RLWC 2022: Kangaroos James Tedesco opens up on special link to Italy

It was almost a decade ago when a luckless James Tedesco pulled on the colours that made his grandparents proud. The Kangaroos captain honours his heritage ahead of their World Cup clash.

Daly Cherry-Evans and Nathan Cleary will go head-to-head at the World Cup.

James Tedesco takes you back nine years to his first World Cup in an Italian jersey. Tedesco was a 20-year-old prodigy searching for some confidence after a series of knee injuries threatened to curtail his nascent career.

Talent wasn’t the issue. Luck was. Tedesco needed some and he found it representing the nation of his grandparents’ birth.

It was a time that will always carry special significance not just for Tedesco, but also for his family, whose origins trace back to the port city of San Giovanni in the Calabria region.

Tedesco’s grandparents were born in Italy and moved to Sydney to start a new life. His grandfather — his nonno — grew flowers on a farm which he sold at the Sydney markets.

As a child, Tedesco would go the markets with his nonno at two o’clock in the morning and stay until 8am. Great memories.

James Tedesco with his nonna, Carmela. Credit: Supplied.

His nonno is gone now but his nonna — Carmela — is still around and keeping a close eye on Tedesco’s every move.

She didn’t always love rugby league — it wasn’t in her blood — but when her grandson pulled on an Azzurri jersey nearly a decade ago, it lit a flame that burns to this day.

“Back then in 2013, nonna didn’t really know much about footy,” Tedesco says.

“Me playing first grade and playing for Italy definitely sparked her interest. I think she watches every show on Fox and every game.

“She loves it now. I lived with my nonna for a couple of years when I was at the [Wests] Tigers. I would come home and she would do my washing and cooking for me.

“I was well looked after. As the years went on, she was telling me why I got hit so hard or so late — she wasn’t too happy with the opposition on that.

“She loves it. I love her support. She has been awesome for me.”

James Tedesco and his fiance, Maria Glinellis, with his nonna, Carmela. Credit: Supplied.

When Tedesco was named Kangaroos captain, his nonna was one of the first people he told.

“I went and visited her after I got told,” Tedesco said.

“She was always so proud and says she prays for me every night to make sure I am healthy and happy. Nonna came over [to Australia] first and then nonno came over later.

“Nonno had a farm out at Dural where he grew flowers and went to the Sydney markets every weekend.

“So I have memories as a kid of going to the markets with him at two in the morning and then I would come back at eight in the morning.

“Flowers — that was Nonno’s life until he was in his 80s. He didn’t stop going to the farm every weekend. He loved it.”

James Tedesco's nonna, Carmela. Credit: Supplied.

Tedesco plans to visit Italy after the World Cup is over with his fiancee Maria Glinellis. They may travel to San Giovanni, although there are few traces of the family remaining in the city.

“I learnt the Italian anthem [in 2013],” Tedesco said.

“We had four actual Italians in our team. Some of them I still talk to. I tried to learn a bit of Italian but I couldn’t remember now.

“I haven’t been to Italy. Me and my partner are planning to go after this. Even dad hasn’t gone. [The] 2013 [World Cup] was massive for me. I played about 20 first grade games before that and I played in the centres — Mini [Anthony Minichiello] was the captain.

“I learnt a lot off him in how he conducted himself on and off the field, and at training. I got a lot of confidence for that World Cup.

James Tedesco with Anthony Minichiello after his debut for Italy in 2013.

“The whole experience, I loved it. I played pretty well in the centres and came into 2014 and played some really good footy. I think I gained a lot of confidence from the World Cup, playing against some really good NRL players at the time.

“I had some injury concerns as well but after that I felt really good about my game. I had that opportunity to represent Italy and I am very strong and connected with my Italian side of my family.

“It meant a lot to them as well. That was what, nine years ago? I was coming into first grade and trying to find my feet. It was a good stepping stone for my International career.

“Now I can finally represent Australia — that is who I am, I am Australian.”

James Tedesco took a lot out of his experiences playing for Italy.

There will be no room for nostalgia at Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens on Sunday morning (AEDT). The Italians have had their struggles in this World Cup — Parramatta forward Nathan Brown is their only genuine star.

