Incumbent Kangaroos halfback Daly Cherry-Evans has declared he wonโt be relinquishing the cherished No.7 jersey to Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary without a fight.
Though Manly missed the 2022 NRL Finals, Cherry-Evans will get an opportunity to remind selectors of his on-field and leadership abilities when he takes the field for the Prime Ministerโs XIII against Papua New Guinea at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Though itโs been a long time between Tests for the green and gold, Cherry-Evans wore the esteemed jersey in the Kangaroosโ last four games, including the shock loss to Tonga in 2019.
While itโs arguable that Cleary has since surpassed Cherry-Evans in the halfback standings, โDCEโ reminded everyone of what he was capable of as he guided Queensland to victory in the 2022 Origin series.
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Though Cleary will fight for a third consecutive grand final berth this weekend, Cherry-Evans knows that his selection in the PMโs XIII is a clear sign that heโs in with a chance.
โHearing the call from Mal and that he wants me to be a part of this PMโs game is the first step I was hoping for to put myself in the next spot โ the World Cup,โ Cherry-Evans told the Daily Telegraph.
โThe (PMโs) game is a great platform for me to play some footy again and hopefully make those connections within campโฆ Iโm more than ready to go across and do a job for Australia.
โNathan is playing great footy for the Panthers.
โUnfortunately, I donโt have that opportunity at club level but thatโs why this weekend is so exciting.
โTo get in front of (the selectors) is an important step for going to the World Cup. Once weโre there Mal is going to have that mentality to pick the best players.
โIโm going to make sure I make the best impression so Iโm in the best 17 for Australia.โ
Though incumbency will always hold weight, after so long between Tests itโs impossible for Cherry-Evans to say whether or not it holds any relevance ahead of the World Cup.
โThatโs for the selectors and coaches to look after,โ he said.
โThe more opportunities I get, the more Iโm going to back myself to make the 17.โ
Meninga himself insists he hasnโt made a decision on the matter, conceding he may be forced to bring them both to the end-of-year tournament.
โI havenโt said (one is ahead of the other) at all,โ Meninga told the Telegraph.
โI have said to Daly โ and I havenโt talked to Nathan because heโs still playing โ theyโre the two best sevens in the competition in my view.
โIt might not be the view of the other selectors, but Daly had a terrific Origin series and Nathan is killing it in clubland and through the finals.
โTheyโll be fighting it out, they will both go on tour in my mind.โ
