Dylan Edwards could be 80 minutes away from a surprise Kangaroos call-up after Mal Meninga’s revelation the Panthers fullback is on the cusp of selection.
Edwards’ representative career has been stunted by the fact NSW are blessed with so many elite fullbacks but his form in helping the Panthers to a third straight grand final has become irresistible.
Daily Telegraph journalist Phil Rothfield said on NRL 360 on Wednesday night Meninga was “raving” about Edwards’ performance in the preliminary final win over South Sydney. The coach has also indicated grand final performances will count before the 24-man World Cup squad is finalised next week.
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“(Mal) said there are a couple of spots left and grand final form will determine positions like (Shaun) Lane and Edwards. He loves Edwards, was raving about his blinder last week,” Rothfield said.
While the Kangaroos will have the likes of Latrell Mitchell and Cameron Munsters are options to play fullback should James Tedesco be injured, Edwards’ appeal is as a genuine specialist backup.
“He’s such a good player and he’s in the picture for sure,” Meninga told News Corp this week..
“He had an absolute blinder on the weekend. I haven’t met him but from all reports he’s a fantastic fella and he’s got a great work ethic.
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“He probably deserves to win a spot. You could say a lot hinges on Sunday night. He’s playing that well it’s going to be hard to leave him out.
“A position like this one is tight because we’ve got Latrell (Mitchell), Cameron Munster and Jack Wighton, who started as a fullback at the Raiders.
“Still if Teddy goes down, you’d want to have a specialist fullback. We’re fortunate to have a lot of good options.”
