The Rugby League World Cup is on approach, and the Kangaroos have plenty of big questions over their selection, with a number of likely players set to watch the finals from the sidelines.
The centres will be a point of debate for Australia too, with likely deflections to other countries, form and injury questions, and the way Kevin Walters wants to structure his game plan being the key points of contention.
Australia have already had it confirmed that Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will turn out for Samoa, while NSW Blues centre Stephen Crichton is also going to play for the island nation he has represented in recent seasons.
Injury questions linger around Latrell Mitchell, while form questions will warrant a likely change to one of the surprise inclusions during last year's Ashes series.
Here is the state of play for Kevin Walters as he picks his centres for the tournament.
Incumbents: Kotoni Staggs and Gehamat Shibasaki
Kotoni Staggs and Gehamat Shibasaki played all three Ashes Tests in England last year as part of an unchanged side for Kevin Walters throughout the series.
Staggs will almost certainly be picked to go again for the Kangaroos, with the Brisbane centre a bright spot in a miserable year for the Red Hill-based side.
The centre is one of the best in the game, played Origin and has plenty of runs on the board.
The same can't be said for his Broncos teammate.
He was dropped from the Origin arena by Billy Slater this year, and at times, even failed to make the side put together on a weekly basis by Michael Maguire as Brisbane slumped to the bottom four.
Shibasaki made the most of his 2025 form to sign a contract with the Perth Bears next year, but whether he even makes the wider Kangaroos squad right now is up in the air.
The big challenger: Bradman Best
The clear challnger is Bradman Best.
The Knights centre, who will play for longer than both of the incumbents by virtue of the Knights making the finals, has been in fine form this year.
Picked for the Origin decider, Best also has the runs on the board in terms of squad experience for the Kangaroos, having been included before but missing out on a debut to this stage.
Still, the three-time Origin player is seemingly a shoe-in to be included in the squad this year.
Other options: Jack Bostock, Matt Burton, Latrell Mitchell, Tom Trbojevic
Elsewhere, the options to play in the centres do look a little limited for the Australians.
Jack Bostock has already been picked on the wing for us, having grown up in the positions, while Matt Burton is a utility who has had a pretty difficult season at the Bulldogs.
Maybe the two intriguing questions surround Mitchell and Trbojevic.
Both injury-prone, but both with the ability to change a game on a top.
Trbojevic missing the finals probably rules him out, but if Mitchell has a big finals series, his representative experience and abilities to play at either centre or fullback could make him a selection somewhere in the squad for Kevin Watlers, even if he strictly isn't in the run-on side.
The fact the World Cup will use the six-man bench as in the NRL this year could make him the ultimately super substitute.
The verdict: Kotoni Staggs and Bradman Best
We are taking Staggs and Best to start.
One incumbent, one overdue for an Australian debut.
Latrell Mitchell, if he has a big finals series, should be in the squad somewhere.
