League: Bluey picks stars and a fight

Sonny Bill Williams will play on Friday, against the advice of his masters at the Bulldogs.

BRISBANE - Kiwis coach Brian McClennan stirred up the Australians yesterday, ignoring the advice of two of his Aussie club counterparts and taking a shot at the Kangaroos' preparation plans.

McClennan named Sonny Bill Williams and Benji Marshall in his starting lineup for the Anzac test at Suncorp Stadium on Friday, making it the first time the two appear in the same team.

Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes has suggested Williams - who will play at lock - should be at centre and couldn't handle 80 minutes up front; Wests Tigers wanted Marshall used off the bench and also said his match fitness was questionable and that he may re-injure himself if fatigued.

McClennan said he knew the pair would lift with the adrenaline of the test and the players agreed. Williams and Marshall declared they would give all for 10 minutes or 80, as required.

They downplayed suggestions of a rift between the clubs and the Kiwis. But the Tigers are sending a trainer to the Kiwis camp on the Gold Coast today to check Marshall's routine.

"We have to scratch where it itches," McClennan said when asked about what game time the game-breakers would get. "If they target Benji - and I'm sure they will - and if he has to make 10 tackles in the first quarter, then we'll have to get him off."

The player, too, was philosophical. "If I'm feeling good I'm feeling good. If not I'll come off," said Marshall. He gave his right shoulder extra tackle testing yesterday, with Frank Pritchard running at him repeatedly after training had finished. He reported no problems.

Williams gave an indication of the regard the players hold for McClennan.

"Bluey has shown faith in me and all I want to do is repay the faith. Bluey is not only a good coach, he's a good bloke and he's worked on what we do best."

McClennan criticised the Kangaroos' decision to continue training in Sydney, saying it was "disrespectful and narrow-minded".

The Kiwis were doing the right thing promoting the game in Queensland, he said. "It's not all about New South Wales."

Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart said that promoting the test was up to the marketing people, not his team.

The Kiwis' training has been as much off-field, mental preparation, as it has been on the paddock. They had the afternoon off yesterday to relax and let that all sink in.

Each side has 10 players who contested the Tri-Nations final won 24-0 by the Kiwis last November. That match hangs as a spectre over Friday's game, no one expects the gap to be so big in Brisbane.

Kiwis captain Ruben Wiki did not train yesterday but will run today. His hamstring remains strapped.

Team physio Michelle Booth said Wiki was making better than expected progress but warned hamstring injuries were unpredictable. Team consensus is that he'd have to be tied down to be kept off the field.

The Kiwis have two debutants, wing Tame Tupou and second rower David Fa'alogo, who is on the bench.

Brent Webb will take the goal kicks, he and Marshall yesterday had extra coaching from former Kiwi and current team selector Daryl Halligan.

NZRL boss Sel Bennett is to meet the England Rugby League on Friday to hammer out agreement for release of Super League players for tests.

Bennett said that when the ERL advanced the plan for a Great Britain- Kiwis game in June, the NZ board believed that resolving that issue was part of the deal but the problems with David Solomona had taught them another lesson.


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