Rugby League World Cup 2022: Daly Cherry-Evans urges the Kangaroos to ditch Origin feuds

Daly Cherry-Evans is on a mission to ensure State of Origin tensions are put to the side as the Kangaroos chase World Cup glory in England.

Daly Cherry-Evans, Nathan Cleary and Mal Meninga.

Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans has urged the Kangaroos to put their state differences aside to ensure three drama-charged years of Origin hostilities don’t jeopardise Australia’s World Cup bid.

Cherry-Evans will start at halfback when Australia kicks off its World Cup campaign against Fiji on Sunday morning (AEDT) in England.

The incumbent Kangaroos No.7 will get first crack at the chief playmaking duties after Penrith premiership star Nathan Cleary was rested for the tournament-opener following his recent grand final heroics.

While Cherry-Evans and Cleary are locked in an Origin-style battle for the halfback role when the tournament’s big games roll around, the Queensland captain is also on another mission.

It has been three years since the Kangaroos last played together, famously losing to Tonga in a 2019 Test in New Zealand.

Daly Cherry Evans wants the Kangaroos to smoke the peace pipe. Picture: Richard Dobson

Since then, there have been three high-tension State of Origin series which have seen Queensland and NSW clash in a number of controversial exchanges.

The tensions haven’t had a chance to be smoothed in Kangaroos camps like in other years pre-Covid, when international tours and series were common.

There are 12 NSW and 11 Queensland Origin players in the 24-man squad, with Blues-eligible Campbell Graham the only Kangaroo to have not featured in the Origin arena.

With 15 Tests next to his name, Cherry-Evans is the most experienced international player in the Kangaroos squad and said he wanted to bring the group together following their Origin rivalries.

“We haven’t had this footy to play for a while,” he said. “We’ve had three Origin series now and over those three years they’ve been really closely contested.

“Every year after Origin you come together in an Aussie side and it puts it all to bed pretty quickly.

Matt Burton wasn’t happy with Tino Fa'asuamaleaui. Picture: NRL Imagery

“I’m really looking forward to showing everyone we’re not a Queensland or NSW team anymore. We are Australia and the quicker we come together and understand that, the more beneficial it’s going to be for us to try and win this thing.

“Looking at the team we’ve got, I’ve got no doubt we’ll come together pretty quickly and Origin will be put to the side for the next six weeks.

“We are committed to Australia winning the World Cup.”

Kangaroos debutants Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Matt Burton addressed their Origin stoush in the recent Prime Minister’s XIII camp and declared there was no issue between them.

Blues backrower Liam Martin got under the skin of Queensland with a number of questionable plays during this year’s Origin series, including targeting five-eighth Cameron Munster, who kicked Martin during the 2021 series.

Captain James Tedesco was rag dolled when concussed by Maroons forward Jai Arrow (not on tour) during the 2020 Origin series, an incident which sparked hostilities between the Roosters and Rabbitohs, who have six players in the Kangaroos squad.

Relations between the states were testy during Queensland’s decade of Origin dominance and while the recent series have been more evenly-contested, there has been a number of controversial moments and the rivalry is as strong as ever.

Liam Martin with an elbow into the ribs of Cameron Munster during Origin I.

Maroons stars Murray Taulagi, Jeremiah Nanai, Harry Grant, Reuben Cotter, Pat Carrigan and Fa’asuamaleaui will be among seven Kangaroos debutants facing Fiji, with Angus Crichton the only Blue playing his first Test.

Cherry-Evans said Queensland’s emerging brigade were a big part of the Maroons’ successful 2022 campaign and he hoped they could carry that form into the World Cup.

“I had the luxury of playing alongside Reubs, Tino, Patty, Lindsay (Collins), Nanai and those sorts of guys,” he said.

“They were a massive part of why we went so well this year. Our forward pack was amazing. The impact they’re going to have on this Australian side is going to be massive. You put together the class of (Isaah) Yeo and (Cam) Murray and there’s so many good forwards.

“The best part about playing for Australia is it’s the best of the best. I’m really excited to be here.

“Whoever gets to play halfback is going to be playing behind a hell of a forward pack.”

CLEARY SIDELINED AS DCE GETS FIRST SHOT AS ROOS’ HALFBACK

By Brent Read and Michael Carayannis

Daly Cherry-Evans is set to get the first chance to audition for the Kangaroos halfback spot as coach Mal Meninga prepares to rest Penrith’s grand final heroes for the opening game of the World Cup.

The battle between Cherry-Evans and Panthers star Nathan Cleary is set to dominate the pool stages of the tournament as Meninga attempts to identify his best side heading into the finals.

Cleary is the early favourite to secure the role but he only joined the Kangaroos in camp on Wednesday, having spent the days prior celebrating Penrith’s premiership defence.

Meninga is wary of providing the Penrith and Parramatta players in the squad with some time to re-energise after a long season and is set to sit them out of the opening pool game, to be played against Fiji on October 15.

Kangaroos halfback Daly Cherry Evans. Picture: Richard Dobson

It means Cleary’s teammates Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin will also have to wait to make their Test debuts — they are likely to be given their maiden Australian jerseys against Scotland on October 21.

Parramatta prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard will likely to be rested as well.

“We haven’t had a chat yet,” Meninga said.

“We are letting them settle in. I will have a chat with them about how they are feeling. So I might give them a bit of a spell mentally and physically I suppose.

“Maybe Reggie (Campbell-Gillard) as well. We haven’ t made a decision yet but it is more than likely.”

The Penrith grand final stars are among a host of players who are touring with the Kangaroos for the first time, having missed out on three years of international football due to the Covid crisis.

Matt Burton, Patrick Carrigan, Lindsay Collins, Reuben Cotter, Angus Crichton, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Campbell Graham, Harry Grant, Jeremiah Nanai and Murray Taulagi are all in line to make their Test debuts against Fiji as Meninga prepares to blood his rookies early in the tournament.

The Kangaroos coach is wary of protecting players who have had a long and tiring season.

“It has been a long year so we have to take that into consideration,” Meninga said.

“It’s a long tour, we have to take that into consideration. Everyone needs to play in those early rounds anyway.”

Meninga insisted plenty of spots were up for grabs heading into the pool games - Australia will play Fiji, Scotland and Italy.

Only eight players remain from the side that lost to Tonga in 2019 - the last time the kangaroos played a Test match.

Reuben Cotter and Nathan Cleary in a Kangaroos gym session.

They include captain James Tedesco, Josh Addo-Carr, Jack Wighton, Latrell Mitchell, Cameron Munster, Cherry-Evans, Jake Trbojevic and Cameron Murray.

“That is the way it should be - you get judged on performance over there,” Meninga said.

“They are here because they have played really well all year and they deserve to be here. On a tour you don’t know how things are going to pan out with injury or illness.

“They have to go in with a mindset that they are a chance of playing at the back end of the series.”

Watch every match of the Rugby League World Cup LIVE & Exclusive to Fox Sports, on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Originally published as Rugby League World Cup 2022: Daly Cherry-Evans urges the Kangaroos to ditch Origin feuds