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Make Moylan fullback for the rest of the Four Nations

29th October, 2016
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Matt Moylan killed it on debut for the Kangaroos. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Expert
29th October, 2016
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Every now and again a footballer surfaces with the x-factor. Matt Moylan has it – plenty of it.

The 25-year-old Panthers skipper made his Kangaroo debut yesterday in the 54-12 hammering of Scotland in the opening round of the Four Nations at Hull.

Kangaroo coach Mal Meninga told Moylan pre-game to make the most of the opportunity – and to get involved.

Moylan heeded the advice with a superb 80-minute man-of-the-match performance that included four try assists and two line breaks

He gave Meninga a serious message to be selected for the bigger games against New Zealand and England.

And I agree.

To this point, the number one Kangaroo backline is Darius Boyd (1), Josh Mansour (2), Greg Inglis (3), Josh Dugan (4), Valentine Holmes (5), Johnathan Thurston (6), and Cooper Cronk (7).

But it could be a whole lot more destructive with the inclusion of Moylan, and James Maloney who also enjoyed a superb game on debut against the Scots.

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It would mean switching the multi-talented Boyd to the wing where he has played the majority of his representative football in Origin and with the Kangaroos, and dropping inconsistent centre Josh Dugan.

That would produce a sensational Kangaroo backline of Moylan (1), Mansour (2), Inglis (3), Maloney (4), Boyd (5), Thurston (6), and Cronk (7).

Meninga could take the softer option and have Moylan with Maloney on the pine, but that’s not the Meninga way – he’s always in a positive mode knowing big players play big games.

And currently, both Moylan and Maloney are big-game players.

It wouldn’t matter who Meninga selects up front, the Kangaroo pack will have the wood on both the Kiwi and English forwards.

England coach Wayne Bennett doesn’t make many bad calls, but naming Sam Burgess as skipper over James Graham, a born leader, wasn’t one of his best.

The three Burgess brothers were virtual passengers this morning in the 17-16 loss to the Kiwis at Huddersfield where the ‘house full’ sign was up.

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While Burgess Inc were well off the pace, Graham fired on all eight cylinders.

The loss means England must beat the Kangaroos in a fortnight to have any chance of making the final – and that’s just about none and Buckleys.

Shaun Johnson was the pick of the Kiwis who played a lot better than their last game against the Kangaroos in Perth – and it was Johnson’s drop goal in the 65th minute that was crucial.

Next up England take on Scotland in a double header with the Tasman rivals meeting in the late game.

The make-up of the Kangaroos’ backline will be the talk of this week.

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