Daly Cherry-Evans, Matt Burton, Ben Hunt and Jake Trbojevic are set to spearhead a Prime Minister’s XIII team to play against Papua New Guinea at Suncorp Stadium next month.
The NRL is expected to announce in the coming days the Brisbane capital will host the game that was last played at the end of 2019 in Fiji.
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has been pushing hard for a return of the PM’s XIII game, which was also mooted to be played in Newcastle or the new $828m Allianz Stadium.
Being a World Cup year, the PM’s XIII game will take on extra importance for those players who will not feature in the NRL finals.
Cherry-Evans is one man who knows Manly’s pre-finals exit could come back to cruel his own hopes of retaining the Australian No. 7 jersey ahead of Nathan Cleary.
“I’m definitely a bit nervous, for sure,” said Cherry-Evans, when asked about the halfback race this week.
“There’s that old philosophy of, ‘out of sight, out of mind’.
Kangaroos’ coach Mal MeningaCredit:Getty
“There won’t be many people talking about Manly. I am aware of what our season is doing to not just me, but a heap of us wanting to go to the World Cup.
“There are still two more games to go [this season], so I am holding out hope we can finish with a bang and I can play some good footy.
“I have always maintained if I get a spot in that [Australian] squad, I’ll back myself to be in the team when we get over there. There is still a lot of water to go under the bridge before we get there.”
There is also talk the PM’s XIII will be part of a Suncorp double-header with an NRLW game.
Players who fail to make the finals and are bundled out in week one will be eligible for PM’s XIII selection.
Kangaroos’ incumbent Josh Addo-Carr is another in line for the PM’s XIII game, with the Bulldogs flyer also keen to feature a week later in the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout Carnival on the NSW south coast.
All squads for the Cup are set to be trimmed by the middle of September.
Harry Grant’s recent form for Melbourne has him as the front-runner for the Kangaroos’ No. 9 jersey.
Cup fancies Tonga will have a warm-up game against Trent Robinson’s France, while New Zealand meet Super League side Leeds on the same weekend.
