Penrith Panthers star Dylan Edwards has been ruled out of Australian Kangaroos selection after suffering a knee injury in Week 3 of the finals.
Edwards put in a valiant effort after Ivan Clearu confirmed post-game last week he ruptured his PC in the first half and continued to play on.
Fresh reports from News Corp reveal Edwards requires surgery on his busted knee, making him unavailable for the upcoming World Cup, which kicks off in two weeks' time.
The injury was clearly hindering the Panthers fullback during the second half and wasn't able to move as freely as we've seen in past times.
Edwards was likely to be included in Kevin Walters' squad after another brilliant year at the back for the Panthers.
Now it looks like the fullback race will be down to James Tedesco and incumbent Reece Walsh, who starred in the Ashes series late last year for his Test debut.
Walsh was one of the country's best against England in the three-game series and proved he has what it takes to step up to the international level.
Tedesco has had yet another fantastic season for the Roosters and is continuing his case as one of the best fullbacks of all time.
He is a safe bet for Walters, who knows Tedesco rarely puts a foot wrong when he takes the representative field, with 19 Tests for the Kangaroos to his name.
Whereas Walsh has freakish attacking ability and can inject himself into the contest with intense skill and flamboyancy.
But to take both on the tour is a risk, given they both lack versatility across the back line if injuries were to strike.
Edwards has played wing at Test level for Australia but is an out-and-out fullback every day of the week.
Meanwhile, Isaah Yeo is set to postpone surgery, with further News Corp reports revealing he is in line to be available for Australia's World Cup campaign.
Yeo injured his pec in the late stages of the regular season, and made a miraculous return against the Wests Tigers four weeks later.
Yeo played the finals series with a ruptured pec, something rarely seen in the NRL given the severity of the injury.
With Yeo receiving the green light to play for Australia, it is likely he will continue his captaincy duties for the country in their push to claim back-to-back World Cup victories.
The tournament kicks off with Australia hosting New Zealand on Thursday, October 15, in Sydney.
