RLWC 2026

Theres something a bit “unlikeable” (for want of a better word) about the Kangaroos set up.

I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Will always support Australia, but having a bunch of Knights playing for other nations certainly makes it a bit conflicting - especially Ponga, Gags and Crossland for NZ.

Idk, if it’s lack of representation for Australia from Knights over the years or what. Or the fact I’m so used to barracking against the likes of Walsh, Munster, DCE, Grant, Carrigan in both club land and origin.
 
I think a big part of it is that a lot of guys who got picked don't really seem to have merited it on form. And having a good relationship with Kevvy, eg being a former player of his, certainly doesn't hurt your chances...

I'll throw up the team I would have picked for scrutiny rather than just mouth off:

1. Reece Walsh
2. Campbell Graham
3. Jack Bostock
4. Bradman Best
5. Thomas Jenkins
6. Fletcher Sharpe
7. Mitchell Moses

13. Cameron Murray
12. David Fifita
11. Liam Martin
10. Keaon Koloamatangi
9. Harry Grant
8. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui

14. Max Plath
15. Patrick Carrigan
16. Isaah Yeo
17. Tallis Duncan

18. Sam Walker
19. James Tedesco

Exclusions:

- Latrell: Would usually be a walk up start for me, but I just think he's looked very short of a run & unfit since coming back from injury (he's mere weeks removed from being pocketed by elderly Dane Gagai!), and I genuinely believe Bradman outplayed him in Origin this year. Latrell is a more dangerous attacking player *by a bit*, but Bradman is a better defender and more busy/more of a workhorse *by a lot*. It matters.
- Tommy Turbo: I think selecting him is indefensible. He is a black hole defensively now and hasn't played wing in almost a decade.
- Staggs: Nope can't show total disinterest in club footy, be bad in Origin, and get a Kangaroos jersey. Get him out of here.
- Munster: Club Munster is not a dynamic running threat now and has transitioned to being more like a Kieran Foran type, helps steer a team around, is a creative ball player. He was pretty anonymous in Origin I thought. In rep footy you want dynamism. Sharpe had a much better season.

So with my team I've tried to avoid a too many cooks situation. Moses can handle the bulk of the kicking, but he has good to elite supporting kickers. I think with Walsh, as I've said elsewhere he is the single most dangerous attacking player in the game; you want to just get him clean ball and surround him with runners on his outside, and partner him with dynamic spine players who will play "off the cuff" with him - I can envision Grant, Sharpe & Walsh together just all being really "on" and sniffing out ad lib opportunities. I'm starting my most physical & athletic middles and using Carrigan and Yeo as bench props causing havoc with their mobility, offloading ability, etc. Plath coming on for Murray and also spelling Grant if needed (huge Plath fan). Could be scope to rotate the back row a bit and I think Duncan covers backline injuries.

My 2-5 I have emphasised guys who are busy & strong with their backfield carries, defend well, and are good in the air. I don't think you're hurting for dynamic attacking edge players with Best and Fifita out there. The path to the Kiwis beating the Kangaroos is being younger, fitter and more physical - the four big name guys I've left out & talked about above, Trell, Turbo, Staggs, Munster I think they are all capable of losing this World Cup for Australia. Do not trust them at the minute. I have replaced them with guys who I think can be trusted not to lose big games. I'm trusting the spine to win it.

I didn't wanna pick Jenkins tbh but a bit short on options hahaha. He should be fine.
 
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bremsstrahlung said:
Theres something a bit “unlikeable” (for want of a better word) about the Kangaroos set up.

I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Will always support Australia, but having a bunch of Knights playing for other nations certainly makes it a bit conflicting - especially Ponga, Gags and Crossland for NZ.

Idk, if it’s lack of representation for Australia from Knights over the years or what. Or the fact I’m so used to barracking against the likes of Walsh, Munster, DCE, Grant, Carrigan in both club land and origin.
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It is obvious old Kevvy has picked a lot of his QLD and Broncos mates in the Australian team.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
I think a big part of it is that a lot of guys who got picked don't really seem to have merited it on form. And having a good relationship with Kevvy, eg being a former player of his, certainly doesn't hurt your chances...

I'll throw up the team I would have picked for scrutiny rather than just mouth off:

1. Reece Walsh
2. Campbell Graham
3. Jack Bostock
4. Bradman Best
5. Thomas Jenkins
6. Fletcher Sharpe
7. Mitchell Moses

13. Cameron Murray
12. David Fifita
11. Liam Martin
10. Keaon Koloamatangi
9. Harry Grant
8. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui

14. Max Plath
15. Patrick Carrigan
16. Isaah Yeo
17. Tallis Duncan

18. Sam Walker
19. James Tedesco

Exclusions:

- Latrell: Would usually be a walk up start for me, but I just think he's looked very short of a run & unfit since coming back from injury (he's mere weeks removed from being pocketed by elderly Dane Gagai!), and I genuinely believe Bradman outplayed him in Origin this year. Latrell is a more dangerous attacking player *by a bit*, but Bradman is a better defender and more busy/more of a workhorse *by a lot*. It matters.
- Tommy Turbo: I think selecting him is indefensible. He is a black hole defensively now and hasn't played wing in almost a decade.
- Staggs: Nope can't show total disinterest in club footy, be bad in Origin, and get a Kangaroos jersey. Get him out of here.
- Munster: Club Munster is not a dynamic running threat now and has transitioned to being more like a Kieran Foran type, helps steer a team around, is a creative ball player. He was pretty anonymous in Origin I thought. In rep footy you want dynamism. Sharpe had a much better season.

