Who is leading the race for Australia’s Test spots against New Zealand and Tonga?
FOR the first time in many years there’s a series of spots up for grabs in the Australian Test side. With competition for the green in gold jersey as fierce as it’s been in a long time, here’s the top contenders.
Teams
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WITH Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith’s representative retirements over the past year, the Kangaroos have lost 165 combined games of Test match experience.
This means for the first time in a long time a host of green and gold jerseys are up for grabs all at once.
With the four best teams in the competition going head to head this weekend, plenty of spots are still on the line for the end of season clashes with New Zealand and Tonga and we’ve taken a look at all the contenders and how they’re shaping up.
Fullback
The Contenders: James Tedesco, Valentine Holmes, Kalyn Ponga
The Incumbent: Billy Slater (retired)
Judging from Mal Meninga’s comments since State of Origin, James Tedesco has fullback all wrapped up. After Billy Slater held a vice grip on the job for close to a decade when fit, Tedesco will pip Holmes and Ponga to claim the spot.
After a stellar Origin series where he won the Brad Fittler medal and a great inaugural campaign with the Roosters the Camden junior is all but certain to make his Australian debut. Holmes and Ponga may well fit elsewhere into the squad with Holmes in contention for the wing and Ponga for the bench.
Who gets it?: James Tedesco
Wing
The Contenders: Valentine Holmes, Dane Gagai, Josh Addo-Carr, Blake Ferguson, Corey Oates
The Incumbents: Valentine Holmes and Dane Gagai
Holmes feels like a certainty to claim one of these spots. Not only does Holmes have a remarkable tryscoring record at rep level (14 tries in 11 Tests and eight tries in five Origin matches) he’s also taken his general play to a new level since switching to fullback.
Gagai has been a standout in representative football for Queensland and Australia but his club form has been closer to solid than spectacular.
Meninga is a big believer in incumbency, but Gagai has a red hot trio on his heels.
Blake Ferguson, who last played for Australia in 2017, is enjoying his most consistent season in first grade with a tremendous mix in attacking output and work rate shining through.
Corey Oates finished the season on fire and has a power element to his game few can match, while Josh Addo-Carr has a rare turn of speed and has been a consistent tryscorer for Melbourne and New South Wales – he was named in Meninga’s merit team following the Origin series, beating out Gagai, and his Origin combination with Latrell Mitchell could be an X-factor.
If Tom Trbojevic was fit he’d be another contender but his recovery from a cheekbone injury is expected to rule him out.
Gagai and Ferguson are the only specialist right side players of the five.
Who gets it?: Valentine Holmes (left) and Josh Addo-Carr (right)
Centres
The Contenders: Greg Inglis, Will Chambers, Latrell Mitchell, James Roberts, Josh Dugan
The Incumbents: Josh Dugan and Will Chambers
Centre is where we find the greatest test of Mal Meninga’s adherence to incumbency. Greg Inglis will be there if he’s fit, possibly as captain, and his form this year for Souths and Queensland, as well as his prior performances for Australia, deserves that elevation.
If Inglis owns the left side, the right is pretty wide open. Dugan has been in and out of Cronulla’s team all season due to injury while James Roberts never quite got his groove back after the Origin series.
A head-to-head battle between Latrell Mitchell (who played left for club and state this year) and Will Chambers seems to be in the works here.
Mitchell has been the most prolific centre in the competition this season and got the better of the veteran in the Origin series but Chambers got some licks in of his own, has the benefits of incumbency and can play both sides of the field.
This one could come right down to the wire – if the Storm and Roosters clash in the grand final the victor could take the spot.
Who gets it: Greg Inglis (left) and Latrell Mitchell/Will Chambers
Five-eighth
The Contenders: Cameron Munster, Cody Walker, James Maloney
The Incumbent: Michael Morgan (injured)
This seemed to be James Maloney’s spot to lose after his excellent performance in the Origin series but since then Cameron Munster has taken his play to another level while Cody Walker has continued playing excellent football for South Sydney.
To our eye, Munster is ahead of the other two by a nose but if South Sydney go on to win the title it could be Cody Walker’s day. Munster seems assured of a spot in the team regardless – if he misses out at five-eighth he’s a natural choice as bench utility.
Who gets it?: Cameron Munster
Halfback
The Contenders: Ben Hunt, Nathan Cleary, Daly Cherry-Evans, Adam Reynolds, Luke Brooks, James Maloney
The Incumbent: Cooper Cronk (retired)
Cooper Cronk’s rep retirement means there’s no standout for the Australian halfback job for one of the first times this century. From Cronk to Thurston to Kimmorley to Johns, there’s not been a lot of movement at seven in green and gold recently.
Maloney, Cherry-Evans and Hunt have all played Test football before, although Hunt has been more of a utility option at this level.
