Fijian 'no-names' Leave Lockyer Tongue-tied
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday November 14, 2008
STANDING in the shade of the Sydney Football Stadium tunnel yesterday, Kangaroos captain Darren Lockyer was asked to name five of the Fijian players his side would line up against in the World Cup semi-final on Sunday night. Too easy, he reckoned.
"You've got 'Hayney'." That's Parramatta's Jarryd Hayne. Good start. "You've got, Wes." Newcastle's Wes Naiqama, the captain, who was standing 10 metres away. Off to a flyer."You got that winger . . ." Oh no. "I don't know how to pronounce it. The winger. He's coming down my side, so I'll have to tackle him. He used to play at the Storm . . ." Semi Tadulala?"That's him . . . Ashton Sims." A Broncos teammate. "And who's the bloke who plays hooker? What's his name? The guy who plays in the forwards?" Aaron Groom. The halfback."I'll get another one . . ." Doubtless, Bulldogs centre Daryl Millard will be pleased to know Lockyer overlooked him.It is a sense of the unknown that has the capacity to spook the roaring tournament favourites against a team featuring only a smattering of NRL and Super League players, the rest playing park and bush football here or in their native country.Like their equivalent in the rugby sevens, Fiji's trump is the capacity to play what NRL coaches refer to as "mad-minute" football. Think the Cowboys and Wests Tigers in their pomp a few seasons ago before wrestling coaches overwhelmed the code."We have to expect the unexpected," Lockyer said. "They've got some good players who will play some ad-lib football at times. It's going to be a good test for our defence. "They're going to come to the game with nothing to lose. I'm sure they're going to try a few things to catch us off guard, and try to unsettle us. It's a test for us, we have to be prepared for that."For Naiqama, the focus from coach Joe Dakuitoga hasn't been attack but defence. Against a side that has racked up cricket-like scorelines in each of its pool matches, the rank outsiders (they're paying $18 for the win, by the way, while Australia are rather skinny at $1.005), are fortifying their own line."It will be a matter of staying with them for the 80 minutes," Naiqama said. "We know Australia will come out hard. It's a matter of grinding out the whole game. If we can defend well, we've got the players to score the points. The main emphasis has been our defence."So much of the talk around this World Cup has been invested in Australia's blinding dominance and the impact on the credibility of the international game.Another runaway shut-out, in a semi-final, could do irreparable damage - and not just to this tournament which has come in for heavy criticism. Is protecting the credibility of international football a concern for Naiqama's side?"Not at all," he snapped. "What's been said, I've totally disagreed with. I just think Australia has played well in the knockout rounds. We're confident that we can stick it to the Australians."When Lockyer was asked who the Australians would play out of the semi-final between England and New Zealand, he refused to answer because it would be "disrespectful" to the Fijians. "We haven't achieved anything yet," he said. "We've had some good performances. But, I mean, the last time I played in a World Cup with an Australian team, we won the trophy. Until this team has some silverware, you can't really compare it to any."Teams - Page 28
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald