It's the Rugby League World Cup - a cross-cultural melting pot with teams from the Americas, Europe and the Pacific ready to do battle.
But with 16 teams in the men's competition and hundreds of names to familiarise yourself with, we've had a look at the squads to determine just who are the three players from each nation you need to be watching.
Papua New Guinea
Alex Johnston
Despite a one-off appearance for the Kangaroos all the way back in 2015, Johnston will bear the brunt of PNG's tryscoring responsibility following the retirement of Kumuls icon David Mead. And so it should, after another record-breaking season saw Johnston cross the line 30 times.
While it's likely he won't be quite as prolific in the Kumuls side, it serves as a great opportunity for Johnston to remind us all that he's not just adept at finishing off slick left-side moves – especially as he's likely to return to the fullback position - a role he's just as deadly in as he is playing out on the edges.
Nene Macdonald
The towering winger seemingly vanished off the face of the earth after his stint at the Cronulla Sharks came to an abrupt end in 2020, and it looked like Macdonald might have cruised off into the sunset – but his career has been given welcome boost by second division English team Leigh Centurions, who he joined in 2022.
Moving one position infield and playing at centre, MacDonald has rediscovered his scoring ability, crossing for 25 tries in just 26 appearances. Though such a haul still didn't land him the division's top tryscorer honour, to see the quick and rangy outside back scoring again will have Kumuls fans excited as he prepares for his third World Cup.
Rhyse Martin
While we all know the excitement that Xavier Coates and Justin Olam will add, NRL fans may have forgotten about the Kumuls' new captain Rhyse Martin after he too departed the league just 25 games into his first grade career with Canterbury. A hard-running back-rower with a deceptive step and a great goal-kicking ability, Martin moved to England when job security came calling.
He's certainly made the most of his time in Leeds, and 2022 has seen some of his best form yet in a great sign for the national team. Martin has hit personal bests for games in a season, scored 11 tries (his next best season haul was four) and helped the Rhinos get all the way to the Super League final. He may have been forgotten by some on this side of the equator, but look for Martin to give us a number of reminders in a competitive group.