Tedesco still has a soft spot for Italy but there is a bigger prize on his horizon. His nonna will no doubt be watching closely.

“She will just be supporting me no matter what — that is all she has done my entire career,” he said.

“I am sure she will have a soft spot for Italy but as long as I do well and get through the game safe, that is all she prays for.”

DCE OPENS UP ON CLEARY BATTLE AS ROOS TEAM REVEALED

Nathan Cleary and Daly Cherry-Evans have vowed to leave their egos at the door as they prepare for a Sunday (AEDT) shootout to decide who will play halfback for the Kangaroos heading into the pointy end of the World Cup.

Cleary and Cherry-Evans were both named in the Australian side for Sunday morning’s game against Italy at Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens, the pair set to play in the halves as Cameron Munster enjoys a weekend off.

Munster will return for the quarterfinals, meaning Cleary and Cherry-Evans have one last chance to press their claims to partner the Melbourne and Queensland superstar when the tournament enters the knockout phase.

Daly Cherry-Evans and Nathan Cleary will go head-to-head against Italy.

The naming of both Cherry-Evans and Cleary came on a dramatic day for the Kangaroos as Campbell Graham was sent for scans on an elbow injury and Queensland teammates Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Lindsay Collins had to be separated after a firey training session.

Graham trained in the morning but underwent scans later in the day after picking up an elbow problem during his three-try performance against Scotland last weekend.

Fa’asuamaleaui and Collins engaged in a push-and-shove during an intense training session at AJ Bell Stadium, where the Kangaroos have trained for much of the tournament.

The incident was missed by cameras and it is understood the pair quickly moved on. However, it was a sign of the intensity among the squad in the race to secure positions heading into the knockout round of matches.

No match-up is more intense than the battle of the halves, where Cherry-Evans and Cleary are fighting to play alongside Munster. Coach Mal Meninga named his squad in alphabetical order as he avoided giving an indication over who had their nose in front heading into the weekend.

“There is no ego there,” Cherry-Evans said.

“We are both really happy to play a role for the team this weekend. I understand the big story is around who is going to be there at the end but that is so far away at the moment — we are here for another four weeks.

“This weekend the best we can do is concentrate on playing good footy for Australia. Mal has made that clear from the get-go — not everyone is going to get to play through the whole tournament.

“He has been really kind to rotate the squad for the first three games but pretty soon he is going to have to make some pretty big decisions and it is going to be hard because if we keep playing the footy we are playing as a side, people are going to miss out and not because they are playing bad.

“It is just because Mal has to make decisions as a coach.”

Cherry-Evans opened the tournament with a solid performance against Fiji before Cleary produced an eye-catching Test debut against Scotland.

Their respective performances, however, need to be judged against the opposition. Fiji was a much tougher challenge for the Kangaroos.

“I had the opportunity to play alongside Munny [Munster] and now I get to do it alongside Chez [Cherry-Evans],” Cleary said.

“I am looking forward to it — we had a pretty good training session today working out what we are going to do and how we are going to connect.

“We’re going to mix it up a bit — see how it is going and who has the flow. Daly is so good at it. I can float around and work off him too. It is another challenge and it will be cool.”

Cleary insisted it wasn’t a game of one-upmanship.

“I thought we did it pretty well in training today,” he said.

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga talks with Nathan Cleary after the match against Scotland.

“By no means is it trying to outdo each other or anything like that. We want to combine well and do what is best for the jersey. That is the most important thing at the end of the day.

“The idea for us is we want to work together, swing and work as a spine as much as we can.”

Cleary and Cherry-Evans aren’t the only players with plenty on the line heading into the game against Italy. Meninga has a logjam of middle forwards looking to make a final impression, Fa’asuamaleaui and Collins among them.

“I think within the group, no-one is thinking I have to play well because I want to make the team,” Cleary said.

“You want to play well for the Kangaroos. It is such an honour to pull on this jersey. I think that is the beauty of this group so far - there are no individuals or ego trying to take over to make themselves look better.”

Originally published as RLWC 2022: Kangaroos James Tedesco opens up on special link to Italy