Mal Meninga says he is “extremely mindful” not to cheapen the Australian jersey as the number of debutants since COVID surges to 25 and counting.
The cherished green and gold Australian jersey has also become one of the most widely distributed with nine new faces – Mitch Barnett, Bradman Best, Xavier Coates, Tom Dearden, Zac Lomax, Mitch Moses, Reece Robson, Lindsay Smith and Hudson Young – part of Meninga’s squad for the Pacific Championships.
Six players will make their debuts against Tonga on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium, with Smith, Best and Robson on the extended bench.
No fewer than 19 players made their debut at the 2022 World Cup and last year’s Pacific Championships. To put those figures into perspective, there were just 17 Australian debutants in the three years before COVID.
Meninga said injuries, and players wanting to represent Pacific nations, were a couple of reasons there had been such a high turnover of Australian players. But he wanted to keep the Australian jersey sacred, and expected fewer changes moving towards the 2026 World Cup.
“It’s not only me who is aware of it, but also the people around me who advise me – we don’t want to be in a position where we give a jersey to someone because we have to; it has to be because we want to,” Meninga told this masthead.
“There’s a big difference between have to and want to. You have to earn the right to wear the green and gold.
“I wouldn’t use the word cheapen [the jersey], but we are very conscious and mindful of the fact that the people who do wear the jersey deserve it.
“The guys we’ve picked are the best players at this particular time.
Mal Meninga trains the Kangaroos on Sunday.Credit: NRL Photos
“There are some other guys not here this year because of injuries, so they will put their hand up in the coming years. But we’re really happy with the players we’ve got, and we do believe we’ve got a group of young people who will help us be successful.
“Because we have renewed so much, continuity is important now.”
Meninga said it was important to unearth the Generation Next Kangaroos after the retirement of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Darren Lockyer, while veterans James Tedesco and Daly Cherry-Evans, 31 and 35, were overlooked for this Pacific Championships. Ben Hunt, 34, is also on the extended bench on Friday.
The rise of the Pacific nations has meant several Australian players had switched allegiance, which was welcomed by Meninga.
Murray Taulagi and Jeremiah Nanai will play for Samoa, while Felise Kaufusi, who represents Tonga, have all worn the green and gold in the past. Meninga said debutant Coates, who has represented Papua New Guinea, had received social media abuse, but “he grew up in Australia, and while we all have different ancestral backgrounds, the one thing that unites us is we are all Australians”.
Green and Gold debutants since COVID
Angus Crichton
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui
Jeremiah Nanai
Murray Taulagi
Pat Carrigan
Reuben Cotter
Harry Grant
Matt Burton
Nathan Cleary
Campbell Graham
Liam Martin
Isaah Yeo
Lindsay Collins
Selwyn Cobbo
Dylan Edwards
Kotoni Staggs
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
Tom Flegler
Nicho Hynes
Mitch Barnett*
Bradman Best*
Xavier Coates*
Tom Dearden*
Zac Lomax*
Mitch Moses*
Reece Robson*
Lindsay Smith*
Hudson Young*
(Denotes: will feature this Pacific Championships)
Cherry-Evans, Tedesco and Nicho Hynes featured in the historic 30-0 loss to New Zealand in the Pacific Championships final in November, but were axed for this series.
Kotoni Staggs, Val Holmes, Cam Munster, Payne Haas, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Liam Martin also featured on that forgettable afternoon in Hamilton against the Kiwis, but were ruled out because of injury.
One of the six debutants on Friday, Lomax, said Meninga had spoken about the importance of what it meant to be a Kangaroo, and how “you wear the badge with pride”.
The Pacific Championships is Live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now
