Mal Meninga has named a host of fresh faces for the upcoming World Cup, the dawn of a number of promising careers in the green and gold. Only thing is, it could bring down the curtains on a few veteran’s rep careers.
Meninga has named debutants Jordan MacLean, Wade Graham, Dane Gagai, Tom Trbojevic, Cameron Munster, Felise Kaufusi and Regan Campbell-Gillard, along with a host of other youngsters just beginning their international careers.
But while these young guns achieve their dream in the World Cup, injured stars Greg Inglis, Matt Scott, Jonathan Thurston and Darius Boyd watch on from the sidelines, wondering if they’ll run out in that jersey again.
Thurston has already confirmed he won’t be returning to the international side, solely focusing on the Cowboys from here on out. But for the rest of the crew, they remain in limbo.
Both Inglis and Scott tore their ACL’s in the opening rounds of the season, while Boyd’s hamstring caused him grief leading into the finals. All three are set to return to full health by next season to captain their respective clubs, but club footy could be as far as these stars get.
Inglis especially has left a legacy in the Kangaroos’ jersey, scoring 31 tries in 39 games for the green and gold. Having switched between wing, centre and fullback for Australia, Inglis may be bumped from the side in favour of the young brigade rising through the ranks.
Debutants Gagai and Trbojevic join fellow rookies Valentine Holmes and Josh Mansour in the squad, while Origin stars Jack Bird, James Tedesco and Corey Oates surely weren’t far off selection.
It’s so hard to deny a legend like Inglis a spot in the backline, though how can you deny an up and comer their shot for him?
Scott has featured 22 times for the Roos, starting the match in 21 of them, a cornerstone of Australia’s forward pack. But at 32 years old and coming off a knee reconstruction, it’s hard to Scott returning to the international side with so many young front-rowers pressing their claims.
If Boyd never pulled the jersey on again, he’d claim a very rare achievement – undefeated in his decade-long, 23 game career representing his country. Though like Inglis, there are simply so many superstars coming through the ranks.
Mal Meninga has already shone this year that players past or reputation doesn’t matter when it comes to selection, it’s form that decides if they earn the privilege to wear the jersey.
Sam Thaiday and Blake Ferguson found that out the hard way this year, both dropped after featuring for Australia in last year’s Four Nations tournament.
If Inglis, Scott or Boyd are to ever wear the Kangaroos jersey again, it’s going to take some extremely strong form early in the season to break back into the team, though at least for now, the ball is in the young gun’s court.
