BigBlog

A great draft day for the Lions. To get Daniel Rich at pick 7 was a great win, a ready made midfielder to serve the twin towers of Brown and Bradshaw. I should think any chance of Cousins coming in the pre-season draft are now gone given Rich's arrival. I reckon there is one place on the Lions list now which will be filled in the Pre-season with Nick Davis.

Also on the winning list today was Aron Cornelious with pick 4. This Tasmanian kid was at times linked with Carlton as a key forward to support Fev and for him to slip right down into the 4th round I reckon the Lions got another bonus. Second pick , Jack Redden was predictable is taking the next best ruckman on the list after round 1. Banfield, McCllouch and King make up the list and all mobile playes with capabilities to be mid fielders .

All in all - I think Vossy would be on the plane home with a big grin and the Lions brains trust would breath easy now having a solid reason to reject Cousins in the pre-season draft

I wrote Ricky Stewart's arrogance had rubbeb of on the Australian team. The next day just to back me up Ricky Stewart supposedly blows up at the ref in the hotel foyer the next morning.

All the great Australian sportsmen we love at the end of the day are humble people and that's what made them so good and enduring. We love Pat Rafter because he is a humble bloke, we dont necessarily like Pat Cash, Leyton or the Poo because they got a bit big for their boots.

 Time for a change I think, let's take the Australian side back to a group of blokes that play together for a cause not a bunch or arrogant superstars who think it is their god given right to rule the world and blame others when they loose.

Well for start it's not really a world cup of Rugby League, lets face it at best it's a tri-nations.

I don't know Ricky Stewart I have only watched him and listened to him on the TV but he has always come across as an arrogand bloke to me. That rubbed off last night on the team he was supposed going to coach for as long as he wanted the job.  Anyone could coach the Australia team to a win 99% of the time infact the team could win without a coach. It is Australia's game after all and the other nations have better things to do most of the time.

Billy Slatter might also be reading too much of his own press, he threw the game away with a stupid school boy brain explosion. That was a show of Australia's arrogance, it had nothing to do with team work at all. Billy, the world's best player this year turned out under pressure to be a dud. Even in the closing minutes when Australia had a chance to score in the left corner poor old Billy threw it out over the side line missing the pass to a player that would have scored.

I hope from this game Australia wake up, Ricky Stewart can't coach teams that are under pressure, he does not have the answers, he has not had them at club level even when he coached at a club where money was no object. Let's find a coach that knows how to lift a team when the going gets tough.

 To New Zealand - well done you kept plugging away and played a game style that was well thought out and even better executed. Fast play the balls and constant hard running through the middle with tough defence caught the Australian's out and kept them on the back foot.

Australia did not have a great player to lift them last night and when needed one and they could not play as a team when things got tough. Hopefully we will now see a change of coach  and with luck a more even international series 

I wrote a few weeks back that Ben cousins will be coming to the Lions and I've not changed views.  Looking over the mid-field at pre-season training and I cant see a player to fit Nigel Lappins role of running at speed through the line carrying the ball. Adcock may step us as will Dalziel but they dont yet have the consistency of Ben Cousins. Yes Brisbane do need a small forward and Nick Davis may be the one they use their first pick on but if you have a midfield streaming downfield with the ball and two forwards like Brown and Bradshaw heading in different directions you can almost eliminate someone like Davis. They will need a crumber, a fast snappy goal sneak but Davis is not it.

Cousins deserves another chance, I dont really care where he goes I just want to see him play again, he is one player I turn the TV on for.

 Watch out this year for Albert Proud, he is the apprentice to Simon Black. He is harder at the ball, a real tough nut but does not yet have the motor of Simon Black.

Vossy is still patrolling the group like a new father and at this stage he is much quiter than Mr Matthews was. If Vossy is the new father Leigh was the cranky old grandad - ha ha I even make myself laugh.

The Lions pre-season has started, well at least for the 1 to 3 years players. Who will make it? who wont? that is the question all supporters want to know from this group. Some may burst onto the scene like Dalziel and some will ease their way in as their bodies mature like Mitch Clark.

I've picked the ones I think could make a big difference this season, not surprising they are mostly talls. Leuenburger will be back and he seems to have added the necessary weight up to so Charman will have the help he needs. Mitch Clark or Henderson may then play as a third tall in the forwards but I'd tip one to take centerhalf back and I prefer Clark.  Matt Tyler is another the Lions would love to see come on and take a key position and I'd also have him as a contender for center half back. Let's hope Dalziel does not get second season blues as his running is vital. Clousten is up onto the list from the Rookies and i think he could be a valuable contributor but he is probably another season away yet but he could get good game time over the season and have 10 or so games under his belt by season end. The other player that was on restricted training that I think could step up this year is Alberd Proud. Alberd is an in-and-under player as tough as an old boot. He is the next generation in the mid field so lets hope he starts to deliver.

While i think the Lions may draft for a tall defensive player with the first pick they do still need a small goal kicking forward. I'll add Hooper to my list to step up as I think he is the only real prospect to fill that small forward position that the lions have on the list  - yet.