Nathan Cleary is set to put egos aside as the New South Wales halfback is expected to pair with Queensland rival half Daly Cherry-Evans in the Kangaroos' final pool match.

It will be coach Mal Meninga's third halves pairing so far in the World Cup with Cleary and Cherry-Evans both partnering Cameron Munster against Scotland and Fiji respectively.

PENRITH, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 30:
Nathan Cleary of the Panthers is tackled by Daly Cherry-Evans of the Sea Eagles during the round 16 NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and the Manly Sea Eagles at Panthers Stadium on June 30, 2018 in Penrith, Australia. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

While Meninga toils over his best spine combination before the elimination stages, Cleary spoke with AAP about the potential of playing alongside the Maroons' skipper.

"We're going to mix it up a bit. We'll just see how it's going and who's got the flow at the time," Cleary said about sharing the playmaking responsibilities with Cherry-Evans.

"Daly is so good I can float around and work off him, it's something new for both of us.

"I'm actually not sure (who is the halfback and five-eighth). I wear No.14 and he wears No.2. The idea for us is that we're wanting to work together as much as we can."

The competition for the Kangaroos' No.7 jersey has been a running narrative since this year's State of Origin series, with Cherry-Evans the experienced incumbent and Cleary at the top of his game following back-to-back premierships at Penrith and a sensational Test debut against Scotland last week.

However, Cleary denied any sense of entitlement to the role, claiming ego has no place in Meninga's squad.

"No one's thinking, 'I have to play well, because I want to make the team'," Cleary continued.

"You want to play well for the Kangaroos and want to do the best for the team.

"That's been the beauty of this team so far - there's no individuals or ego taking over to try and make themselves look better.

"It's about the team looking better."

The Kangaroos will continue in their march towards a third straight World Cup title as they close out the pool stages against Italy this Sunday at St Helens' Totally Wicked Stadium.