Italy have some great players. Unfortunately, some of those great players are going to be too good to play for them, while others have decided to opt out.
There’ll be no James Tedesco, of course, as he’ll almost certainly be captaining the Kangaroos and not turning out for the Azzurri, as he did at the last two World Cups.
Experienced prop Paul Vaughan has chosen not to play after a tough season with the Bulldogs and ahead of a big move to Warrington, while stalwart Daniel Alvaro will also step back from the national team.
That leaves Nathan Brown, consigned to NSW Cup by Parramatta for most of the year, as the de facto leader of this side and their most senior player.
Italy haven’t played since 2019 – certainly not with a full team of NRL and Super League talent – and struggled badly in 2017, losing badly to Ireland and Fiji and having an off-field scandal to boot, with Tedesco and prop Shannon Wakeham scrapping in a Cairns nightclub.
This year might not be much better. The Italians have a horror group, with Australia and Fiji, so their best hope is to take two points from their opener with Scotland. Wish them luck.
If you read a few of these squad previews, you’ll know the formula: I list a lot of headline NRL talent here and then, it gets a little more shaky, with lower graders and promising juniors added in.
Italy have this upside down. They have a strong core of state cup and English lower league talent who have turned out for coach Leo Epifania in qualifiers and other games, and who will almost certainly play again, with the NRL options less sure.
Alongside the aforementioned Nathan Brown, there’s just Cooper Johns who is a semi-regular in top grade.
Souths five eighth Jack Campagnolo and Blacktown hooker Joey Tramontana will be there. Also from Blacktown is Luke Hodge, who played for Italy in 2019. Luca Moretti is often in extended benches for Parramatta’s NRL side and will play and his clubmate Jack Colovatti gets a call.
Jake Clifford (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The Panthers provide Alec Susino from NSW Cup and Brad Fearnley from their Flegg outfit. One day I will count how many Panthers are going to be at this World Cup from the various grades, because it is a lot. The Sharks also chuck in Kyle Pickering of their Flegg side.
From north of the Tweed, there’s three Sunshine Coast Falcons in Daniel Atkinson, Jake Maizen and Luke Poselli.
The UK-based contigent have all been playing regular footy, albeit not in the Super League.
Swinton winger Richard Lepori is their all time top tryscorer and will get a gig on one wing, while Keighley prop Brenden Santi rarely misses a game and London Broncos backrower Ronny Palumbo is the same.
Dean Parata of Featherstone, Ryan King of Whitehaven and Anton Iaria of Barrow complete the pack and likely the bench.
Ethan Natoli of Glebe Dirty Reds is in from Ron Massey Cup, and also from third grade you get Nicholas Tilburg of Wentworthville Magpies.
Giole Celerino, the first Italian-born player to play professionally in the UK, has been most recently in France with St Gaudens and is always a popular figure in the squad. Fellow France-based domestic product is Simone Boscolo of Salon XIII.
Domestic players include Giordano Arena from Catania Bulls and, from Lignano Sharks, Ippolito Occhialini and Alex Rojato.
Italy Squad
Daniel Atkinson (Sunshine Coast Falcons)
Nathan Brown (Parramatta Eels)
Joey Tramontana (Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles)
Cooper Johns (Melbourne Storm)
Ryan King (Whitehaven)
Jake Maizen (Sunshine Coast Falcons)
Luca Moretti (Parramatta Eels)
Luke Polselli (Sunshine Coast Falcons)
Jack Campagnolo (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Alec Susino (Penrith Panthers)
Luke Hodge (Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles)
Kyle Pickering (Cronulla Sharks)
Jack Colovatti (Parramatta Eels)
Ethan Natoli (Newtown Jets)
Rinaldo Palumbo (London Broncos)
Nicholas Tilburg (Wentworthville Magpies)
Gieole Celerino (Racing Saint Gaudens)
Simone Boscolo (RC Salon XIII)
Giordano Arena (Catania Bulls)
Ippolito Occhialini (Lignano Sharks)
Alex Rojatto (Lignano Sharks)
Dean Parata (London Broncos)
Brendan Santi (Keighley)
Anton Iaria (Barrow)
Richard Lepori (Swinton)
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