Kangaroos World Cup squad named: Edwards snubbed, Tedesco captain, 13 debutants chosen

James Tedesco has been named Australia’s new captain to lead the Kangaroos at the World Cup in what coach Mal Meninga described as an easy decision.

Meninga announced the 24-man squad on Monday, with Souths forward Cameron Murray and Penrith lock Isaah Yeo named as vice-captains ahead of Daly Cherry-Evans; a surprising decision which will not please Queenslanders after he led the Maroons to State of Origin victory.

Dylan Edwards was “desperately unlucky” to be overlooked for the squad, said Meninga, after his superb season which culminated in winning the Clive Churchill Medal in Penrith’s 28-12 Grand Final triumph over Parramatta on Sunday night.

He was named as one of three standby players who could be flown to England if there are injuries, along with Rabbitohs hooker Damien Cook and Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes.

“He’s had an exceptional year,” said Meninga.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

“It’s a difficult situation when you can only pick 24 players and our best player is a fullback in James Tedesco. We had several conversations about this and unfortunately in this instance Dylan misses out.

“He’s just desperately unlucky. We’ve got some fantastic options at fullback and touching wood, we don’t have to use them and Teddy’s there the entire time.”

Meninga added that Cameron Munster, Valentine Holmes or Latrell Mitchell could switch to the back if needed.

There are 13 uncapped players in the team, which will start the tournament as red-hot favourites.

“It’s something we will have a conversation about, right from the beginning – how important is the green and gold jersey, the history of the Kangaroos, the success that we’ve had over a long period of time,” said Meninga.

“We’ve got a strong values system that Teddy’s been part of as well. That’s the foundation to our success, around how much respect and how much we honour the jersey in the position we’re in.

“You judge the strength of our team by the people that’s missed out.

“There’s always pressure and this expectation that you put a green and gold jersey on and you’re gonna win a tournament. But the international space has matured over the last few years and the other teams are coming to get us.

“It’s exciting for the international game where it’s heading but we’re not going over there to lose, we’re going over to win.

“We have an extremely healthy mix of incumbent players as well as a number of players who are yet to represent their country.

“We will have players who have performed on this stage before. Many of these players have produced form when it counts in both State of Origin and also in the finals series.

“The balance of the squad is extremely strong and will hopefully produce the results we’re after over the duration of the tournament.”

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

It’s the start of a new era for the Kangaroos as nearly three years will have elapsed between games by the time they play their first World Cup match against Fiji on October 15.

Many of the debutants are players who would have been given their Kangaroos call-ups in the past couple of years like Yeo, Nathan Cleary, Angus Crichton, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Harry Grant and Liam Martin, who have been regular fixtures at Origin level.

But there are several players who have shot up the ranks this year like Matt Burton, Lindsay Collins, Cowboys trio Reuben Cotter, Jeremiah Nanai and Murray Taulagi, Campbell Graham and Wally Lewis Medal winner Patrick Carrigan.

Meninga said Cleary was not guaranteed to get the halfback role ahead of Cherry-Evans, who is the incumbent from their most recent outing at the end of 2019 against Tonga.

Grant is the only specialist hooker in the squad with Cook missing out. Penrith star Api Koroisau was selected for Fiji so will represent the Bati after not being named by Australia.

“Damien has been a great servant for the Rabbitohs and he’s the incumbent but we felt the Queensland hookers were best-placed to be in the squad,” Meninga said.

Kangaroos squad

Josh Addo-Carr (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Matt Burton* (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Parramatta Eels)
Patrick Carrigan* (Brisbane Broncos)
Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
Nathan Cleary* (Penrith Panthers)
Lindsay Collins* (Sydney Roosters)
Reuben Cotter* (North Queensland Cowboys)
Angus Crichton* (Sydney Roosters)
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui* (Gold Coast Titans)
Campbell Graham* (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Harry Grant* (Melbourne Storm)
Valentine Holmes (North Queensland Cowboys)
Ben Hunt (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Liam Martin* (Penrith Panthers)
Latrell Mitchell (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Cameron Munster (Melbourne Storm)
Cameron Murray (South Sydney Rabbitohs) – Vice-Captain
Jeremiah Nanai* (North Queensland Cowboys)
Murray Taulagi* (North Queensland Cowboys)
James Tedesco (Sydney Roosters) – Captain
Jake Trbojevic (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
Jack Wighton (Canberra Raiders)
Isaah Yeo* (Penrith Panthers)
Standby players: Dylan Edwards,* Nicho Hynes*, Damien Cook
* denotes uncapped Kangaroos

With Tedesco at fullback, Munster will be five-eighth with Cleary or Cherry-Evans at halfback and Hunt interchanging with Grant as the starting hooker and bench utilities.

Mitchell and Wighton are likely the starting centres with Burton and Graham the back-up options.

In the pack, Yeo will be lock with Murray and Martin the second-rowers with Crichton the edge forward on the bench.

When it comes to the middle forward rotation, Fa’asuamaleaui will be the spearhead of a group alongside Campbell-Gillard, Trbojevic, Carrigan and Cotter.

Likely 17-man line-up

1 James Tedesco
2 Josh Addo-Carr
3 Latrell Mitchell
4 Jack Wighton
5 Valentine Holmes
6 Cameron Munster
7 Nathan Cleary
8 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui
9 Ben Hunt
10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard
11 Cameron Murray
12 Liam Martin
13 Isaah Yeo
14 Harry Grant
15 Angus Crichton
16 Reuben Cotter
17 Jake Trbojevic

There were always going to be several new faces, because many players from 2019 have either retired or are no longer on the representative radar, while some other current stars are unavailable due to injury or have declared their eligibility for other nations.

Australian selectors dealt with an unprecedented number of players ruling themselves out, including Broncos star Payne Haas and Roosters prodigy Joseph Suaalii.

Haas has chosen not to tour due to recent shoulder surgery and personal reasons stemming from his mother being jailed for assault, while Suaalii has opted to represent Samoa in a major boost for the Pacific nation.

Broncos second-rower Kurt Capewell was also ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

NSW winger Brian To’o, Penrith teammate Jarome Luai and Maroons prop Josh Papalii elected to represent Samoa, while Storm forward Felise Kaufusi and Roosters winger Daniel Tupou switched allegiances to Tonga.

Junior Paulo announced he was also going to play for Samoa, further weakening Meninga’s middle forward rotation.

Three fullbacks – Melbourne’s Ryan Papenhuyzen (fractured kneecap), Newcastle’s Kalyn Ponga (concussion) and Manly star Tom Trbojevic (shoulder surgery) – are the biggest names sidelined by injury.

Papenhuyzen was ruled out mid-season, while Ponga had been hopeful of being cleared for the World Cup but pulled out, and Trbojevic also won’t be sighted until 2023.

Roosters lock Victor Radley, who would have been an outside chance of surviving the Kangaroos’ selection cull, has declared he wants to represent England, the birthplace of his father.

The World Cup kicks off on October 15 with the men’s and women’s finals at Old Trafford in Manchester on November 19.