Canberra’s success can lead to an English World Cup title, writes Anthony Griffin
Led by a contingent of Pommie stars, Canberra are a genuine chance at winning an NRL title, and the success could lead to an English World Cup triumph in 2021, writes Anthony Griffin.
Canberra are becoming a serious premiership threat, and as they do England are building towards a World Cup title.
In the 2017 World Cup final in Brisbane, Australia scrambled to a 6-nil victory over the Poms. For the Kangaroos it was a great way to farewell Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater.
But, scratch the surface and that game also proved a valuable learning experience for the Englishmen.
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They had to hold off a Tongan tidal wave in the semi-final and then face the might of the Aussies away from home in the decider. They pushed the Aussies to the last second even without the chief playmaker Josh Hodgson, who ruptured his ACL against Tonga.
We have had the wood over England for a long time now.
Mainly because of the class of our playmakers and the NRL competition.
The NRL is a higher standard than Super League. The depth of talent and the physical preparation of the players results in high intensity, high-pressure games every week.
For these two reasons England teams have been very brave at times but have been unable to win a series or a tournament against the Kangaroos since 1970.
Back then they played as the Great Britain Lions and defeated Australia 2-1, winning the decider in Sydney to finish a 22-match Ashes tour.
The influx of players from the Super League has been a bit of a novelty over the years. Kevin Ward won a premiership with Manly in 1987. Adrian Morley did the same at the Roosters in 2002.
Ellery Hanley and Martin Offiah were both hits during their stints down under.
What’s different now is that the current crop of Englishmen are becoming seasoned NRL players performing in top-four clubs.
The Burgess boys’ arrival at South Sydney transformed their forward pack and drove them to the 2014 premiership, against their countryman and Canterbury talisman James Graham.
Gareth Widdop has played all his football here and won a premiership playing five-eighth for Melbourne in 2012.
Now the Raiders have their Pommy transformation.
In 2015, Hodgson arrived and immediately shone. A year later crafty back rower Elliot Whitehead joined him, and the Raiders went within a game of the grand final.
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The addition this year of forwards John Bateman and Ryan Sutton may prove to be Ricky Stuart’s biggest masterstroke.
Bateman is made for the NRL. He has taken to the increased intensity of the competition like a duck to water and, like all the good ones that come out here, the Englishman is improving each week.
The final piece in the puzzle for Canberra’s future premiership hopes (if they don’t win it this year) and England’s World Cup preparations is the arrival in 2020 of George Williams.
Touted as the best playmaker in Super League, Williams can play halfback or five-eighth and gives the Raiders the footballer they have been searching for to play off the back of Hodgson.
They have always had the brawn but now the Poms will have the brains.
Hodgson and Williams scheming together for 30 weeks a year in a powerful NRL club. Widdop will return to Warrington and compete against other classy playmakers in Sam Tomkins (Catalans) and Jonny Lomax (St Helens), both of whom are English internationals.
The coach guiding the Poms in pursuit of the ultimate international prize is, of course, Wayne Bennett. He is the most successful and experienced clipboard holder in the game.
Over the next 24 months he will be watching, planning and plotting, don’t you worry.
After 2017, he knows that they are close. His job is to have them ready in 2021 – at home.
That’s why the Canberra Raiders might be his second favourite team leading up to the tournament.
That is, unless they knock off the Rabbitohs in a final or grand final before then.
Originally published as Canberra’s success can lead to an English World Cup title, writes Anthony Griffin
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