ENGLAND NEED JERM WARFARE
PAGES OF FANTASTIC Winger taking the positives START HERE Perch White hot
JERMAINE McGILLVARY lit up the world stage with a sensational display.
But the try-scoring winger still beat himself up after failing to stop England slipping to defeat in Australia.
The Huddersfield star said: “I thought I was decent in the first half but a bit lazy in the second half.
“I didn’t think I was as good as I could have been. I reckon there’s another 40 to 50 per cent improvement in me.”
That bodes well for England’s hopes in the World Cup – because he was head and shoulders the best player in Melbourne.
He scored an early try, to give England a dream start, and then pulled off try-saving challenges to twice deny Australia.
Harsh
The world champions took a 10-4 half-time lead, with tries from Matt Gillett and Billy Slater, on the back of Lions mistakes.
McGillvary and Co were terrific in the second half, limiting Australia to a penalty and a late try.
The scoreline looks harsh and McGillvary is convinced England are a far bigger threat than the Kangaroos would like.
He said: “Australia have an aura about them and they are the best team in the world but they didn’t look unbeatable.
“I know they won but they were there for the taking and we didn’t execute well enough. But we’re really positive.”
The big blow for Wayne Bennett’s men is the loss for three to four weeks of Sam Burgess with a knee injury.
Bennett insists they will cope without their talisman and McGillvary said there is plenty of proof to back that up.
He added: “We lost Sam, who is one of the big icons in our team, early in the game but we defended our try line like warriors. It’s not good to start on a loss but we can build on this. If we get them again, we can do the business.
“The World Cup is a journey – it’s not won and lost in the first game. There’s a lot to look forward to.”
Centre Kallum Watkins is convinced England can still lift the trophy on December 2, despite this opening defeat.
He said: “They have superstar players but so have we and we believe we can win this tournament.
“We are disappointed with the result but we take great positives from the game and have to move forward now.”
The Leeds centre is delighted to have McGillvary outside him, helping make the right flank a force for any team to reckon with.
He said: “He is fantastic. You see what he is like in Super League but when it comes to the international stage, he really turns it on.
“He is so strong, very smart, a good communicator and we work well together. We’ve got to continue that partnership and keep getting better.”
England take on Lebanon in Sydney next Saturday in their next group game, with Australia playing France on Friday.