Sam Tomkins believes that England was improved tremendously - Four Nations
While talking to reporters in a pre-match press conference on November 19, Sam Tomkins of England acknowledged that his side has come a long way in comparison to their previous visit tot he Gillette Four Nations, which dates back to 2009.
Expressing his thoughts about the stark difference in the English side’s situation from what it had been in 2009, Tomkins stated, "The set-up is much better now. Throughout the year we've these camps where we come together for two or three days at regular
intervals and it's helped because the boys came in three or four weeks ago and everyone knows each other better than we did before.”
Previously, the English side was not well acquainted with the players on the roster, which had affected its overall performance in 2009. Meanwhile, this year, it will be a completely different story because players have spent a lot more time together.
Tomkins added that he is more comfortable playing International Rugby League and while recalling his previous Four Nations experience, the English player shared, “I was still star-struck two years ago that I was talking to Jamie Peacock and Adrian Morley.
I probably had a bit too much respect for the Aussies and was probably feeling lucky to be playing against Billy Slater, Darren Lockyer and people like that.”
He rejected the widely prevalent notions amongst the rugby league players that tagged the National Rugby League (NRL) platform superior to Super League games. He also sidelined the rave-reviews about the Roos that branded them as a better and much stronger
side in comparison to theirs. He said that he never takes such inputs seriously because such negative buzz will always continue to bog them down.
Tomkins is aiming for their Four Nations victory this year, which according to him seems like an achievable goal. The English side is considered underdogs of the tournament but this negative notion is not deviating Englishmen from aiming for nothing but
victory.
There are a number of views from many different quarters which say that England can bag a win against the series’ favourites, Australia, by incorporating the same basic formula of avoiding penalties and errors, which led to their win against Kiwis in the
sudden death encounter.
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