It’s a tough job being Kangaroos coach. Well, it isn’t really, because you’ve got literally the best pool of talent in the world to pick from and you could put them out in any order and they’d probably go alright.
But it is tough, in the sense that someone eventually has to lose and you really don’t want to be that bloke. Mal Meninga, whoever he picked, was going to get criticised and in all likelihood, he strengthens other teams through the choices that he makes as well.
Fiji just got a lot better by him not picking Api Koroisau and they face each other first up.
There were a few major selection headaches for Mal, and now the squad is picked, we can look over it and see what we think.
Leaving Dylan Edwards out was the right call
Sometimes the right call is not the popular one. Edwards is flavour of the month, and rightly so given his crucial role in the Panthers’ back-to-back Premierships and his superb performance in the Grand Final.
But seriously: does anyone think that he’s better than James Tedesco? I doubt many do, even in Penrith. Certainly Mal doesn’t, because he’s named Teddy to captain the whole team.
You might make an argument Edwards is better than Latrell Mitchell as a fullback, but given he only plays fullback, it doesn’t make sense to bring two of them along when your captain is a fullback, you have several others than can fill in and you only get 24 players.
Edwards is a reserve, so if someone went down he might get a chance, though it’s unlikely. It’s harsh on Edwards, who really couldn’t have done more, but that’s the world we live in. He’s behind Tedesco and unless he plays incredibly well for another five years, he still will be.
He’s probably annoyed that he doesn’t have any ancestors from anywhere else to call upon, because if he was from literally anywhere else other than the Northern Rivers of NSW he would be playing rep footy, and indeed, if he’d been born at any point in the past prior to the scrapping of City/Country, he’d get a gig there too.
(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
Mal has to ditch incumbency and play Cleary
If it’s hard to think of much more than Edwards could have done, it’s even harder to think of what Nathan Cleary has to do to start at halfback in a Kangaroos jumper.
Yet, in the presser, Mal was still highly circumspect about who would play halfback. He dithered on the issue, suggesting that Daly Cherry-Evans might play at 6 – as if, somehow, things would get better if he dropped Cameron Munster – and then that he might rotate his team in preparation for the latter stages.
The whole idea is slightly disrespectful to the competition (quelle surprise, from the Australian Kangaroos, you might say) and yet also pointless, because while Mal might have a point that his lads will almost certainly play semis before they face a challenge, there is also nothing really to be learned for a game against New Zealand by testing someone against Italy and Scotland.
The spine is highly predicated on incumbency, but when you haven’t played a game for three years and you actually lost the last game you played, I’m not sure that works as an idea.
DCE does play in concert with Ben Hunt and Harry Grant, the likely 9s, and Cam Munster, the likely 6, at Origin level, but I dunno: isn’t the point of Origin to pick a composite team? That’s certainly what Mal wanted us to believe when he was kvetching about eligibility.
Nathan Cleary is outright the best 7 in the world and that’s coming from a Manly fan who thinks the sun shines out of Cherry-Evans’ backside. He’s just a better player.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Have they picked Campbell Graham to play?
Josh Addo-Carr will start on one wing. Incumbency, and the lack of anyone else, helps. Murray Taulagi has also been picked and might well get the other wing. Val Holmes played there in 2017 and scored a million tries, so you’d think he’ll get some sort of run. But what about Campbell Graham?
My conspiracy theory is that Mal Meninga wanting to stop Scotland losing 100-4 rather than 100-0, and therefore called up the best player on their team. If he was doing that, I’ll grant you, he probably wouldn’t have released Fiji’s best player back to them, and might have called up Nathan Brown from Italy as well.
Joking aside, there is a part of me that thinks Graham isn’t there to for a curry at Yadgar’s and a pint of John Willie Lees in The Millstone next door. He’s going to Manchester to play.
It’s surprising, really, because I interviewed him for our Rugby League World Cup podcast not two weeks back and he was totally committed to Scotland.
I’m surmising that Mal made the call late – perhaps after Selwyn Cobbo played the PMXIII’s game, where he trialled the Broncos youngster in the centres and then mentioned his need for utility value in the backs. Cobbo is absent, and the next cab off the centre/wing ranks is clearly Graham.
I have no idea if Meninga is the right guy to coach this Kangaroos team, but the decision-making there is confusing.
The wingers are vital to the way that the game is played, especially in grinding international matches at the highest level. It’s also Australia’s weakest position. Hmmm.
Ken
Guest
I agree 100% with everything you said. ????
