Rugby League: Injured trio named in World Cup squad

By PETER JESSUP

Richie Barnett, Quentin Pongia and Robbie Paul will be included in the Kiwis, despite long layoffs to repair serious injury, when coach Frank Endacott names his final World Cup squad today.

Barnett's inclusion and naming as captain are a huge measure of faith. He faces a gigantic mental aptitude test the next time he takes the field, as his face is still knitting together around plates inserted when he and Australian wing Wendell Sailor collided with a sickening head clash late in the Anzac test in April.

But Endacott has always shown faith in players he has identified and used in the past, and Barnett earned the coach's respect for the work he did in leading the team during the tri-series at the end of 1999.

Pongia will be in for similar reasons - and for his intimidation factor - despite a similarly long layoff after surgery to repair a torn upper-arm muscle. Paul is sidelined for another five weeks with broken ribs but hopes to make the Euro Super League finals series in early October.

Endacott was to pass the names of the 23-strong squad, selected with help from Gary Kemble and Graeme Norton, to the New Zealand Rugby League last night, and if approved by the NZRL board, the 23-man squad will be announced today.

Almost certain to miss out due to injury are second rower and two-game captain Jarrod McCracken, who is still hampered by the neck injury he received when dumped by fellow Kiwi Steve Kearney and Papua New Guinea wing Marcus Bai while leading the Wests Tigers against Melbourne two months ago.

McCracken still requires a neck brace at times and has limited movement. Tigers prop Jason Lowrie is gone, suffering from a broken arm.

The squad is likely to include only four Auckland Warriors. Halfback Stacey Jones is a sure thing, and Endacott will also use tri-series Kiwis in prop Joe Vagana, second rowers Logan Swann and Ali Lauiti'iti.

The three from England who played in the Anzac test will survive despite that debacle, with the selectors agreeing that that was a one-off result, brought on by bad circumstance.

And the English Super League players, Robbie and Henry Paul and Ritchie Blackmore, were particularly disadvantaged by arriving in Sydney just three days before the test.

No other English players have impressed Endacott sufficiently to push out those with NRL experience.

If Bradford make the English Super League finals, the Paul brothers will have one week off before joining the Kiwi squad.

Henry, aged 26, is the leading points-scorer in the Super League this season (292 points in 21 games).

He said yesterday that his biggest disappointment this season was the injury to brother Robbie, aged 25, who was leading the Bulls try-scoring with 18 but is now sidelined for six weeks with broken ribs.

Fluid seeped into one of his lungs but it is now fully inflated and he is making a fast recovery.

Henry said he and his brother were looking to reverse the Anzac result.

"Robbie and I didn't do ourselves justice for that game because we only turned up in Sydney three days before it," he said.

"We want to do well in those lead-up games before the quarters and semis. I'd like to win the World Cup."

Parramatta fullback-switched-to-centre David Vaeliki, a former Junior Kiwi, and Brisbane-to-London Bronco Tonie Carroll are the only likely newcomers.

Vaeliki will be in on great form and as cover for Barnett, and Carroll is sure to be selected in what has been a troublesome hole.

The Auckland and Australia-based players will go into a training camp in Auckland on September 2, a second camp in mid-October and the final preparation from October 13-20.

The World Cup kicks off with Australia v England at Twickenham on October 28.

New Zealand are pooled with Lebanon - a team of pros all based in Australia - the Cook Islands and Wales.