City vs Country

I'd go with based on today:

1. Stewart
2. Morris
3. Jennings
4. Morris
5. Hayne
6. Maloney
7. Pearce (Reynolds unlucky)
8. Grant
9. Farah
10. Tamou
11. Bird
12. Hoffman
13. Gallen

14. Gidley
15. Lewis
16. Watmough
17. Mason

No room for Tony Williams or Aku

Woods will be there in front of Willie.
 
Josh Massoud gave out the player ratings after yesterday's game...the highest score by any player was 7.5....


Josh Massoud runs the rule over the players from the City-Country match

By Josh Massoud
Daily Telegraph
April 22, 2013 12:00am

524786-james-tedesco.jpg

City's James Tedesco looks frustrated. Source: Getty Images



DAILY Telegraph rugby league writer Josh Massoud runs the rule over the players from the City-Country match:

CITY
James Tedesco (4) Simply too big an ask for a kid with just four NRL games to his credit. Made several errors, two of which led to tries. Replaced with a hip injury.

Nathan Merritt (5)
Switched to fullback at various stages, but couldn't find much football. It didn't do his chances of a breakthrough Origin jersey many favours.

Michael Jennings (6.5)
Roared to life, thriving off some Adam Reynolds passes. An Origin certainty.

Joel Reddy (5.5)
Held his own on short notice and diffused just about everything Country threw his way.

Jorge Taufua (7)
A real quiet achiever who's destined for higher honours. Went looking for work and was a handful each time he stormed into the defence.

Curtis Sironen (4.5) Similar story to fellow Tigers tyro Tedesco. Too much, too soon.

Adam Reynolds (7.5)
Breathing even closer down Mitchell Pearce's neck after two 40-20s and a try. A creative performance that also oozed composure.

Tim Grant (7)
His best performance of 2013. A powerhouse effort in defence that will give selectors second thoughts about giving his Origin jersey away.

Nathan Peats (6)
Pulled the bench splinters from his shorts with a rare start and didn't disappoint. Defence was flawless, but needs to offer more in attack.

Tim Mannah (7)
Stormed back into calculations after producing an effort of sustained quality. A dropped ball when whacked by Tariq Sims was his only blemish.

Tony Williams (5)
A couple of strong runs, but still not the force of nature who bullocked his way to Origin 12 months ago. Can't be considered on current form.

Ryan Hoffman (7.5)
Was a constant threat outside between Reynolds and Jennings on the left edge. Made a stunning 60m dash in the second half that puts him right in the mix for his first Origin start since 2008.

Feleti Mateo (5.5)
ASADA testers swooped on him after the game. His silky hands were menacing at times, but not enough involvement.

Wade Graham (6.5)
Impressive stint off the bench ignited City's fightback. Set-up Fifita's try and also slotted-in well at hooker to advance his utility claims.

Andrew Fifita (6)
Big and hard to handle, the prop showed extraordinary footwork when he stepped past Michael Gordon for a try.

Tom Symonds (5)
Fairly quiet and struggled for impact. Played centre during the closing stages.

Adam Cuthbertson (5.5)
Not out of place, but not enough game time for his ball skills to shine.

523814-akuila-uate.jpg

Country winger Akuila Uate is tackled. Source: Getty Images


COUNTRY


Michael Gordon (6) Overcame a knee injury and showed courage hunting for input up the middle.

Akuila Uate (7.5)
Effectively proved the distance, setting-up James McManus's match-winner and then saving the day with a great tackle on Jorge Taufua 90 seconds from full time.

Jamal Idris (6) His defence and work rate have improved markedly, but didn't get many opportunities to trouble the opposition with ball in hand.

Jack Wighton (7.5) The find of the fixture. Hits hard and constantly involved. Great prospect for the future.

James McManus (6.5) Safe under the high ball and scored the match-winner in a polished effort.

James Maloney (6) All eyes were on the Country No.6 and he still has a job ahead of him to steal Todd Carney's spot. Nothing spectacular in attack, but try-saving tackle on Nathan Peats was crucial.

Josh McCrone (6.5)
Outshone his halves partner offensively, especially in the first half, with a crafty individual try.

Willie Mason (7) Was enthusiastic and set the intensity level to maximum during his first 20 minute stint. More than capable of answering the call for NSW.

Michael Ennis (6.5) A couple of isolated errors, but organised enough to announce himself as the clear back-up option for incumbent hooker Robbie Farah.

Aiden Tolman (7.5) Played huge minutes and all were top notch.

Josh Jackson (6.5) Sensational effort to plough through 80 minutes, producing an offload that led to Country's second try.

Boyd Cordner (7.5) A better version of Jackson's game, and completed with a bung shoulder that requires weekly painkillers. Top prospect.

Trent Merrin (7)
Ultra-involved in the opening exchanges, standing-up to a barrage of attention from City defenders. Enough to win his Blues jersey back.

Sam Williams (5)
Only received 14 minutes at the finish and had little impact.

Tariq Sims (5) The highlight was a huge hit on Tim Mannah that gave Country possession, but otherwise soundly contained.

Ryan James (5.5)
Got plenty of match time, but struggled to punch holes through the City defence.

Alex McKinnon (6) Like Cordner and Jackson, he's a future Blues player. Was tough on the edge for Country.



http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ty-country-match/story-e6frexnr-1226625523925

 
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I dont think Josh Massoud was watching the same game I did, There are players here that should have higher ratings like Taufua, Uate, Reynolds, Mannah, Tolman, and Hoffman should have at least got an 8/10. Then there are players who were rated too high Sironen, Peats, Williams, Mckinnon, Symonds.