Ben
Guest
A Cleary bomb in cold sleety November in Northern England. Has to be picked purely on that.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Which the incumbent nor the fullback you’re so enamoured with played in
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Well done… I’m sure there’s a point in there somewhere but I seriously have lost all hope to find it!
mushi
Roar Guru
Or the last two finals games
mushi
Roar Guru
If it’s a waste of time why are you posting? Your initial point was he was applying weight to being the incumbent nothing you’ve posted has any merit to support it. On the SOO my thinking is you need to be irrational to apply so much weight to effectively two games. Your “it’s one game” pretty much support how crazy that is as your effectively doing it based on two games and disregarding every other bit of information we have. And in that it’s really 240 of collective minutes which is why the aggregate is used by guys with maths doctorates to better forecast success.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
If you can’t or won’t see it then it’s a waste of time debating the point. Based on your summation, only those playing in winning sides get picked. Cleary had a good season but he was doing so behind a very strong and well drilled pack with a stellar backline who functioned well in his absence. In the SoO he had one decent game out of three playing against a side of supposed underdogs. By the same thinking Tedesco wouldn’t have played any rep footy at all last year because his side were playing busted like Manly did this year.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Surprised he hasn't made the QLD side then ? :silly:
Albo
Roar Rookie
Surprised he's only got one of his Titan's boys in the squad ? He had them firing ! :silly:
Albo
Roar Rookie
And Edwards played much of his junior career as a 6. He could easily play most positions on the field and do a handy job. Maybe lacks a bit of pace for a winger, but centre or backrow wouldn't be too much for him.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Edwards was never a chance of World Cup selection. As good as his form has been for the Panthers, he was never going to get a start in front of Teddy ( who I don't think has had his best year either) . And if Teddy was to be injured at the Cup, there are plenty of would be fullbacks to cover his spot ( Mitchell, Munster, Holmes , etc). Same reason why Hynes wasn't picked also.
DrSpaceman
Guest
Agreeing with Travis here, poor form to call out Cleary on a subpar game in Origin 3 - whilst DCE was almost non-existent in all 3 x SOO matches the year prior (especially considering the fact that he has 10+ years experience as an NRL halfback).
Greg
Roar Pro
Teams use the fullbacks differently and in accordance to their individual skill sets. Edwards is a very good player and perfectly suited to the Panthers team. So, I don't disagree that "the Panthers wouldn't swap him for anyone". Plenty of other clubs however would not swap their fullback for Edwards. If Edwards was at Souths I doubt they'd have made the Eight this year. He doesn't have the attacking skillset to complement their game style. Similae can be said of most the other top fullbacks Tubojevic, Tedesco, Papenhuyzen, Ponga, Drinkwater. Many of the above fullbacks don't possess Edwards' strong carries, high workrate and excellent defence however Tedesco has all those qualities along with his outstanding attacking abilities. Edwards is not even close to the player Tedesco is.
astro
Roar Rookie
I've watched plenty of games this season, and would again, take Teddy every day of the week over Edwards. And that's no insult to Edwards. I'm not sure what being a 'glamour boy' means, but this season, Teddy finished ahead of Edwards in tries, try assists, tackle busts and offloads, and was 2nd behind Edwards for run meters. He was NSW best player in the Origin series. And I think Turbo's season last year speaks for itself, and shows what he can do when healthy.
mushi
Roar Guru
I see no logic to your claim of no logic. Using 3 games as compelling evidence whilst ignoring the rest of the year, or even more recent play isn’t logical. Even the evidence isn’t logically applied as it’s as much a very select team performance that’s misleading as over the 240 minutes the aggregate wasn’t as flattering and it’s a better leading indicator than w/l.
Greg
Roar Pro
In the past 6 weeks Edwards has gone from one of the most underrated players in the game to one of the most overrated.
Nat
Roar Guru
Just ask anyone from Dorrigo how much they have in common with Mullumbimby. :laughing:
Hondo
Roar Rookie
Sadly, Dylan Edwards will never play SOO as he isn't a glamour boy like the others. I don't know which games you have been watching this season, but he is the single biggest reason the Panthers won the grand final and his contribution on a week-by-week basis has helped Cleary and the Panthers forwards to be so dominant this year. He and To'o usually make the first two carries for the Panthers and the massive yardage the two make from those carries, sets up the basis for the plays that follow and takes a lot of pressure off the Panthers forwards and allows them to stay relatively fresh for most of the game. Edwards work in defense is the best in the NRL and his organization of the Panthers back line and his work to always be there when needed is amazing. While I'm not a Panthers fan I rate him the most valuable player in the NRL and are pretty sure the Panthers are well aware of his value in their performances this year, especially in the Grand Final, where he was a worthy winner of the Churchill medal and am pretty sure the Panthers wouldn't swap him for anyone.
Muzz
Guest
Cleary wouldn't be in the conversation if he played for the Tigers, Warriors, Knights.
Andy J
Roar Rookie
Great point Cleary has looked great for the panthers with a pack that has dominated (a few nz player in there) in origin 1 and 3 when the Qld pack matched /bettered the blues he went missing. In the World Cup there are a couple of teams that can match the aussie middles, nz and Tonga will give them a good run