Wayne Bennett has taken a pop at the knockers who claim he has ruined the Great Britain badge and should be sacked.
The 69-year-old Lions coach has caused uproar with some of his selections on the current losing tour Down Under.
But he has come back fighting, saying: “They don’t build monuments to critics. Criticism is like water off a duck’s back - I don’t listen to it.
“I am at the coal face and I know what is going on. I know what we have got to fix up and believe we can do that.
“I have never disrespected anyone in my life, it is not in my nature. There is no disrespect from me towards Great Britain.”
The Lions have lost all three tour games, to Tonga and twice to New Zealand, and need to beat Papua New Guinea on Saturday to avoid a total disaster.
But his team selection will once again send his critics into overdrive - with half back Blake Austin again on the wing and emergency call-up Ash Handley not playing.
Bennett, however, says the doubters can moan all they want but nothing will stop him from controversially planning towards England’s World Cup campaign in two years.
He said: “We are working on a plan to get our game right because next year against Australia is vital and then hopefully we can be a real contender at the World Cup.”
And that’s partly why he’s likely to start Gareth Widdop and Jackson Hastings in the halves for the fourth game running, even though they have failed to inspire so far.
He said: “One of the things we have to get our heads around is we have to stabilise our halves and we cannot just keep swapping and changing.
“We are not getting it right at the moment, the decision making or the pressure that comes in games.
“I have got to give Jackson time. If I react and take him out we are not going to get him to the place we need him to go or for us to realise he cannot get there.
“That’s the dilemma we are in and the same with Gareth Widdop. That is what is going on right now.”
Half back George Williams will make his tour bow off the bench but Jake Trueman will not be given a debut.
Bennett said: “I don’t like going back on my word when I said everyone would play but I cannot give Jake an opportunity because we need to fix things up with the right players in.
“It is not the time to be trialling anyone. We need to get a victory and I need to have the best players on the field.”
Leeds winger Handley was expected to play after being called up but Bennett insists he was only ever intended as cover.
Instead Austin, who had a horror start against the Kiwis last week before recovering well, will again play on the wing.
The Kumuls lost narrowly to Fiji last Saturday and expected to give the Lions a battle on Saturday.
But Bennett insists he’s confident, saying: “We are not a basket case, that is the bottom line. If we had taken our opportunities we would have scored more tries.
“If we were miles behind I would be talking in a different vein but that is not where we are.”