Also thought Maloney, Jackson, McManus, Gordon, Graham, Cuthbertsonn and Fifita deserved higher ratings.
 
I thought Massoud was pretty spot on besides Cuthbo and maybe a few others. No one really deserved a high rating because there weren't really any standouts. Some players looked like they were just going through the motions.
 
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Yeah I don't think there were any big standouts either but just solid ex/in the mix origin players that rose to the occasion of this game.
I don't think anyone had a massive shocker, but many disappointing ones who had quiet games like Mateo, Merritt, T-Rex. Reynolds outshone Maloney in that second half which is a worry for Maloney. Still not too convinced with him...
 
Every player who was too unwell to play in the City-Country clash is fit to play this weekend

By Josh Massoud
Daily Telegraph
April 24, 2013 12:00am

384386-robbie-farah.jpg

The Tigers will be boosted by the inclusion of captain Robbie Farah for the game against the Broncos. Picture: Brett Costello Source: The Daily Telegraph



THE City-Country concept received another blow yesterday when the ten players who made themselves unavailable for the fixture were all selected to compete for their clubs this weekend.

Josh Reynolds, Jarryd Hayne, Robbie Farah, Aaron Woods and Chris Lawrence pulled out of the match with minor injuries after being selected for City, but have been deemed fit enough to take the field a week later.
Likewise for Brett Stewart, John Sutton and Mitchell Pearce.
And Beau Champion and Reece Robinson have made recoveries.
To complete the remarkable convalescence, the Roosters confirmed Sonny Bill Williams as a starter for the Anzac Day blockbuster against St George Illawarra.
The Tigers desperately need Farah, Woods and Lawrence on deck for Saturday night's clash against Brisbane.
With Braith Anasta (groin) and Benji Marshall (foot) sidelined for another fortnight at least, coach Mick Potter yesterday named his fourth halves combination of the year: the untried pairing of Tim Moltzen and Curtis Sironen.

James Tedesco reclaims his favoured No. 1 jersey.
026428-sonny-bill-williams.jpg

Sonny Bill Williams has been selected by the Roosters for the Anzac Day clash. Picture: Mark Evans




Team talk: Replay Supercoach guru Tom Sangster's blog
Penrith are also in the wars. Utility Blake Austin could miss several months with a foot injury.
Josh Mansour (ankle) and Wes Naqaima (knee) are unavailable for another month, forcing Panthers coach Ivan Cleary to shift Lewis Brown to the centres and promote Travis Robinson from NSW Cup.
But there was some consolation when this week's opponent - Parramatta - lost FuiFui Moimoi after the prop yesterday accepted a one-match shoulder charge ban.
Canberra's forward ranks are also wearing thin after David Shillington (ribs) and Josh Papalii (knee) were ruled out for at least a fortnight.
Prop Paul Vaughan will make his NRL debut against the Cowboys in place of Shillington, while former Bulldogs backrower Jake Foster has been selected to deputise for Papalii.
The Sharks welcome back Todd Carney from a foot injury.
Bulldogs coach Des Hasler resisted the urge to make changes after his side's 38-0 drubbing.




http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...lay-this-weekend/story-e6frexnr-1226627391450
 
Every player who was too unwell to play in the City-Country clash is fit to play this weekend

By Josh Massoud
Daily Telegraph
April 24, 2013 12:00am

384386-robbie-farah.jpg

The Tigers will be boosted by the inclusion of captain Robbie Farah for the game against the Broncos. Picture: Brett Costello Source: The Daily Telegraph



THE City-Country concept received another blow yesterday when the ten players who made themselves unavailable for the fixture were all selected to compete for their clubs this weekend.

Josh Reynolds, Jarryd Hayne, Robbie Farah, Aaron Woods and Chris Lawrence pulled out of the match with minor injuries after being selected for City, but have been deemed fit enough to take the field a week later.
Likewise for Brett Stewart, John Sutton and Mitchell Pearce.
And Beau Champion and Reece Robinson have made recoveries.
To complete the remarkable convalescence, the Roosters confirmed Sonny Bill Williams as a starter for the Anzac Day blockbuster against St George Illawarra.
The Tigers desperately need Farah, Woods and Lawrence on deck for Saturday night's clash against Brisbane.
With Braith Anasta (groin) and Benji Marshall (foot) sidelined for another fortnight at least, coach Mick Potter yesterday named his fourth halves combination of the year: the untried pairing of Tim Moltzen and Curtis Sironen.

James Tedesco reclaims his favoured No. 1 jersey.
026428-sonny-bill-williams.jpg

Sonny Bill Williams has been selected by the Roosters for the Anzac Day clash. Picture: Mark Evans




Team talk: Replay Supercoach guru Tom Sangster's blog
Penrith are also in the wars. Utility Blake Austin could miss several months with a foot injury.
Josh Mansour (ankle) and Wes Naqaima (knee) are unavailable for another month, forcing Panthers coach Ivan Cleary to shift Lewis Brown to the centres and promote Travis Robinson from NSW Cup.
But there was some consolation when this week's opponent - Parramatta - lost FuiFui Moimoi after the prop yesterday accepted a one-match shoulder charge ban.
Canberra's forward ranks are also wearing thin after David Shillington (ribs) and Josh Papalii (knee) were ruled out for at least a fortnight.
Prop Paul Vaughan will make his NRL debut against the Cowboys in place of Shillington, while former Bulldogs backrower Jake Foster has been selected to deputise for Papalii.
The Sharks welcome back Todd Carney from a foot injury.
Bulldogs coach Des Hasler resisted the urge to make changes after his side's 38-0 drubbing.




http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...lay-this-weekend/story-e6frexnr-1226627391450

What a surprise!
 
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