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Australia have been crowned champions in the past three editions of the Rugby League World Cup, and have stepped up on the big stage even after players of dual heritage have rejected Australia to play for other nations.
With that in mind, I created two squads of 22 that would play a hypothetical three match series at the end of the season. Assuming all players are fit, here are the two squads representing Australia and Rest of the World – alongside the reasoning into their selections. All players selected are chosen from NRL clubs only.
Australia
Starting lineup – 1. James Tedesco (captain) 2. Josh Addo Carr 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Tom Trbojevic 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Cameron Munster 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Tino Fa’asumeauli 9. Harry Grant 10. Jake Trbojevic 11. Cameron Murray 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaiah Yeo
Reserves – 18. Jack Wighton 19. Campbell Graham 20. Ben Hunt 21. Lindsay Collins 22. Reuben Cotter
The backline was the easiest to make, with Tom Trbojevic coming into the centres over Jack Wighton as the Manly superstar missed out on last year’s Rugby League World Cup due to injury.
Cameron Munster and Nathan Cleary showed that they’re the best halves in the country over the past few years, making them shoo-ins to the starting lineup.
In the absence of Brandon Smith, Harry Grant has shown at the Storm that he can play for as many minutes needed – a reason why I did not have another dummy half on the bench.
Picking the second starting prop alongside Jake Trbojevic was tough, but I opted for Tino Fa’asumeauli over Payne Haas as Haas could make a bigger impact off the bench against tired legs. Cameron Murray and Liam Martin have had success as back rowers for NSW, while Isaiah Yeo has arguably been the best lock forward over the past few years.
Nicho Hynes was my choice for the utility role, with his ability to cover fullback and the halves while also showing during his stint at the Storm that he can play off the bench covering multiple roles successfully. Haas can make a huge impact off the bench while Angus Crichton and Patrick Carrigan are the other forwards on the bench.
I had a thought on having Dylan Edwards in the squad, but Jack Wighton covers fullback, centre and five-eighth. Campbell Graham is the backup winger and centre in the team.
Ben Hunt covers the halves and is the backup dummy half, which is why I went with him over Daly Cherry-Evans. Reuben Cotter and Lindsay Collins have had successful seasons at club level and were instrumental in Queensland’s series wins in 2022 (Collins in both 2020 and 2022) – making them the backup forwards in case of injury.
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Rest of the World
Starting lineup – 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Brian To’o 3. Justin Olam 4. Joseph Manu 5. Stephen Crichton 6. Jarome Luai 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich (captain) 9. Api Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Felise Kaufusi 13. Jason Taumalolo
Bench – 14. Brandon Smith 15. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 16. Joseph Tapine 17. Kenny Bromwich
Reserves – 18. Joseph Suaali’i 19. Te Maire Martin 20. Moses Leota 21. Josh Papali’i 22. Keon Koloamatangi
Ryan Papenhuyzen is of Dutch descent, and although the Netherlands have not played in the Rugby League World Cup yet, Papenhuyzen makes the side at fullback. A premiership-winning fullback who is also a Clive Churchill medallist, Papenhuyzen is a man made for the big stage.
Brian To’o’s ability to gain metres early into attacking sets puts him in a class above his feelow wingers. Justin Olam pairs To’o on the left backline, tasked to neutralise Tom Trbojevic with his raging bull tackles.
If there is any centre who can keep Latrell Mitchell quiet, it’s Joseph Manu. Arguably the best centre in the game, Manu has been instrumental at club and international level. Latrell vs Manu. A coin toss on who wins that battle.
I chose Stephen Crichton over Joseph Suaali’i at right wing due to Crichton having won games in big moments for the Panthers and for Samoa. Crichton is only three centimetres shorter than Suaali’i, so he still poses a threat for high kicks towards the right corner for tries. Add in his ability to slot field goals and his goal-kicking skills and Crichton is a must in the starting lineup for the Rest of the World team.
Jarome Luai showed in the recent edition of the Rugby League World Cup that he can step up in teams that do not have Nathan Cleary, especially with strong performances in knockout games against Tonga and England. Plus, we need someone to sledge the Aussies relentlessly.
Jahrome Hughes is the halfback to win a premiership in between 2017-2022 that was not won by Cooper Cronk or Nathan Cleary, making his selection at halfback an easy one.
There were plenty of forwards to choose between, but I ultimately went with Jesse Bromwich and James Fisher-Harris to start off, with Bromwich captaining the side while Api Koroisau starts at dummy half.
Viliame Kikau continues to show his strength as a back rower, and would cause a devastating combination with Luai, Olam and To’o.
Felise Kaufusi has gained some aggression at the Dolphins, and would be a steady player for the ROW team on the right edge, giving it his all to take down the Australian left edge. Jason Taumalolo was a shoo-in at lock, with not many options being able to change my mind to bench Taumalolo.
Brandon Smith may not be an 80 minute dummy half, but he is an x-factor player off the bench as we recently saw in the Roosters win over arch-rivals Rabbitohs. Smith has also shown in his career that he can play at lock, and is never shying away from a contest against the bigger men.
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Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Kenny Bromwich and Joseph Tapine are the other bench forwards, aiming to make an impact against tired legs and change momentum of the contest when required.
Suaali’i is the backup back across fullback, centre and wing. Te Maire Martin has had a fantastic road back to the NRL after a premature retirement. Martin is in the reserves as the backup fullback and halves partner for Luai or Hughes. It was tough to find room for Moses Leota, Josh Papali’i or Keon Koloamatangi into the playing 17, thus they have to be content with being in the reserves list as the backup forwards.
Those were my two squads. Who wins the best of three series and why?
