Tug-of-war for Koroisau, Ponga ruled out, Lane, Lodge, Young a chance

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.

There will not only be several new faces because several players from 2019 have either retired or are no longer on the representative radar, but there are current stars unavailable due to injury and declaring their eligibility for other nations.

One player yet to declare his intentions is Penrith star Api Koroisau, who will be a leading contender to make the Australian squad but has been chosen in Fiji’s extended 32-man squad on Wednesday. Bati coach Joe Rabele will have to finalise a 24-man squad next month.

“I know that he has some interest to play for the Kangaroos, but the door is still open for Api Koroisau,” Rabele told a press conference in Fiji. “Hopefully he will get back to me because we will send invitation letters to all the clubs for all the players that we select [to confirm] if they want to be part of this program, so we are waiting for them to respond.

“We are departing for England on October 25 so before we depart we need to select our best team that we can for the World Cup.”

Hooker is looming as a tricky selection for Meninga, who recently nominated Cowboys young gun Reece Robson as being in the mix for one of berths alongside Koroisau and his fellow Origin representatives Harry Grant, Ben Hunt and Damien Cook.

It’s another selection headache for Australian coach Mal Meninga after NSW winger Brian To’o, Penrith teammate Jarome Luai and Maroons prop Josh Papalii have elected to represent Samoa while Storm forward Felise Kaufusi and Roosters winger Daniel Tupou have switched allegiances to Tonga.

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

Kangaroos assistant coach Michael Hagan wrote in a column for The Roar that Matt Lodge, Shaun Lane and Hudson Young have stormed into contention for a spot in the pack with their strong late-season club form.

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

Papenhuyzen is no chance of playing again until 2023, Ponga had been hopeful of being cleared for the World Cup but has pulled out while Trbojevic is virtually no hope of being fit if the Kangaroos want to select him.

“I understand the potential opportunities that may be missed by this decision, however, due to the year we have endured, I really want to commit on the upcoming preseason,” Ponga said. “My focus will sit firmly with nailing pre-season from the start, and I believe this decision is in the best interest of myself and the Knights.”

Valentine Holmes may also play for another nation with the Cowboys centre saying he has spoken to coach Tony Iro about representing the Cook Islands but will wait until the end of the NRL season before making a final decision.

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.

As part of a series looking at each squad’s selection certainties, possibles and probables, here’s how the Australian squad is shaping up.

Certainties

There are not that many Australian players who you could say will definitely be wearing the green and gold, barring injury, in October.

James Tedesco is a shoo-in to be fullback and will likely assume the captaincy following the retirement of Boyd Cordner ahead of Daly Cherry-Evans.

Nathan Cleary and Cameron Munster will join DCE as the three main halves options with Ben Hunt certain to also be in the squad to cover hooker as well.

Back-rowers Cameron Murray, Kurt Capewell and Isaah Yeo would need to be injured or have a dramatic drop in form to miss out while Payne Haas is the only prop who is an automatic selection.

Probables 

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui earlier this year said his preference was to represent Australia ahead of Samoa at the World Cup and given his strong form for Queensland in the Origin arena, he is more than likely to get the nod as one of the middle forwards. 

Patrick Carrigan as the Wally Lewis Medallist should be in Australia’s 24 based on his on-field performances, particularly for Queensland, but the Broncos forward’s four-game ban for a hip-drop tackle late in the season could hurt his chances.

Holmes and fellow Maroons centre Dane Gagai are proven big-game performers, as is Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell, who missed Origin with injury, so it’d be a surprise if those three are not in the final squad. Valentine Holmes, who has scored 17 tries in 13 matches for Australia and has a Cook Islands mother and New Zealand father, wants to delay making a decision until the end of the NRL season.

Possibles

That leaves 11 spots open for a pair of hookers, a few outside backs and a bunch of back-up forwards. 

Harry Grant, Api Koroisau, Reece Robson and Damien Cook are fighting it out for the two specialist dummy-half roles – Cook is the incumbent but Koroisau and Grant had better Origin campaigns while Meninga has nominated Robson as a potential left-field selection.

With all four likely to be featuring in the finals, end-of-season form will be the deciding factor. Koroisau has been selected for Fiji’s extended squad but is yet to make a call on who he will represent.

If Mitchell and Gagai are the starting centres, Holmes will be on one wing with Josh Addo-Carr likely to get the other berth with Tupou and To’o representing their Pacific heritage. 

The back-up centre berth is set to come down to a battle between Stephen Crichton, Matt Burton, Jack Wighton and Campbell Graham – it’s another area where Meninga does not have a lot of eligible players in form pressing for selection.

Crichton might yet follow the lead of his Panthers teammates To’o and Jarome Luai by opting for Samoa, while Brisbane’s Kotoni Staggs and Cronulla’s Sioisifa Talakai, both of whom played Origin this year for NSW, will represent Tonga at the World Cup.

Maroons wingers Selwyn Cobbo, Corey Oates and Xavier Coates are in the frame along with Cowboys speedster Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Roosters prodigy Joseph Suaalii.

Coates was born in Port Moresby and most recently represented the Kumuls, but might find a Kangaroo call-up too hard to turn down. If not picked, Suaalii would surely be in the running for a Samoa jersey although his stocks are rising for Australian selection.

Mitchell also provides back-up for Tedesco but Meninga will likely select another specialist fullback – Kalyn Ponga’s ruled himself out and Trbojevic is sidelined, the door is now be open for Eels skipper Clint Gutherson, Penrith’s Dylan Edwards or Warriors rising star Reece Walsh to get their first national call-up.

Ponga sat out Newcastle’s final four matches and has opted to concentrate on getting right for Newcastle next year.

In the pack, the ability to switch between the edge and middle forward roles will help the likes of Angus Crichton and Liam Martin.

Jake Trbojevic is considered a fair chance of getting a spot as a middle option and another berth has opened up with Junior Paulo making himself available for Samoa.

Lindsay Collins, Jai Arrow, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Jordan McLean and Daniel and Jacob Saifiti could be other options up front – though RCG and the Saifitis are Fiji-eligible and yet to make a public decision.

Collins’ four-game ban hurts his chances – he will only play in the NRL again this season if the Roosters make the Grand Final.

North Queensland young gun Jeremiah Nanai is also weighing up whether to commit to Samoa but he is rated a decent chance of getting a second-rower berth with the Kangaroos while Cowboys teammate Reuben Cotter will also come into calculations. 

Kangaroos assistant coach Michael Hagan wrote in a column for The Roar that Matt Lodge, Shaun Lane and Hudson Young have stormed into contention with their strong late-season club form.

Predicted Kangaroos squad

1 James Tedesco
2 Josh Addo-Carr
3 Dane Gagai
4 Latrell Mitchell
5 Valentine Holmes
6 Cameron Munster
7 Nathan Cleary
8 Payne Haas
9 Ben Hunt
10 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 
11 Cameron Murray
12 Kurt Capewell
13 Isaah Yeo
14 Harry Grant
15 Patrick Carrigan
16 Angus Crichton
17 Jake Trbojevic
18 Daly Cherry-Evans
19 Reuben Cotter/Lindsay Collins
20 Reagan Campbell-Gillard/Matt Lodge
21 Damien Cook/Api Koroisau
22 Joseph Suaalii/Xavier Coates
23 Liam Martin/Jeremiah Nanai
24 Jack Wighton/Matt Burton