Kevin Walters is set to name seven new faces when he announces his Kangaroos squad for the upcoming Ashes tour on Monday after the grand final.
Broncos fullback Reece Walsh is 80 minutes away from sealing his first call-up in national colours after Dally M Medal winner James Tedesco withdrew from consideration due to a knee injury and his brother’s wedding.
Roosters flyer Mark Nawaqanitawase is set to become a dual international with the former Wallaby set to fill the role of back-up winger to Xavier Coates and Zac Lomax after his brilliant first full season with the Roosters.
Sharks rake Blayke Brailey, Knights centre Bradman Best, Canterbury second-rower Jacob Preston, Rabbitohs forward Keaon Koloamatangi and Raiders five-eighth Ethan Strange are also likely to be on the plane to England, according to a Sydney Morning Herald report.
Kotoni Staggs will return to the green and gold opting against representing Tonga at the Pacific Championships while Broncos teammate Patrick Carrigan is an automatic selection for the pack.
Coates will be joined on tour by Cameron Munster and Harry Grant from the Storm team that will lock horns with the Broncos on Sunday.
Brailey has got the jump on NSW hooker Reece Robson after his career-best season for the Sharks while Preston, Strange and Nawaqanitawase will also be getting their first taste of Test footy despite never playing Origin.
Titans captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui recently confirmed he will represent Australia in the Ashes series, saying he has “unfinished business” in the green and gold.
The 25-year-old Gold Coast Titans captain weighed up aligning with Samoa, for whom he made his Test debut in 2019, but said his last outing for the Kangaroos – a heavy 30-0 loss to New Zealand in the 2023 Pacific Championships final – drove his decision.
“The reason I’m sticking with Australia is I feel like I have unfinished business,” Fa’asuamaleaui said.
Kevin Walters. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Maguire unfazed by Stefano’s sledge
Brisbane have refused to enter into a pre-NRL grand final sledging match with Stefano Utoikamanu after the Melbourne prop described Broncos players as “stuck up”.
Utoikamanu lit the fuse for Sunday’s grand final at Accor Stadium earlier this week when he implied members of Brisbane’s squad were arrogant.
The usually mild-mannered Storm front-rower, who has enjoyed a brilliant back end to the season, also said he couldn’t wait to “run over” Brisbane’s players.
Melbourne great Cameron Smith said Utoikamanu’s comments were out of character for a Storm player, whose coach Craig Bellamy prefers his charges to keep a low profile.
It remains unclear who Utoikamanu was referring to but the likes of Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam have previously been accused by critics of having a rockstar attitude.
Walsh, Mam and Utoikamanu were booed by supporters at grand-final fan day at Sydney’s Circular Quay on Thursday.
Broncos coach Michael Maguire. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Brisbane coach Michael Maguire, who worked with Utoikamanu at Wests Tigers, has made a point of defending his players’ character and said the prop’s comments would largely go unnoticed.
“My players have got their own motivations,” Maguire told reporters.
“They’ve been very dialled in for the last couple of months.
“We’ve really focused a lot more on ourselves and anything that goes on around us.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why we are where we are, I know that the players will do that and will just work hard together.”
Brisbane lock Patrick Carrigan, who has returned to Maguire’s starting side after missing the preliminary-final win over Penrith with suspension, said the Broncos took Utoikamanu’s barb with a grain of salt.
“It doesn’t really bother me, I think it’s always part of life,” Carrigan said.
“People say and think about you what they want.
“I just know that I love playing footy with these boys and turning up every day and working hard.
“We know that we’ve got a job to do and that’s about locking into our role and playing our brand of footy.”
Bellamy would only say he was “surprised” by Utoikamanu’s comments as he looks to lead the Storm to their first grand final in the post-Cameron Smith era.
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Sunday’s game will be Bellamy’s 11th grand final in charge of Melbourne.
The veteran Storm coach has made a habit of winning grand finals the year after losing one and will be hoping to repeat the formula after falling to Penrith in the 2024 decider.
“There’s no point getting down about losses and not learning from them,” Bellamy said.
“Some coaches lose a grand final or big game and don’t want to watch it … I understand why because it hurts.
“But if you don’t watch, there’s no feedback and you won’t improve.”
Meanwhile, the NRL announced on Thursday the grand final would return to Sydney in 2026 after inking a one-year deal with the NSW Government.
with AAP
