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BRISBANE - Kangaroos captain Darren Lockyer says Australia's form has not been up to scratch in the Tri-Nations but he expects them to hit their straps against a desperate Great Britain tonight.
Lockyer conceded the team needed to go into next week's Tri-Nations final in form and with
some confidence.
Great Britain must at least draw to guarantee a spot in the final in Sydney after the Kiwis were stripped of their points over "grannygate".
With the possibility of a Brisbane test record crowd and the threat of being the first Australian side to lose successive tests to Britain in 30 years, Lockyer is expecting the Kangaroos to fire. "We really want to go into the finals next weekend in good form and with some confidence," Lockyer said.
"We got out of jail in Melbourne against the Kiwis and last week's loss to Great Britain gave us a real wake-up call.
"You'll see a real different team this time."
Lockyer warned his players to expect the unexpected from a history-motivated Great Britain.
He said the tourists, who will field a new halfback with Richard Horne replacing Sean Long, had nothing to lose. Lions coach Brian Noble has challenged his side to play their way into league folklore by upsetting Australia and repeating the hat-trick the following weekend to take home the Tri-Nations Trophy.
Having lost 23-12 to the Lions a fortnight ago, Lockyer and coach Ricky Stuart have worked hard making training sessions near flawless displays of ball-handling, which let them down badly in Sydney.
With the Lions steeled by talk that they can't recover from the shock departure of Long for "personal reasons" and Noble's words of returning home heroes, Lockyer said they would be more than a handful.
Lockyer has faced Horne before and said he was a "cheeky little customer", not unlike Long, who enjoyed running the football at times.
"I haven't seen a lot of him this year but I can't see them changing the gameplan that worked last time.
"I guess if they get desperate on the scoreboard, they've got nothing to lose, so they may do desperate things."
Lockyer's combination with Cowboys halfback Johnathan Thurston blossomed during the State of Origin series and with so many Queenslanders in the backline, it's a comfortable feeling for the skipper. "We've trained very well this week but obviously come the game, things can change," he said.
"Cameron [Smith] JT [Thurston] and myself have played a bit of football together which I think helps.
"JT is starting his representative career and I'm finishing mine - but we've formed a relationship on and off the field and it seems to be a good one.
"There's a fair few Queenslanders in the team but there's not one player out there I haven't played football with, and everyone is familiar with one another. That has to help, particularly in the backs."
AUSTRALIA
Brisbane, 10 tonight Karmichael Hunt, Brent Tate, Mark Gasnier, Justin Hodges, Greg Inglis, Darren Lockyer (c), J. Thurston, Brent Kite, Cameron Smith, Petero Civoniceva, Andrew Ryan, Nathan Hindmarsh, Luke O'Donnell,
Interchange: Shaun Berrigan, Anthony Tupou, Mark O'Meley, Antonio Kaufusi.
GREAT BRITAIN
Paul Wellens, Leon Pryce, Martin Gleeson, Keith Senior, Gareth Raynor, Danny McGuire, Richard Horne, Stuart Fielden, Terry Newton, Jamie Peacock (c), Gareth Hock, Gareth Ellis, Sean O'Loughlin,
Interchange: James Roby, Adrian Morley, Lee Gilmour, Jon Wilkin.
- AAP
