The inaugural Pacific Championships kicked off in style over the weekend with Australia and Papua New Guinea both enjoying thumping wins.
But Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga admitted after his side beat Samoa that there will likely be changes for their next clash.
A Samoa rookie fullback unearthed himself as a future star after a sensational Test debut, while PNG are building a strong case to be handed the next NRL licence.
Read on for the biggest talking points out of week one of the Pacific Championships.
COBBO UNDER PRESSURE TO KEEP HIS SPOT
Selwyn Cobbo ticked off his Kangaroos debut on Saturday but could be in danger of losing his jersey as coach Mal Meninga faces a big call on his backline.
Valentine Holmes will be available for selection for Australia’s clash with New Zealand on October 28 after serving a one-game suspension for an off-field incident.
While Holmes has become one of the elite centres in the game, he has played 14 games on the wing for Australia.
Meninga tried to bat away questions about Holmes’ return in the post-game press conference, saying “we’ll make those decisions beyond today” but he did say “yeah” when asked if the current backline has given him something to think about.
Meninga was impressed with what he saw from his centre pairing of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Kotoni Staggs, saying they were both “really good” and “took advantage of opportunities.”
It’s unlikely he’ll drop either of those players after their statement debuts for the Kangaroos. Tabuai-Fidow scored a double, got four tackle busts, ran for 108 metres and made 12 tackles with zero misses. Staggs scored a try, kicked five goals, got two linebreaks, five tackle busts and ran for a game-high of 180 metres.
Greg Alexander declared Staggs “Australia’s busiest player” in Fox League’s commentary, while Corey Parker called his debut “exceptional.”
In fact, Parker believes Staggs and Tabui-Fidow should be safe and if Meninga does want to get Holmes back in, it could be Cobbo that makes wat.
“If you look at the performances we saw tonight, it’s not ‘Hammer’ (that makes way), it’s not Kotoni Staggs and I thought Dylan Edwards was busy out on the wing,” he said.
“If you have to pull it apart I think young Cobbo might be under a little bit of pressure. If you’re looking to put Valentine back into that backline it might be Cobbo that’s set aside.”
ROOKIE FAALOGO PROVES HE’S THE REAL DEAL
Samoa may have lost the match but they unearthed a star of the future in rookie fullback Sualauvi Faalogo.
Faalogo has played just one NRL game, when he scored two tries against the Broncos in Round 27, he didn’t look remotely out of place against the world champions.
The 20-year-old looked to have scored a sensational chip-and-chase try in the second half, only for the Bunker to deny the Samoan fullback after contentiously finding a knock-on in the lead up.
Kangaroos skipper James Tedesco was asked about his opposite number after the game and he backed Faalogo to have a big future.
“He was sharp, wasn’t he,” Tedesco said.
“He had our big boys grasping at air a bit but it was good to see. He’s obviously a kid who is just a natural footy player, high instincts and speed as well so yeah he created a bit of havoc for us.
“He was just playing with a lot of confidence, playing for his heritage and there’s a lot pride there. But yeah, every time he had his hands on the ball he looked very dangerous, it was awesome to see.”
Rookie Samoan coach Ben Gardiner, in his first game in charge, picked Faalogo in the No. 1 jersey ahead of Stephen Crichton who instead shifted to the halves.
“He just backs himself, we spoke about backing yourself all week, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve played a Test match, an NRL game, or 200 NRL games, everyone here is equal, and when you go about your business, do your best, and you’re representing your country, so put your best foot forward,” Gardiner said.
“That’s him, that’s his style – I didn’t really expect too much else from him tonight to be honest.”
Samoan skipper Junior Paulo added: “You can tell he’s going to be a great footballer in the years to come, and will definitely be one of the superstars of our game.”
Former Australian backrower Corey Parker compared Faalogo to Anthony Milford’s Samoa debut at the 2013 World Cup.
“Let’s just put this into perspective, he’s played one NRL game against a depleted Broncos side at Suncorp Stadium, he came off the bench and absolutely changed the game and lit the stadium up,” Parker said on Fox League.
“He’s now gone on to the big stage against the greatest players that Australia can pick and he’s absolutely held his own.
