Australian coach Mal Meninga says World Cup halfback spot is Daly Cherry-Evans’ to lose over Nathan Cleary

They were the two most celebrated players of last season, but one is already facing World Cup heartache while the other is unlikely to play in his pet position.

Nathan Cleary and Daly Cherry-Evans.

Test coach Mal Meninga has declared the Kangaroos No.7 jersey is Daly Cherry-Evans’ to lose and James Tedesco will be Australia’s fullback as he prepares to name a shock early World Cup squad.

Meninga is already deep into preparations for Australia’s World Cup defence in England later this year following the suspension of the 2021 tournament.

As part of his World Cup blueprint, Meninga will name an extended squad early in the NRL premiership season, which kicks off in less than three weeks.

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And the Immortal has thrown down the gauntlet to Australia’s halfback aces ahead of what is a tantalising battle for the prestigious No.7 jersey.

Australian coach Mal Meninga. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Penrith star Nathan Cleary helped NSW win last year’s State of Origin series and battled through a shoulder injury to claim his first NRL premiership with the Panthers.

But Meninga has thrown his support behind incumbent shot-caller Cherry-Evans, declaring the Queensland skipper had his nose in front for the World Cup halfback duties.

“Daly is definitely the one to beat,” said Meninga, who will help launch Magic Round in Brisbane on Monday.

“Nathan Cleary is pretty close behind him.

“It’s going to be an interesting year. Whoever comes out on top of that battle will probably be the national seven.

“We’ll have to see how the season pans out, but at this stage it’s pretty clear in my mind.

“We’ll see how things transpire. A lot of things can happen through the course of the year.”

Meninga was a huge believer in selection loyalty throughout his record-breaking reign as Queensland coach, winning nine series during the Maroons’ decade of dominance.

Cherry-Evans, who turned 33 on Sunday, has played 15 Tests for Australia and was part of Australia’s 2013 World Cup winning team, but didn’t play in the 2017 tournament.

He took over the national halfback role following Cooper Cronk’s representative retirement in 2017 and has had mixed success at Test level, with the Kangaroos having not played since their shock loss to Tonga in 2019.

Cleary, 24, was crowned Dally M halfback of the year in 2021 and is regarded as one of the NRL’s top No.7s.

But he has his work cutout this year if he is to unseat Cherry-Evans for the World Cup job, with the mid-season Origin series set to play a huge part in Meninga’s selections.

Meninga is also planning to show faith in Tedesco at fullback despite Manly star Tom Trbojevic’s incredible 2021 season.

Incumbent Kangaroos No.7 Daly Cherry-Evans. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Trbojevic was a runaway winner of the Dally M Medal last year after producing one of the great individual seasons to catapult Manly to a top four finish.

But Trbojevic’s dominant Origin performances for the Blues at centre are expected to see him miss out on the Kangaroos’ No. 1 jersey to Roosters ace Tedesco.

“My philosophy is that you pick the best team, that’s the reward for your talent and the way you’ve played the season. Rep football is about the here and now,” he said.

“Tedesco is the number one and Tommy and Latrell (Mitchell) can play in the centres.

“You don’t have to be Einstein to realise that. They’re used to playing in those positions too.

“You pick the best players and if they’re in their regular positions then that’s great.”

The Kangaroos are set to miss out on selecting certain players as those with dual-eligibility mull over their World Cup allegiances.

James Tedesco is set to be Kangaroos fullback, despite Tom Trbojevic’s Dally M-winning form last season. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

The likes of Josh Papalii, Brian To’o, Jarome Luai and Junior Paulo could be lost to pacific nations and Meninga said he wanted to get clarity around the representative allegiances of players before naming an extended squad.

“Everything is in place to get going,” he said.

“I’d like to pick a squad when the season gets going so I can start communicating with them.

“By the time the World Cup comes around it will be three years since we last played an international game. There’s going to be players there from 2019 and different personnel.

“There’s a bit of work to do to get us prepared for the World Cup considering we haven’t played a game for such a long time.

“It’s really important we start to look at those players and communicate with them.

“We need to look at who’s available and who’s not available and the eligibility of players and who they want to play for in the World Cup. That’s very important for every nation.

“Once we get that right everyone can get on with the business of preparing their teams.

“Australia is very lucky to have Origin, which is a really good precursor to everything. I’m really fortunate to have that.”

Originally published as Australian coach Mal Meninga says World Cup halfback spot is Daly Cherry-Evans’ to lose over Nathan Cleary