Mal Meninga has already confirmed he'll be including both Daly Cherry-Evans and Nathan Cleary in his Kangaroos World Cup squad, but which will get the nod to wear the No. 7 jersey in the big moments is anyones guess.

Cleary is yet to make his international debut while 'DCE' has amassed 15 appearances in the green and gold across his career, an incredible effort seeing as Darren Lockyer, Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Munster, Michael Morgan and James Maloney have all started in the halves for the Kangaroos since his international debut.

Says a lot about New South Wales.

Meninga confirmed in the pre-season that Cherry-Evans was the favourite to don the jersey and those odds only shortened after the Sea Eagles captain outplayed his New South Wales counterpart in the Origin arena, Cleary coming unstuck in the rep arena at times.

NSW v QLD - State of Origin Game 2
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 26: Selwyn Cobbo of the Maroons is tackled by Nathan Cleary of the Blues during game two of the State of Origin series between New South Wales Blues and Queensland Maroons at Optus Stadium, on June 26, 2022, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

However, a tumultuous end to the season for Manly that saw DCE's leadership and character challenged as the side lost seven straight to finish the year, a far cry from Nathan's minor premiership season, on the cusp of a third consecutive Grand Final appearance.

It means this Sunday's Prime Minister's XIII clash is even more vital for the Queensland captain.

Cherry-Evans is one of just three players named for the contest to have donned the Kangaroos jersey in the past, joined by Josh Addo-Carr and Ben Hunt, and his leadership will be his biggest asset as he leads a number of uncapped players into the match.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 13: Daly Cherry-Evans of Australia looks on with Damien Cook of Australia during the international Rugby League Test Match between the New Zealand Kiwis and the Australia Kangaroos at Mt Smart Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Surprisingly, Daly's stats are still impressive in a side throughly down compared to 2021, notching 18 try-assists, 24 forced drop outs and averaging nearly 450 metres a game with the boot.

Meninga knows how crucial this clash is before deciding on the final makeup of his 24-man squad.

“We have a mix of youth and experience. We have players who have represented the Kangaroos before, along with others who I am looking forward to seeing for the first time at this level,'' Meninga told NRL.com.

“This will be an important match for us in the lead-up to the World Cup.”

The game will be aired live during Sunday night on Nine Gem, Kayo and Fox Sports at 7:35pm, a far cry from recent years that've seen fans forced to livestream the match without coverage in Port Moresby.