League: Britons impress Aussie coach

Stuart Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart has called for an injection of British players into the NRL, saying the move would magnify the standard of international rugby league "two-fold".

Stuart, who took English destroyer Adrian Morley under his wing at Sydney Roosters, said British players would improve "very quickly" if they signed with Australian clubs.

Both Morley and Irishman Brian Carney (Newcastle Knights) have matured as players in the NRL in recent seasons, and Stuart would like to see more of that.

"I won't go singling out individuals - but I think there's a number of players [in the Great Britain squad] that would do very well in the NRL," he said yesterday.

"They'd become better footballers very quickly and they certainly have the ability to handle the NRL, going on what I saw last night [against New Zealand]."

He thought they were unlucky not to win.