We are just six NRL rounds away from the finals series kicking off.

Looking past that though, there's a salivating Test series kicking off in late October.

The first Kangaroos tour of England in 22 years. The rugby league Ashes are on the line!

Kevin Walters has been named the Kangaroos coach and will now oversee the three test match Ashes series against England.

With news that a 22-man squad is set to be named, we're almost assured to see some fresh faces head overseas.

With Roos regulars Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Payne Haas and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow all considering playing for Samoa at the end of the season, there are potential spots up from grabs.

Factor in injuries, post season commitments and the need to refresh the squad, I'd argue we're due a few "bolters".

Now this term is very much up for debate. For instance, I see Lindsay Smith as a bolter, given the fact he was overlooked for Origin.

The fact he represented the Kangaroos recently though means he won't be seen as a bolter by many others. I've not added him here for that one short stint off the bench.

I'm going to assume that Isaiya Katoa plays for Tonga and Terrell May represents Samoa so they're not named below.

Here are the players I consider genuine bolters who may be named in that 22 man Ashes squad:

3. Robert Toia

The fact Toia played for Queensland might rule him out as a "bolter" but if you'd given me a list of ten potential centres for the Roos in the pre-season, there's no chance he's on the list.

With the Hammer linked to Samoa, Stephen Crichton absolutely playing for Samoa, Valentine Holmes unavailable and Latrell Mitchell at long odds, Toia is surely on his way.

Bradman Best and Trbojevic are probably favourites to start in the centres. Matt Burton could fill the role. You'd imagine he's on the trip as the utility.

That said, even if Toia doesn't see a single minute of action, he needs to be in the squad for experience.

Then, if one of the aforementioned aren't available, I'd have no issue with the rookie making his Roos debut. He was fantastic in Origin and handled Latrell Mitchelle extremely well.