Following the conclusion of the 2025 State of Origin series, ex-Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has named the line-up he would have selected for the upcoming Ashes Series against England.
As Australia is still on the lookout for a new head coach and is likely to be either Cameron Smith, Kevin Walters or Wayne Bennett, the nation's former coach has named which 17 players he would select to face England at the end of the year.
Meninga's proposed Kangaroos team includes eight players from the losing NSW Blues team in the starting line-up, while 2025 Wally Lewis Medal winner Tom Dearden is named on the interchange bench as a utility.
"I think his better years are still in front of him and the thing about him is that he's dangerous," Meninga said about Dearden on SEN Radio.
"He's got good rugby league IQ there's no doubt about it but he's got that run first mentality, which I think you need to be a halfback in the modern era."
Only five members of last year's team that played in the 2024 Pacific Championships Final have not been included: Tom Trbojevic, Mitchell Moses, Matt Burton, Mitchell Barnett, and Lindsay Smith.
Mal Meninga's Kangaroos Line-Up
1. Dylan Edwards
2. Xavier Coates
3. Latrell Mitchell
4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
5. Zac Lomax
6. Cameron Munster (c)
7. Nathan Cleary
8. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui
9. Harry Grant
10. Payne Haas
11. Angus Crichton
12. Hudson Young
13. Isaah Yeo
Interchange
14. Tom Dearden
15. Pat Carrigan
16. Reuben Cotter
17. Lindsay Collins
*Liam Martin will be unavailable due to the expected birth of his child
