Coach Mal Meninga has firmly backed his skipper James Tedesco to guide Australia from fullback when the Gallagher Kangaroos face off against their Pacific rivals later this year.
Speaking at the announcement of the Pacific Championships, which will be held across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in October and November this year, Meninga praised the performances of Tedesco, whose place in the team has come into question in some corners of the game, given the hot form of contenders such as Reece Walsh and Kalyn Ponga this season.
“Teddy is the incumbent, he's the captain of the Kangaroos, he led the team to a successful World Cup last year,” Meninga said.
“He's coming back into (form). Everyone’s questioned his form, but I thought he's been going well I think year. His effort levels are great, so certainly in my mind – we've got a couple of other selectors – but in my mind, (he is) the number one fullback at the moment and out of loyalty, he should be selected.”
When asked about Walsh, Meninga said while he admired where the Broncos fullback’s game had gone to this year, there were a number of players who would also be in the mix for inclusion in the Kangaroos squad.
“There's a whole heap of fantastic fullbacks in our competition; most teams have got a great fullback who really influences games,” Meninga said.
“I think versatility is really key to picking squads for the Kangaroos in national space.
The best of Reece Walsh in Origin 2023
“Reece, I know he can play fullback, obviously, I know he can play in the halves as well.
“I'll be interested to see whether he can put his head in the scrum, play 13; because that's what you need, you need a player who plays 14 or a player that sits on your reserves that can play a number of positions.
“That'll be spoken about it at the selectors meeting …He is certainly putting pressure on actually being in the team itself, but so is Dylan Edwards and so is Kalyn Ponga, players of that ilk; you have Ryan Papenhuyzen coming back, so there's plenty of good fullbacks around who can play a number of positions.”
When the coach of Queensland, Meninga often picked players who had done the job previously for the state, despite arguably displaying indifferent club form in the lead-up to Origin games, and said as ever, finding the balance between strong form and loyalty was a consideration for national selectors.
“Form plays a part in selection in my mind, loyalty does as well, obviously, rep footy does, all those factors will be taken into consideration,” Meninga said.
“I don't believe that playing right through the final series puts you in a better place than if you get knocked out in the bottom nine basically, so I just feel that the rest could do some people good.
“And if you talk about Teddy, they're [the Roosters] still in the hunt [for finals] of course, but if he gets to have a bit of a spell for a number of weeks, he'll come back a better player, more refreshed and looking forward to playing the green and gold jersey.”
A vocal advocate for the expansion of the game, Meninga joined Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as part of a notable contingent of international rugby league representatives on hand for the announcement and said with time, the passion for these games would rival that seen during State of Origin.
With Australia facing off against World Cup final opponents Samoa to launch the men’s tournament in Townsville, Meninga said he was hoping to see plenty of support for the national teams.
“It was fantastic atmosphere at Old Trafford, 73,000 people there (for the Rugby League World Cup 2021 final)”, Meninga said.
“I think we'll get a full house up in Townsville for that game.
“The women are playing there as well, which is great, so it's a double header and I am looking forward to it definitely.
“And I know all the players are really excited about putting on their country colours because it is a passion and I would dare say that if we keep going on the international line with players putting on their country colours, their ancestral colours, I think will rival Origin down the track in passion.”
