Isaah Yeo Captains Australia, and a Foot Injury Cost Lindsay Collins a Home World Cup
The Australian Rugby League Commission named its 23 on Monday 5 October. Isaah Yeo captains the side, six players stand to make their Kangaroos debut, and within 48 hours the squad had already changed once.
Lindsay Collins, the Roosters and Queensland prop, was ruled out with a foot injury. His replacement is Lindsay Smith of Penrith. A straight Lindsay for Lindsay swap, which is the kind of thing that only happens in a sport this small.
Smith is not a token call-up. He has two Tests for Australia already, including one in last year’s Ashes series.
The six debutants
Bradman Best, Jack Bostock, Blayke Brailey, David Fifita, Sam Walker and Jacob Preston can all win a first Kangaroos cap at a home World Cup. Walker’s inclusion reads differently after the grand final, where he kicked the 55th-minute penalty goal that put the Roosters in front for the first time.
Kevin Walters was explicit about where the newcomers came from. “A number of players have come into contention with brilliant Finals Series,” the coach said. He described the balance of the squad in terms of strike power and experience, then added a warning that is unusual coming from an Australian coach: “I have never before seen the amount of talent spread across the top nations. We are going to need to be at our best to take out the World Cup.”
ARLC Executive Chairman Peter V’landys said much the same in fewer words. “This will be the most open World Cup in some time.”
The squad in full
| Player | Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Isaah Yeo | Penrith Panthers | Captain |
| Bradman Best | Newcastle Knights | Debutant |
| Jack Bostock | Dolphins | Debutant |
| Blayke Brailey | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Debutant |
| Patrick Carrigan | Brisbane Broncos | |
| Reuben Cotter | North Queensland Cowboys | |
| Tom Dearden | North Queensland Cowboys | |
| Tino Fa’asuamaleaui | Gold Coast Titans | |
| David Fifita | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Debutant |
| Harry Grant | Melbourne Storm | |
| Keaon Koloamatangi | South Sydney Rabbitohs | |
| Liam Martin | Penrith Panthers | |
| Latrell Mitchell | South Sydney Rabbitohs | |
| Mitchell Moses | Parramatta Eels | |
| Cameron Munster | Melbourne Storm | |
| Cameron Murray | South Sydney Rabbitohs | |
| Jacob Preston | Canterbury Bulldogs | Debutant |
| Lindsay Smith | Penrith Panthers | In for Collins |
| Kotoni Staggs | Brisbane Broncos | |
| James Tedesco | Sydney Roosters | |
| Tom Trbojevic | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | |
| Sam Walker | Sydney Roosters | Debutant |
| Reece Walsh | Brisbane Broncos |
The shadow players are Thomas Jenkins of Penrith, Hamish Stewart of St George Illawarra and Ethan Strange of Canberra.
Who is not there
Nathan Cleary is the absence that shapes the halves. He is out of the tournament with a broken leg, and Walters has Walker, Mitchell Moses, Tom Dearden and Cameron Munster to cover the playmaking between them. The tackle that did it, and everyone else it ruled out, is worth reading alongside this squad.
Dylan Edwards is the other notable omission. The Penrith fullback needs knee surgery, which leaves the number one jersey as a contest between James Tedesco and Reece Walsh.
Where Australia play
Three pool matches, three states. The Kangaroos open against New Zealand in Sydney on 15 October, play Fiji in Brisbane on 25 October, and finish against the Cook Islands in Townsville on 31 October. Two of the New Zealand side switched from Australia to get there.
Every match is live on Seven and 7plus in Australia, on Sky Sport in New Zealand and on Digicel in Papua New Guinea.