“The try that was disallowed was a special play, reminds me of a young Anthony Milford. In 2013, Milf really set the stage alight at the World Cup.
Faalogo makes an impact on the big stage | 01:35
“This guy here has certainly announced himself, the question is where does he play for Melbourne? He’s an unbelievable talent and we’ve seen what he can do but he’s behind so many good players.
“He’s a terrific young player from what we’ve seen and to play on the big stage against the greatest team in the world, to go out and do what he did, it was a terrific debut.”
Rabbitohs backrower Jai Arrow was on the Fox League panel and echoed the sentiment, while sideline commentator Brent Tate revealed another impressive trait of Faalogo.
“That try that got disallowed, not many players can do that, to have the confidence to chip and chase in your first game,” Arrow said.
“Sky’s the limit for this kid and he’ll put himself in every position to be playing in the NRL next year.”
Tate added: “Faalogo and his work ethic, I watched him on that last try and he was actually the one who helped Kotoni Staggs up, he came from the middle of the field all the way over for a try-saving tackle, so not only great with the ball but working hard defensively as well so great signs from the young kid.”
KANGAROOS MUST KEEP HAAS AMID ‘SCARY’ WARNING
Kangaroos superstar Payne Haas caused a stir last week when he admitted he was considering defecting to Samoa leading into the Pacific Championships.
Australia’s coach Mal Meninga must do everything in his power to keep the once-in-a-generation talent in green and gold for the next decade.
To Haas’ credit, he showed no signs of a lack of commitment against Samoa on Saturday night and played like a man possessed in the 38-12 thumping.
The 23-year-old scored the opening try and ran for 141 metres from 14 carries that produced six tackle busts, two offloads and a linebreak, while also making 13 tackles without missing one.
Corey Parker said the Broncos young gun was still years away from hitting his peak in what the NRL great described as a “scary” concept for his rivals.
“The training that he does in the off-season, it’s not a fluke,” Parker said.
“He’s an exception to the rule, for a guy who is 125kgs and 194cc and what he can do week after week… he’s really comfortable with where he’s going and what he’s doing and he’ll only get better, that’s the scary thing.
Kangaroos Press Conference | 06:58
“Prop middle forwards don’t excel until they’re 28, 29, 30, so if he can stay on this trajectory this is someone we’ll be talking about for a long period of time.”
Rabbitohs and Maroons backrower said he’d love to play behind Haas.
“Genetically, he’s a freak, he’s so fit, he’s so strong, he has all the attributes and he’s arguably the best front rower in the competition,” Arrow said.
“What he does as a middle forward, I definitely know that I’d love to play behind him and Australia will be so happy to have him in that side. He just gets better and better and he’s still only young.”
PNG MOUNTING CASE FOR 18TH NRL LICENCE
Papua New Guinea are building a strong case through their performances that they’ll be able to compete in the NRL if they’re named as the 18th team.
The Kumuls more than held their own in a 30-18 defeat against a star-studded PM XIII’s side last month and they thrashed the Cook Islands 46-10 on Sunday.
PNG are gunning to become the next expansion club and they already have an experienced NRL coach at the helm after Justin Holbrook took over in August.
“The fact it’s their No. 1 game certainly helps and now they’ve got the Hunters who have been in the Queensland Cup for a number of years now and they’ve produced some great players over the years,” Greg Alexander said on Fox League.
“Some great players over the years who have starred in the NRL so the future is bright and the more we focus on international football, the more games the Kumuls play, the better they are for it.
“If they are to be the 18th side, the more we can get their players involved in the Queensland Cup and NSW Cup, the more they’ll be ready to take on that 18th franchise.”
Rabbitohs and Maroons backrower Jai Arrow has played Queensland Cup in PNG and backed Holbrook, who he played under at the Titans in 2020, to take the side forward.
Jillaroos hold on to defeat Ferns | 00:42
“I went over there for the Queensland Cup thinking it was just going to be another game but they treat you like superstars over there even if you’re not playing in the NRL. It’s just such a surreal place to go to and play,” Arrow said on Fox League.
“Justin came to the Titans in 2020 and he instilled in us moving the ball, he’s an attack-based coach.
“I loved working under Justin and we saw a lot of attack from the Kumuls (against the Cook Islands on Sunday).”
