James Graham and Gareth Widdop could return for England against Australia
Friday 11 November 2016 17:35, UK
Wayne Bennett is confident prop James Graham will be available for England's Four Nations clash with Australia on Sunday.
Graham, who plays for Canterbury Bulldogs in the NRL, missed the 38-12 win over Scotland last weekend with a knee injury but is expected to be back to face the Kangaroos in a must-win match at the Olympic Stadium in London.
Mal Meninga's side are the only team with a 100 per cent record so far, but a 12-point defeat against England would see their points difference disintegrate and potentially leave them vulnerable to New Zealand, who take on Scotland in their final group match.
Of Graham's inclusion, Bennett said: "He'll be playing. He trained this morning and he'll be right to go. It's important to have him back. He brings a lot. He'll be good for us."
The Aussie was disappointed with England's performance against Scotland and admits he considered making wholesale changes, but he has decided against that with plenty on the line.
"On Saturday night, [I would change] everybody. Today, I'm a bit more rational, so not too many," he added.
Among those likely to return is another NRL export, stand-off Gareth Widdop, who made way for Wigan's George Williams at the Ricoh Arena.
"He's played 20-odd Tests so he brings a fair bit to the team," Bennett said of Widdop. "That's part of the decision that I have to make.
"They all understood why they were left out last week. It wasn't about form or anything else, it was about giving other players opportunities to play and make them feel their month has been worthwhile, which is important as well.
"They've all had a game now which is important to me, that they've all had a run."
Bennett also hit back at criticism over his stilted answers to questions in the run-up to the Scotland match, rejecting talk that he was not doing enough to promote the Four Nations and stating his job was simply to get his best team on the pitch with the best chance of winning.
"You go talk to the marketing department and they don't want you to be goofing off and talking it up and your team's getting beat every week, because they won't sell a ticket." Bennett said.
"The end result of what we all do is how the team performs on the football field. I'm a football coach, that's what I am. My job's to get the best out of those players and my job's to give you the best entertainment I possibly can.
"When that's in place, what you say away from the game is really immaterial. That's been my philosophy all my coaching life. I know the teams that I coach - if they play well and everybody enjoys the way they play, then we won't have a shortage of fans and people interested in what they're doing."