Luke Brooks is an outside contender while Nathan Cleary’s Origin series should have him right in the frame. If Souths can win the title then Adam Reynolds would come into the frame as well.
Despite missing the finals with Manly, Cherry-Evans probably has the best case at the moment after winning man of the match in his Origin return in Game III. Maloney, if he misses out on five eighth, and Cleary are probably next up with their goalkicking and Origin form giving them both an edge but Reynolds cannot be discounted.
Who gets it?: James Maloney
Middle forwards
The Contenders: Jordan McLean, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Aaron Woods, David Klemmer, Jack de Belin, Jai Arrow, Josh Papalii, Josh McGuire, Jake Trbojevic, Dale Finucane
Incumbents: Aaron Woods, David Klemmer (prop), Josh McGuire (lock) Jordan McLean, Reagan Campbell-Gillard (bench)
The forwards is a bit of a curly one. The two starters and bench players from last season are likely the only specialist props in contention, although it would be some effort if Woods was to hang onto his spot after coming off the bench for the Sharks since switching from Canterbury mid-season.
A series of lock forwards may be deployed at prop, just as Josh Papalii and Jai Arrow were for Queensland in Origin III. Josh McGuire and Jake Trbojevic both have Test experience that could put them in the frame, as does Papalii – the Canberra man’s ability to play middle and edge may get him into the side on the bench, filling the role Tyson Frizell has in the past.
Arrow and De Belin acquitted themselves well in his maiden Origin campaign and the Dragons lock roared back to life during the finals after a flat period. Conversly, Campbell-Gillard never quite got back to his best after suffering a broken jaw.
The punishing Finucane is an unsung hero at Melbourne and should be in contention.
Klemmer is likely the only certain starter although Jordan McLean may join him after hitting some career best form for North Queensland late in the season.
Trbojevic was the starting lock in the opener of last year’s World Cup before suffering an injury.
Who gets it?: David Klemmer and Jordan McLean (props), Jack de Belin (lock), Jake Trbojevic, Josh McGuire and Josh Papalii (bench)
Second row
The Contenders: Boyd Cordner, Tyson Frizell, Angus Crichton, Felise Kaufusi, Gavin Cooper
The Incumbents: Boyd Cordner and Matt Gillett (injured)
Cordner is in and may well be captain. He was the man of the match in the World Cup final last season and his form for New South Wales was out of this world. He’s a certainty to line up on the left edge if he’s healthy.
With Matt Gillett going down, the right edge is wide open. Tyson Frizell must be the favourite given his Test experience, his Origin form and his excellent play for the Dragons.
Felise Kaufusi was a World Cup bolter last season and would be the next cab off the rank ahead of Angus Crichton.
Were it not for the knee injury he sustained for St George Illawarra, Tariq Sims would also have been in contention.
Who gets it: Boyd Cordner and Tyson Frizell
Hooker
The Contenders: Damien Cook, Cam McInnes, Andrew McCullough
Incumbent: Cameron Smith (retired)
Since Cameron Smith made his Test debut in the 2006 Tri Nations he played 56 of a possible 57 Tests and started 55 of them.
Since Smith came into international football he has held the Australian hooking spot with a vicegrip and players of the calibre of Robbie Farah and Jake Friend have gone their entire careers without getting a sustained run in the team.
Damien Cook is a certainty to get first crack and will become the first player other than Smith to start at hooker for Australia since 2009.
A standout player all season and one of the best on ground in Origin, Cook is the natural choice.
Who gets it: Damien Cook
Utility
The Incumbent: Wade Graham (injured)
The Contenders: Ben Hunt, Kalyn Ponga, Cody Walker, Daly Cherry-Evans, Daly Cherry-Evans, Tyrone Peachey
Mal Meninga quite enjoys having a versatile player on the bench should injury strike or the team need a spark. This is where the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Daly Cherry-Evans, Ben Hunt and Cody Walker will come into contention.
Ponga’s Origin debut could be enough to tip him over the edge but he did slow down in the back half of the season. Hunt and DCE have both filled this role in the past.
Tyrone Peachey did not play a prominent role for New South Wales in his maiden series but his pure versatility could be enough to get him the job.
This is a pretty subjective choice - if Meninga wants someone who can cover the halves and hooker, he’ll likely pick Hunt. If he wants a utility back Ponga should be the leader. If he wants to be able to cover everything, Peachey is the man.
Who gets it: Ben Hunt
That gives us a team of:
1. James Tedesco 2. Josh Addo-Carr 3. Latrell Mitchell/Will Chambers 4. Greg Inglis 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Cameron Munster 7. James Maloney 8. Jordan McLean 9. Damien Cook 10. David Klemmer 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Tyson Frizell 13. Jack de Belin 14. Ben Hunt 15. Jake Trbojevic 16. Josh Papalii 17. Josh McGuire
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