Rugby League: Endacott to rely on past history for Anzac test

By PETER JESSUP

Kiwi rugby league coach Frank Endacott admits history will carry as much weight as recent form when he names his side for the Anzac test.

Some of Endacott's crew have been in extra-good form, some in ordinary form, some dropped to the bench, some injured and some suspended.

"If I was picking just on form it's clear there'd be some first-choice players who would miss out," Endacott said from Wigan.

"But I know that when those guys pull on the black jersey it's a different ball game. The feeling in the Kiwi camp is very hard to explain.

"We've built it up over a number of years now. We've had stability within the squad and I know all those guys will go out and die for their country, and that comes into it too."

He is not concerned at the short preparation time, with the team to be named 10 days out from the April 21 game at Stadium Australia. He arrives in Sydney late on the Monday, the Paul brothers Wednesday morning. He said: "We only need two or three training runs together and we'll be ready."

Endacott is pleased that both Henry and Robbie Paul have been in devastating form for Bradford, with Henry now two tries short of 100 in English premier league.

And centre Richie Blackmore is close to his best again after a long-term groin problem. Endacott said his performance was a stand-out when Wigan downed Leeds 20-6 recently despite heavy marking. "They're the three putting their hands up over here."

He has intelligence on the National Rugby League from Kiwi trainer Bob Lanigan in Sydney and Junior Kiwi coach and national nines coach Graeme Norton in Auckland, as well as a mountain of tapes and statistics.

The Warriors are a big disappointment and Endacott, a former coach of the side suggested they could do with some stability, too - "give the players that and you can get anything out of them."

Logan Swann obviously had his mind on the job and was doing an excellent job for them. But of Joe Vagana, Endacott said it was hard to get an idea how the big prop was going when he only got three and four-minute stretches of game time.

Of Stacey Jones: "The Warriors need him, we need him."

Others who stood out were Canberra wing Lesley Vainikolo, Dragons prop Craig Smith, Tigers prop Jason Lowrie and second-rower/lock Tyran Smith, and all the Melbourne crew of Richard Swain, Matt Rua and Stephen Kearney, Richie Barnett before his knee injury layoff, and Jarrod McCracken before a busted foot put him out.

At Wigan, Endacott has four wins and a loss from five games, but the loss was a biggie - the Challenge Cup quarter-final against Hull.

"That was a big disappointment but it was one of those games we were never going to win," he said. "Every bounce went their way.

"But we showed real commitment and we've gone on from there. There's a good spirit."