It’s decision time in the NRL. No, not for the clubs chasing the finals – for Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga.
For a decent chunk of his squad, this will be the last time they get to impress ahead of the Test matches at the end of the year, where Australia will face Samoa and New Zealand in Townsville, Melbourne and, potentially, a final in Hamilton.
The Kangaroos took home the World Cup at last year’s event in the UK, but this is the beginning of a new tournament cycle that builds towards the 2026 World Cup – not to mention a really challenging set of fixtures in its own right.
With games set for mid-October, there is a two-week gap between the NRL Grand Final and the first game against Samoa, but a substantial portion of the playing group might have no football at all until then.
Those at the Bulldogs, Dragons, Titans, Parra and Manly are already out – seven of the 24 named last year were from those clubs – and, if the current ladder stands, then another seven from the Cowboys and Roosters will join them, taking that up to over half of the 2022 Kangaroos.
Obviously, it won’t be the same line-up, and indeed, Meninga will pick a smaller group given the lack of travel needed.
That means more have to go, and undoubtedly, some new faces will emerge. Here’s how the Kangaroos stand going into this year’s internationals.
Given that Australia won the World Cup last time out, it’s reasonable to expect plenty of the squad to remain the same.
Injuries notwithstanding, you can expect the core of the world champions to remain: James Tedesco will captain, Nathan Cleary and Cameron Munster will be the halves, Harry Grant will be the hooker and Isaah Yeo, Cameron Murray, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Pat Carrigan and Liam Martin will all be in the pack.
Given performances this year, it’d be a huge surprise if Lindsay Collins wasn’t maintained in the squad, especially with his stellar showings in Origin. The Roosters and Queensland star was perhaps lucky to make the World Cup squad, and didn’t play in the final, but his star has risen since then.
Latrell Mitchell might have been a little off colour of late, but there’s no doubt that he’s among the best players in the world and will be picked – if he wants to be, given his reservations about leaving his family for so long last year. He might opt out this time around, but assuming he doesn’t, he’s in.
(Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Val Holmes has missed the back end of the NRL regular season through injury, but Mal will see that as merely making him fresher for Test football. He’s in, but might play centre rather than wing, as he did in the big games last year.
Much like his great mate Latrell, Josh Addo-Carr hasn’t been in red hot form, but you can’t see a world where the bloke who was named the second best player at the whole World Cup doesn’t get picked, especially if we factor in the relative paucity of elite wingers that Australia have.
Jake Trbojevic gets picked for every rep squad available and, if he recovers from late-season fitness issues, will find his way in.
Reading the 2021 World Cup squad is like looking into a time capsule of who was flavour of the month at the back end of that season.
Murray Taulagi, Campbell Graham and Matt Burton all travelled but were left out of the final 17. None of them are as hot now as they were a year ago, leaving big questions about any involvement.
Graham has been nursing a sternum injury since May and might be better resting up than playing internationals, so he will miss. Burton is well out of form, which should preclude him, and Taulagi seemed something of a panic pick last year. He might play, but it could be for Samoa.
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Jack Wighton has retired from rep footy – so he says, at least – and thus will vacate one of the centre spots unless there is a serious change of heart.
Angus Crichton was in the squad but will surely miss this time after barely featuring for the Roosters due to injury and off-field issues.
Ben Hunt began the World Cup Final at hooker, much as he has for Queensland, and while he brings so much utility value, there’s simply not space for him assuming other, younger spine players get picked.
That might also limit opportunities for Daly Cherry-Evans. He’s expressed his desire to continue representing Australia, but it might be that Mal makes the call and retires for him given the obvious desire late in the World Cup to continue with Cleary.
So who are the newcomers? We can assume that Payne Haas, if he is fit and interested, will walk into the side. He turned down a call-up last year due to off-field issues, but is available now and should play.
Haas could perform an epic heel turn and declare for Samoa, but that seems unlikely, entertaining as it certainly would be.
His Broncos teammate Reece Walsh has been perhaps the standout player in the entire NRL this year, and it would be a big shock if he didn’t make the squad.
Where and when he will play, however, is very much up for debate: Mal has said he might come off the bench as a utility, but Walsh is as pure a fullback as they come.
Reece Walsh. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Meninga also suggested that he’d like a look at Walsh as a lock, which seems fanciful.
“Versatility is really key for picking squads for the Kangaroos,” said the coach.
“Reece can play fullback and I know he can play in the halves as well. It will be interesting to see whether he can put his head in the scrum and play 13, because that is what you need.”
The difference between this year and last, however, is that in the World Cup, the Kangaroos got a lot of game time against lesser opposition – Scotland, Italy and Lebanon – before two games of the tough stuff with the Kiwis and Samoa.
Now, they only get the tough stuff, and there’s little scope for experimentation. It would be a huge risk playing Walsh as a lock, or any type of frontline tackler, against such good opponents.
Mal also tried something slightly less drastic with Selwyn Cobbo last year, who featured as a centre in the Prime Ministers’ XIII game with PNG, with disastrous results.
His showing, even against limited opposition, led to the Broncos star being bombed out of World Cup plans altogether with Campbell Graham, who days before had told The Roar how excited he was to play for Scotland, turning up in green and gold.
On the returners, there’s a few who played in 2021 who should back up given incumbency.
Jeremiah Nanai has missed huge swathes of the Cowboys’ season with injury and suspension, and while he is still only 20 and certainly in the ‘one for the future’ category.
It would be sensible to keep him in the elite environment – as Queensland did, despite similar concerns – and bank on him being a mainstay for the next decade. He could, alternatively, switch to Samoa as well – which might play into thinking.
Cowboys teammate Reuben Cotter is below where he was this time last year but might get in on promise too, not to mention as a second hooking option if Hunt is out.
Reagan Campbell-Gillard is back and fit, and while his NSW selections have often been in doubt, he was in by Game 3 this year and has generally been picked by Mal.
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
OK, let’s float some ideas.
Mal loves Kalyn Ponga, and the Newcastle fullback has been in the sort of form that convinced the Knights to give him a million dollars to play for them. He’ll be in every conversation.
But: he missed Origin to focus on his health and thus might also miss internationals for the same reason.
As mentioned above with Walsh, the coaching set-up like utility value and Ponga has been categorically proven not to have any – you can chart the Knights’ revival pretty much right to the moment in which he started playing fullback again and stopped experimenting in the halves.
His much-discussed concussion issues, which ended his Origin hopes, also were brought to the fore by defending in the front line. It’s likely him or Walsh, too.
There’s a Jack Wighton-shaped hole in the centres that might open up for outside talent, especially if Meninga wants to continue with Holmes as a winger.
The obvious candidate there would be Kotoni Staggs, who has been in exceptional form with the Broncos in a season where centres haven’t been to the fore.
Queensland went with Holmes and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who will be playing for Samoa, while NSW had Stephen Crichton – also Samoan – and Bradman Best.
Best would also come into consideration, but the real left-field choice might be Tom Trbojevic, who is nearing fitness and, if reports are to be believed, would have been available had Manly made the finals.
The Sea Eagles would prefer him to have a proper off-season, but he might fancy another crack with the Kangaroos.
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