As much as I love Munster and Cleary at club/SOO level. Internationally they aren’t as good as Thurston/Cronk, Lockyer/Thurston, Fittler/Johns. Go way back further to the likes of Sterling, Daley, Stuart etc.

The spine now Tedesco, Munster, Cleary, Hunt/Grant is miles ahead of 2006’s Hunt, Lockyer, Hornby, Berrigan/Smith.

But massively behind the combinations of Slater, Lockyer, Thurston, Smith/Cronk.

Munster and Cleary are still a million times better than anything we can produce

I'm not saying they aren't? The conversation was comparing previous Aussie teams to this one?

I sat there at Old Trafford and saw two Australian victories, the Women's team were several levels above any other team at the tournament, and the men's team won fairly easily, their kicking game completely nullified the Samoan fullback, they scored tries when opportunities arose, and they never really looked troubled.

But I struggle to give credit, all I can see is that they have complete control of the game as a whole, all the money is theirs, the NRL decides when we play internationals, and they use Origin to weaken their opponents. They decide who referees, what the rules will be and still complain if anything doesn't go 100% their way. That the 40-20 wasn't given at Nil-Nil, that their was absolutely no chance of a red card for an Australian in the final, and that they rarely concede penalties, but get them when they are in trouble like in the semi, I just can't give them their credit because they are bad winners, bad losers (see 200icon_cool.gif and whilst there are several in this country who aren't helping, they are helping kill off the game I love.

Was the final played in 1998?!