Yeo: Kangaroos out to finish England on 80-minute high
Ian Chadband |
Captain Isaah Yeo will urge his Kangaroos to finish their mission to sweep the Ashes series against England with the flourish of a complete 80-minute performance that’s so far eluded them.
Yeo, who’s back to lead the side after missing all but the first seven minutes of the series following a head knock, made it clear on the eve of Saturday’s final Test at Headingley he feels England haven’t yet seen the best of his world champions despite Australia having already wrapped up the series 2-0.
Now the 31-year-old Panthers ace is determined the Roos, who’ve resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes for the Leeds finale, bow out from the first Ashes series in 22 years with a performance that befits the quality of a side featuring five nominees for the Golden Boot.
Cameron Munster, Nathan Cleary, Angus Crichton, Harry Grant and Reuben Cotter were all on the list for international player of the year unveiled this week, and they’ll all be key to producing the complete display in the 20,000-seater cauldron in Leeds.
Yeo admitted there were patches in both the Wembley Test, where Australia won comfortably 26-6, and last week at Everton, as England scrapped fiestily before going down 14-4, when the Kangaroos fell short of the standards they demand.
He also expects Shaun Wane’s team to come out firing as they seek to avoid what captain George Williams feels would be the “embarrassment” of a 3-0 home loss.
“So we understand we need to be good tomorrow,” said Yeo.
“We want to go out there and make sure we put on a full 80-minute performance to our standard. We just haven’t done that yet, but it makes for a wonderful opportunity.
“England will be all out to make sure it’s not a 3-0 whitewash, and we’re trying to make sure it is.
“In the history of the game you don’t want to lose these things. This tour’s been truly something special and something we will look back on in our careers and be really fond of having been over here.”
Yeo also refuted the criticism of the English team aimed at them by home pundits. “There was a five-minute period there in that second game where it could have gone either way, and we were lucky enough to get a couple of tries.
“There were moments we certainly weren’t at our best, but that was because of the standard they were playing at as well.
“The way they’ve competed through this whole series has been outstanding, but I dare say there’ll probably now be a little bit more freedom to their attack, and I’d like to think that’s the same for us as well.”
Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters has stuck by his tried-and-trusted side, copping some criticism for not giving a chance to half-a-dozen of his touring party, but the squad have saluted his decision.
Eels star Mitch Moses was certainly not complaining. “I completely understand it,” he had said earlier in the week.
“I feel like if I was in that position I wouldn’t want to give up my spot either. You have to put the team first and the country first. We’ve prepared the boys as well as we could … hopefully the boys can finish them off 3-0.”
AAP
