in Sydney and had only experienced one similar Samoan camp in the past and said that connecting further with his culture gives him a greater sense of the importance of representing his people.
"For me it puts a lot of things in perspective in terms of what's important in life.
"Family is the No.1 priority in life for me and that was shown definitely back in the islands but also learning more about my culture," said Roberts, who will move to England with his wife and young son at the end of the Four Nations to link with Super League team Castleford.
"I was brought up the Australian way but there has always been the Samoan culture still around the family.
"To get back there and see first-hand how they live and how they are brought up and the fact that they are brought up with nothing but can still be happy just proves that materials in life aren't everything.
"The Samoan way is to respect your elders, to always remember that no matter what family is the most important thing."
Simona missed the Pacific Test against Fiji in May due to suspension and with neither having played in the 2013 World Cup Sene-Lefao said the clash with England will represent a special night for their family.
"They're really proud. My grandad just recently came over for my wedding and stuff so at the same time I know that our families are supporting us 100 per cent and they're really proud of our achievements," said the 24-year-old Sea Eagles forward.
"To play together again and also playing at the top level is probably what they are most proud about.
"Going back to Samoa, rugby league isn't really very big, everyone knows union over there.
"Us going back and seeing the people that are following the Toa Samoa is massive.
"We actually got on TV in Samoa, we went out to schools and we got to see our families and how they live and what we saw was eye opening.
"We see a lot of things that we have here that they don't have and it just makes us proud and makes us want to play better for them."
As for the underdog tag that Samoa take into their first Four Nations tournament, Sene-Lefao warned of discounting their chances of causing some upsets along the way.
"[Being underdogs] is something that we thrive on. It makes us play harder, it makes us train harder and I totally disagree with the opinion of people that think we're the underdogs," he said.
"I reckon we're really going to shake this competition up and I reckon we're going to be the big surprise packets in this competition.
"We have a lot of threats all over the park and if we put two and two together I reckon we'll be hard to beat."
By NRL media
NRL.com
3:28pm Sat 25th October, 2014
More than 46,000 fans as well as an international TV audience will see the Four Nations kick off at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium tonight with a blockbuster Double Header involving all four competing nations.
All seven matches of the Four Nations tournament – starting with England v Samoa and Australia v New Zealand tonight - will be shown live across Australia on Channel 9 and Gem and internationally, via both live and delayed broadcast, in the following countries and territories:
New Zealand (Sky Sport)
Malaysia (Astro)
France (beIN Sport)
Canada (Rogers Sportsnet)
United States (Fox Soccer Plus)
United Kingdom (BBC Radio Five & Premier Sports)
Ireland (Premier Sports)
South East Asia – Ex Malaysia and South Korea (Setanta Sport)
The Middle East:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, West Bank (Orbit Showtime)
“With close to 50,000 fans attending tonight’s double header the atmosphere will be electric and it will set the scene for a fantastic month of international rugby league,” NRL Head of Commercial Paul Kind said.
“This is a chance for fans to witness the world’s best Rugby league teams and players in action and I encourage fans to attend the Four Nations matches held in both Australia and New Zealand.
“Those fans who are unable to attend matches live will not miss out with the entire tournament to be broadcast across the world via our broadcast partner Channel 9 and international broadcasters."
2014 Four Nations (all times local)
England v Samoa: Saturday, October 25 at 4pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
Australia v New Zealand: Saturday, October 25 at 6.45pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
New Zealand v Samoa: Saturday, November 1 at 4pm, Toll Stadium, Whangarei.
Australia v England: Sunday, November 2 at 4pm, AAMI Park, Melbourne.
New Zealand v England: Saturday, November 8 at 8pm, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
Australia v Samoa: Sunday, November 9 at 4pm, WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
Final: Saturday, November 15 at 8.45pm Westpac Stadium, Wellington.
1. Sam Tomkins
2. Josh Charnley
3. Kallum Watkins
4. Michael Shenton
5. Ryan Hall
6. Gareth Widdop
7. Matty Smith
8. George Burgess
9. Josh Hodgson
10. James Graham (c)
11. Liam Farrell
12. Joel Tomkins
13. Joe Westerman
14. Daryl Clark
15. Brett Ferres
16. Tom Burgess
17. Chris Hill
Samoa
1. Tim Simona
2. Antonio Winterstein
3. Ricky Leutele
4. Joey Leilua
5. Daniel Vidot
6. Ben Roberts
7. Kyle Stanley
8. Sam Tagaetese
9. Michael Sio
10. David Fa’alogo
11. Frank Pritchard
12. Leeson Ah Mau
13. Josh McGuire
14. Pita Godinet
15. Jesse Sene-Lefao
16. Isaac Liu
17. Mose Masoe
Dunamis Lui drops off the extended bench for Samoa, No other changes