Manchester: Nathan Cleary has all but claimed the Kangaroos halfback role as Mal Meninga relies on video footage and his assistant coaches to steer Australia into the World Cup’s sudden death stages after falling ill.
Cleary ran the Kangaroos’ main opposed field session ahead of Friday’s (6.30am Saturday AEDT) quarter-final clash against Lebanon from first-receiver, with incumbent playmaker Daly Cherry-Evans largely running with the reserves.
Tournament regulations require Australia’s 19-man squad for the Cedars game to be named late on Wednesday evening Australian time, and it is expected the Kangaroos will do so in alphabetical order as Meninga did last week.
Despite the lack of absolute clarity, Cleary’s turn in the green and gold is almost certainly at hand.
The Kangaroos’ key training run offered a clear picture of a starting 13 who ran opposite the rest of the squad for large portions of the session in Manchester.
Jack Wighton and Valentine Holmes were fixtures at right centre and wing respectively, with Latrell Mitchell, Josh Addo-Carr and captain James Tedesco filling out the Kangaroos’ back five.
Nathan Cleary could well be the Kangaroos’ playmaker for the next decade.Credit:Getty
While Harry Grant trained for the majority of the session at hooker, Cherry-Evans did slot into both dummy-half and five-eighth at times – with a bench role not entirely out of the question for the Manly veteran.
Ben Hunt’s one-two combination with Grant has been a proven asset for both Australia and Queensland this season, and it would be a particularly tough call to leave the Dragons skipper out of the 17 altogether.
When Cherry-Evans did shift into the halves alongside Cleary it prompted Munster’s move to fullback and Tedesco – Meninga’s one selection certainty all tournament – to fill in with the reserves.
With Reagan Campbell-Gillard laid up by a cork suffered against Italy, Jake Trbojevic, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Patrick Carrigan and Lindsay Collins all trained with the first-choice side, as did lock Isaah Yeo.
Reagan Campbell-Gillard suffered a corked thigh in Australia’s big win over Italy.Credit:Getty
Angus Crichton will lay claim to the left-edge back-row spot with Liam Martin and Cameron Murray splitting duties on the right.
While the rest of Australia’s squad ran opposition, Meninga was a notable absentee through illness.
Experienced assistant coaches Michael Hagan and Adrian Lam ran the show with video footage of the session to keep Meninga informed as he rests up.
Australian officials are confident the head coach will be back on deck for the captain’s run and there is no suggestion he will be out of action for the Lebanon game.
Daly Cherry-Evans spent the majority of Australia’s key training session running with the reserves.Credit:Getty
Meninga confirmed last week that now Australia have entered the knockout stages of their World Cup defence, his rotation policy will be shelved and the best available side will run out each week.
Campbell-Gillard may yet feature in that 17 as the physios work overtime on the corked thigh that limited him to 11 minutes against the Italians.
As for the halfback shootout that has dominated coverage of Australia’s campaign, Cleary’s likely ascent could well see him lay claim to the playmaking role for the best part of a decade.
Both he and Cherry-Evans have handled the situation with class and formed a friendship despite being pitted against each other for the one position.
“I knew what I was signing up for, Mal told me before I came that this would be an open competition and that I’d have to fight for a spot,” Cherry-Evans said after combining in the halves with Cleary against Italy.
“I love those competitions. I was either going to be playing for Australia [deep into the tournament] or having to be a bit selfless and do something for a young group coming through.
“Either way I’m hoping to have an impact on this World Cup. Ideally that’s on the field, but if not I’ll still help this group.”
Expected Kangaroos side: James Tedesco (captain), Josh Addo-Carr, Latrell Mitchell, Jack Wighton, Valentine Holmes, Cameron Munster, Nathan Cleary, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Harry Grant, Jake Trbojevic, Angus Crichton, Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo. Interchange: Ben Hunt, Patrick Carrigan, Lindsay Collins, Cameron Murray.
