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Papua New Guinea 0-22 Australia
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606: DEBATE
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81111 (with "RUGBYL" as the first word) or use 606 (Not all contributions can be used)
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By Phil Harlow
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0950: It's difficult to argue with these last few comments. OK, we can all see Australia are going to win this game, but PNG have been brilliant. One of the teams of the tournament for me, regardless of the fact they haven't won a game.
Their attitude sums up what international sport - any sport - should be all about.
0948: "I would love to see PNG win today but I doubt it will happen. They have been a joy to watch: pride, passion, unity. Three vital components that our "team" can only dream about..."
RLNUMBER1 on 606
0945: "Up until reading reading Stanley Gene's biography I never really realised how passionate PNG were about rugby league.
"They epitomise being passionate for your country, not only them but other South Sea island nations. They take the underdog attitude and put it to good use."
Steviemacs_in the gulf
40 mins: Brilliant defence from PNG on the stroke of half-time as they keep Australia out before the break. Tackle after tackle is made on the tryline and Australia have to settle for a 22-point lead at the break.
38 mins: Australia kick on the last through Scott Prince, but Menzie Yere is alive to the danger and falls on the ball to save the situation.
36 mins: TRY PNG 0-22 Australia
But the Kangaroos get it right a few moments later as they bamboozle the PNG defence with decoy runners galore before Brent Tate gives the scoring pass for David Williams to cross the line with ease.
Johnathan Thurston makes his first mistake of the match - maybe the tournament? - as he misses the conversion.
34 mins: Australia make a mistake in attack, sending the pass straight out into touch on the right.
32 mins: "PNG should have beaten England in the first game and be playing today knowing that they are in the next round instead of England. From the games I've watched there is much more pride in wearing the colours of PNG than there is for English players.
"This whole tournament has shown that the newer RL playing nations have real pride and passion for the game. Go Stanley Gene and the rest of the lads - do yourselves proud and go out with your heads held high."
alwaysarobin on 606
30 mins: Excellent stuff from PNG. Stanley Gene puts the chip kick in early in the tackle count and they force the goal-line drop-out as Karmichael Hunt runs it out.
27 mins: PNG go short at the kick-off and regain it through winger David Moore. You simply have to take your hat off to this Kumuls side for their sheer pride and willingness to work.
25 mins: TRY PNG 0-18 Australia
A second try for centre Joel Monaghan as some quick hands from Scott Prince and Darius Boyd allow him to walk it in out wide on the left.
Yet another delightful conversion from Johnathan Thurston stretches the lead again.
24 mins: Anthony Tupou embarks on a huge charge on the first tackle, and is met by an absolute brick wall of three PNG defenders. A huge collision, with PNG giving as good they get.
22 mins: TRY & CONVERSION PNG 0-12 Australia
Australia make the most of the position, with some excellent PNG defence finally leaking the try as Joel Monaghan wrestles his way through David Moore's tackle to squeeze over after a clever short pass from Karmichael Hunt.
Another curling effort from Johnathan Thurston goes between the posts to make it 12-0.
20 mins: Australia have to run it off their own tryline, but Johnanthan Thurston is inches away from a massive 40/20 kick. PNG then spoil it a little by knocking on early in the tackle count as they attempt to run out of defence.
17 mins: PNG finally get into the Australia half with ball in hand. They can be hugely proud of their efforts so far.
13 mins: David Moore, take a bow. His magnificent last-ditch ankle tap on Anthony Watmough denies Australia a certain try in the shadow of the posts.
Watmough looks to be sprinting in with ease, but Moore refuses to give it up and makes up the ground to just make an ankle tap. Watmough knocks on and you'd have thought PNG had just won the WOrld Cup. Great stuff.
11 mins: Australia open up PNG on the right again with ball in hand, working an overlap for David Williams but referee Steve Ganson disallows it for a forward pass by Karmichael Hunt.
9 mins: TRY & CONVERSION PNG 0-6 Australia
After surviving five sets against them, the PNG defence finally cracks. Johnanthan Thurston sends up an inch-perfect up-and-under to the right wing, and this time David Williams gets the better of David Moore to dot down.
Thurston curls in a beautiful conversion and Australia are up and running.
8 mins: "I can only see Oz winning but I hope PNG hurt them in the process. Wipe those smug grins off their faces Kumuls!!"
Steviemacs_in the gulf!
7 mins: A powerful run from Kangaroos second rower Anthony Watmough sees him run through three tacklers, but he gets overexcited and gives an offload without looking which PNG gratefully gobble up.
6 mins: Brilliant take from PNG winger David Moore after Terry Campese sends up a spiralling bomb. Moore gets up above opposite man David Williams and takes the ball above his head like a goalkeeper taking a cross into the penalty area.
4 mins: John Wilshere tidies up a Johnathan Thurston grubber as Australia pile on the pressure early on. PNG are standing toe-to-toe with Australia so far.
2 mins: Great first input from PNG stand-off Stanley Gene as a fantastic kick on the last puts Australia under pressure just short of the tryline.
1 min: Some ferocious PNG defence first up, with Neville Costigan knocking Brent Kite off his feet with the first tackle of the game.
0859: PNG skipper John Wilshere kicks off and we're under way.
0857: There are tears in the eyes of the PNG players as the national anthems are belted out. This is expected to be Stanley Gene's last Test, and it would be a brave - or incredibly stupid - man who walked up to him at the moment and told him this match is a foregone conclusion. Anyway, what a legend he has been, for PNG, for every Super League club he has played for, and for the sport as a whole.
Let's hope he can go out of the international arena with the performance he deserves.
0855: Let's remind ourselves of the teams on display in Townsville:
Papua New Guinea: Wilshere, Moore, Yere, Kui, Maori, Gene, Peters, Chan, Aiton, Exton, Costigan, Nightingale, Griffin. Replacements: Prior, Slain, Parker, Aston.
Australia: Hunt, Boyd, Tate, Monaghan, Williams, Campese, Thurston, Kite, Smith, Perry, Watmough, Tupou, Fitzgibbon. Replacements: Prince, Price, Gallen, Folau.
Referee: S Ganson (England)
0851: Perhaps mindful of PNG's reputation for hitting rather hard in the tackle, Australia hooker and captain Cameron Smith has tried to play down talk of a huge Kangaroos victory.
"Talk of 100 points certainly hasn't come from our camp, that's come from the outside," he said.
"We know they're a very good team and they almost rolled the Pommies up here a few weeks ago.
"When they're feeling good they can play some really attractive football."
0845: Some of the PNG players aren't too impressed by Australia's selection, believing the Kangaroos have shown them a lack of respect by making so many changes and leaving out stars like Greg Inglis and Darren Lockyer.
"We'll do everything we can hurt them and make them regret putting those players in," said prop Jason Chan.
"We want to rub their faces in it... we want to smash them."
Ominous. That's all I'm saying.
0830: Morning all, it's the final match of the group stages of the World Cup with defending champions Australia taking on Papua New Guinea in Townsville.
The fact that most bookies aren't even offering odds against an Australian victory probably tells you all you need to know about the likely outcome.
But England coach Tony Smith and his beleaguered squad will still be slightly concerned. If PNG somehow pull off the biggest upset in the history of the tournament, England areon the next flight home.
Australia have named a new-look side from the line-up which thrashed England last week, with Terry Campese - the nephew of union legend David - starting at stand-off and almost the whole Kangaroos pack has been changed.
If you want to get involved, let us know your thoughts on 606 or via text on 81111.
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