Centre of attention: With Latrell, Wighton and Holmes all out, Mal has a major Kangaroos conundrum

Time was, it was pretty easy to pick a Kangaroos side. They played a whole load of footy, plus a State of Origin series as a trial, then you looked at who was best, discounting any of the Kiwis and Poms.

Certainly, when Mal Meninga was charging down an edge in the green and gold, it was a simpler time. You picked him first and worked out the rest.

In 2023, however, it’s a sticky business. 

For one, half of the players in State of Origin are already declared for another team – which, in the case of the upcoming Pacific Championships, is also the same team that you’re going to be playing first up.

For two, the Kangaroos have devalued their own brand so much that plenty of players don’t get up for the jersey anymore, while their opponents tend to have no such qualms.

For a third, the expectation of every Australian team ever is to win and win well all the time, so the margin for error is pretty slim.

Top of Meninga’s list will be a particularly ironic problem. He’s the greatest centre of all time, and will need all of that knowledge to find not one, but two players to fill that role for him come October.

Last year’s World Cup-winning squad was about as stacked as it was possible to be in that position, but this year’s edition have been dropping like flies.

Jack Wighton, who started at Old Trafford, was he first to depart, retiring from representative football ahead of the Origin series way back in May. 

Whether that decision included the Kangaroos or not was something of an open question, as at that point (and at most points in the recent past) Australia had not decided if they were actually going to play international footy, but now it has been taken out of his hands anyway via his suspension for allegedly biting Tyson Gamble during Canberra’s exit from the NRL finals.

That was swiftly followed by Latrell Mitchell, who ruled himself out of post-season rep footy in order to recover from a hand injury. 

His withdrawal might well have happened regardless of injury, as Mitchell is a noted homebird and had to be convinced by Meninga to spend his holidays playing footy in England last year, rather than where he would prefer to be, on his farm in Taree.

The other centre option who played in the World Cup final last year is Valentine Holmes, but now he is at the centre of an NRL Integrity Unit investigation after being photographed with what appeared to be a bag of white powder in post-elimination celebrations. 

The NRL can’t test players for drugs out of competition – it would be an interesting legal wrangle if he were selected and therefore in competition, then subjected to routine anti-doping – but might well slap Holmes with a charge of bringing the game into disrepute, which doubtless his club, the Cowboys, would want him to serve by missing international matches that they likely would prefer he didn’t play in anyway. 

Holmes also skipped the last month of the regular season with a suspension, so would be two months away from match fitness if somehow he was cleared, then selected for the Kangaroos.

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Next in line from the 2022 vintage would be the squad members who were not picked for the final, Campbell Graham and Matt Burton. 

Graham was named in the long list that the Kangaroos published that excluded anyone participating in the finals, but he has been nursing a sternum injury since mid-year in the NRL – enough for NSW to rule him out of Origin – and would probably benefit from not having to get up for another round of fixtures. 

He was also given a bath by Billy Smith of the Roosters late in the year and has seen his form drop off considerably from where it was pre-Origin.

Burton’s stock has never been lower since being named Dally M Centre of the Year in 2021, and hasn’t played centre at any level since last appearing for the Kangaroos. He was a notable absentee from the train on list.

So who could make the step up? Plenty of outlets have mentioned Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who played in the centres for Queensland in all three Origin fixtures, but he represented Samoa at the World Cup last year. 

While his stock may not be as high as it is now and, in all likelihood, one of Mitchell, Holmes or the other noted absentee, Tom Trbojevic, could well claim a spot in the future and he might prefer to stick tight with Toa Samoa.

The Hammer made the long list, but it might very well be in his best interest to stay with Samoa, where – given Joseph Suaalii’s move to rugby union – he would be the obvious choice for a crack at his preferred fullback role, too.

Jake Averillo was in the published list, but he’s injured his knee since the squad was announced and won’t feature. That leaves Zac Lomax as the last man standing from the stated list.  

Lomax has long been touted for rep footy, but has flattered to deceive and has only appeared in Prime Minister’s XIII matches.

Though his form improved as the season progressed, it would be a damning indictment of the stocks if he was to start for the Kangaroos.

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Of those that made the eight, things get very complicated. 16 players featured in the centres in the first week, but of that, eight are either ineligible or highly likely to play for someone else.

Four were Kiwis – Matt Timoko, Joey Manu, Adam Pompey and Rocco Berry – and three are Samoans (Stephen Crichton, Young Tonumaipea and Marion Seve), plus Siosifa Talakai and Herbie Farnworth, who will likely play against each other in the England v Tonga series.

You can scratch out Wighton and Billy Smith, retired and injured respectively, plus Dane Gagai, who is an unlikely pick at his age after being dropped from Origin by Queensland. Luke Garner also filled in, but is a backrower who was deputising for Izack Tago, who will play for Samoa.

That leaves three men: Kotoni Staggs, Jesse Ramien and Bradman Best. 

Staggs has been exceptional this year, but was dumped in the Australian representative wilderness by NSW coach Brad Fittler after just one game in 2022, and subsequently switched to play for Tonga at the World Cup. 

Doubtless they will make that call again for the tour of England, and the player will be in the same boat as Tabuai-Fidow in potentially preferring to stick with the team that showed faith in him.

Best was a surprise inclusion in the Blues squad in Origin, but performed well in the third game and kicked on from there, impressing on Newcastle’s fairytale run to the finals. He’d be a popular pick and, given the total lack of options elsewhere, is firming as a frontrunner.

Ramien has never been picked for any rep squad beyond the pre-season All Stars game, and has never been mentioned in serious conversations for higher honours. Yet with Australia currently set up as they are, his time might come.

Worryingly, the centre issue arises as their opponents look ever stronger. Stephen Crichton is in career best form for Samoa and emerging as a real leader, while Izack Tago has grown yet further as player and would walk into the team now, having lost out to Tim Lafai following injury last year.

New Zealand ended the World Cup with Peta Hiku and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad in the centres, but are now spoilt for choice. 

They will miss Seb Kris, who is suspended, but beyond him, could call on Matt Timoko, one of the best in the NRL in 2023 and either of Pompey and Berry, or retain Hiku. 

CNK will almost certainly return to fullback given the injury to Joey Manu, though if he recovers in time, a return to the centres is possible.

Australia, so used to having all the depth all the time, now find themselves in an unusual position. Meninga used to have selection headaches wondering who to leave out – now, he might have to scramble to find someone to fill in.