Heighington, man without a country

[sunshine_coast_tiger]

this situation is very similar to the one a couple of seasons ago, when Nathan Merritt expressed his opinion/concerns as to why he was not picked for any rep teams.
Merritt has not played any type of rep footy since.
I am thinking the same maybe happening to Chris Hino.
the selectors could have noses out of joint, especially when Hino says he will go play for england.
they could be thinking, fine go play for them, as we ain't gonna pick you now at all.

I think the situations are different. Nathan Merritt in my 30 plus years of watching football is not a player I ever consider good enough to play for either NSW or Australia. I still remember the day TNT scored a hatrick on him. He is too small and defensively defficent for top level rep football. I agree and understand why the rep selectors have never picked him.

Chris Heighington on the other hand is good enough for both NSW and Australia. He is playing in an era were there are many good back row players. I still think he deserves his shot and I think if his form continues he will play for NSW in 2011.

 

[cunno]

The Poms have done Heighno a favour bu not picking him. Now he can concentrate on the rep squads here without the distraction of player for the English. Be patient he may still get a crack at rep footie here, he definitely deserves it, what we really need is fair dinkum selectors we have seen how good they are in the SOO..

 

[crouching_tiger]

So let me get this right…

Sheens tells Heighno he should make himself available for the Poms many weeks ago....
Then Sheens announces "incumbent" out of form rubbish in the Australian squad....
Heighno does as Sheens suggests...
Then Sheens selects an injured Payten in front of a fit Heighno in the Australian train-on squad...
Now Heighno does not get selected for the Poms...

Onya Tim...

:unamused:

 

[cunno]

Does Sheens have a say in selections or does he have to take the team he is given to work with?

 

[crouching_tiger]

Does Sheens have a say in selections or does he have to take the team he is given to work with?

Both.
He obviously already knew Heighny has been blacklisted..

Did you REALLY think the Australian selectors picked all the WT players into the train-on squad?

 

[cunno]

The WTs finished one game from the grand final so I'm not sutrprised so many of them made the train on squad, if Sheens had any significant influence on train on selections I can't see why he would leave Heighno out unless he believes there are already plenty of similar players in the squad. One more train on squad player doesn't make that much difference which makes me think Sheens' influence is limited.

 

[Citizen_Tiger]

If NSW finally want to break the Queenslanders strangle hold on the trophy then they need to pick him…..

The Poms can get knotted..

Dont get me wrong I love Heighno, but one area weve competed with QLD over the years is in the backrow. Its the 1-10 that they are CLEARLY better than us. I think I see alot of Hindmarsh in Heighno, just someone who does everything you want, without the huge metres or impact.

If theres one criticism I have of Heighno is his obsession to run at the markers.

True, but if I was a NSW Selector, Chris Heighington or Mark Minichello would be in my starting 13\. They are different to the Gallen's and different again to the Creagh style players, but essential to competing for 80 minutes…

Both Heighno and Mini would have 10 games by now if they were Queenslanders!!!

Creagh is absurdly over rated, he's not quite the myth that Gasnier is, but not far off. Low wprk rate in attack and defence and as we saw in the 2009 Origin, an unwillingness to be confronting. His reverse gear is 'Ennis like'

 

[Sincas]

i spoke to Heighno about this on Friday night, albeit very late and after quite a lot of drinks so my recollection isn't 100%. He said he spoke to England but he wasn't that comfortable with playing for them as he is not really English and they also said they would like to focus on home grown talent. He seemed very comfortable with it and said it doesn't really bother him. he just wants to focus on the Tigers.