So with my team I've tried to avoid a too many cooks situation. Moses can handle the bulk of the kicking, but he has good to elite supporting kickers. I think with Walsh, as I've said elsewhere he is the single most dangerous attacking player in the game; you want to just get him clean ball and surround him with runners on his outside, and partner him with dynamic spine players who will play "off the cuff" with him - I can envision Grant, Sharpe & Walsh together just all being really "on" and sniffing out ad lib opportunities. I'm starting my most physical & athletic middles and using Carrigan and Yeo as bench props causing havoc with their mobility, offloading ability, etc. Plath coming on for Murray and also spelling Grant if needed (huge Plath fan). Could be scope to rotate the back row a bit and I think Duncan covers backline injuries.

My 2-5 I have emphasised guys who are busy & strong with their backfield carries, defend well, and are good in the air. I don't think you're hurting for dynamic attacking edge players with Best and Fifita out there. The path to the Kiwis beating the Kangaroos is being younger, fitter and more physical - the four big name guys I've left out & talked about above, Trell, Turbo, Staggs, Munster I think they are all capable of losing this World Cup for Australia. Do not trust them at the minute. I have replaced them with guys who I think can be trusted not to lose big games. I'm trusting the spine to win it.

I didn't wanna pick Jenkins tbh but a bit short on options hahaha. He should be fine.
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Pretty sure Campbell Graham had surgery and Duncan is also injured.
 
Solway90 said:
Absolutely ridiculous. What kind of Australian goes against their own country and goes for another one.
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There's nothing special about going for Australia in this world cup, with the amount of players we have representing other countries, and Kevin not picking on form, only players he is a fan of, kind of spoils the point of going for Australia at least in NRL. I have a lot more loyalty to our knights players than I do to the bunch of players Walters chose for the world cup.

In NZ alone we have Gagai, Ponga and Crossland, in Samoa keen on seeing our young up and comer second rowers play.
 
Die Hard said:
There's nothing special about going for Australia in this world cup, with the amount of players we have representing other countries, and Kevin not picking on form, only players he is a fan of, kind of spoils the point of going for Australia at least in NRL. I have a lot more loyalty to our knights players than I do to the bunch of players Walters chose for the world cup.

In NZ alone we have Gagai, Ponga and Crossland, in Samoa keen on seeing our young up and comer second rowers play.
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Did you support Belgium at the olympics? Do you go for England in ashes cricket? Did you go for USA at soccer World Cup? It’s your country lol there should always be something “special” about going for your country.

I’m assuming you’re a blues supporter? Would you go for QLD because ponga is playing for them and you don’t think there’s anything special about the blues team?
 
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Out of the 10 teams competing, Australia winning is by far the least interesting outcome. I think that’s all it comes down to for a lot of people. Hard to feel invested when the international game has never been competitive enough to get invested in. Doesn’t surprise me when people gravitate towards the underdogs or just seeing the players from their club go well regardless of which jersey they’re in.

Personally, I would much rather watch a Ponga blinder on Thursday than a Kangaroos win, and I’d feel that way if he was in a Kangaroos jersey as well.
 
mullenmagic said:
Out of the 10 teams competing, Australia winning is by far the least interesting outcome. I think that’s all it comes down to for a lot of people. Hard to feel invested when the international game has never been competitive enough to get invested in. Doesn’t surprise me when people gravitate towards the underdogs or just seeing the players from their club go well regardless of which jersey they’re in.

Personally, I would much rather watch a Ponga blinder on Thursday than a Kangaroos win, and I’d feel that way if he was in a Kangaroos jersey as well.
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This World Cup will be the most competitive ever. Tonga, Samoa, nz are all stacked so I don’t see that as relevant but I understand your sentiments. Each to their own but it just doesn’t make sense to me.
 
Solway90 said:
Did you support Belgium at the olympics? Do you go for England in ashes cricket? Did you go for USA at soccer World Cup? It’s your country lol there should always be something “special” about going for your country.

I’m assuming you’re a blues supporter? Would you go for QLD because ponga is playing for them and you don’t think there’s anything special about the blues team?
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Mate, I literally said this world cup is greatly different from other international events. In cricket, the Olympics, Australia generally only has athletes in their own team. A lot of the athletes from nrl clubs in Australia are scattered around different nrl national teams, none of ours in the Australian national team. I am supporting Australian athletes from our team in the world cup, much more keen to see how our players go in different international sides with players around them, and hopefully kick up to another gear, than see a ton of the Australian team have any success as they are our direct competitors in the normal season.

As for State of Origin, that's where the real competition and conversation comes into it. Everyone generally has friends/family who are going for Qld they discuss heatedly with, and always exciting when NSW wins, though in saying such I still am keen for the Knights players to do well in Qld, and hope we get no injuries. NSW has been the underdog for so long that it feels amazing when the Blues win.

I guess unlike you, I have 100% passion and interest in the Knights, 60-70% for NSW, and only 10% or so for the world cup with most of the interest being for Knights players in the world cup itself, if Australia lost I would be cheering. Australia has only lost one series in the past 53 years, and over 27 years ago, I would much prefer to see an underdog national team win than another boring Australian title. If the Knights players were in the Australian squad I would be going for them.
 
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Die Hard said:
Mate, I literally said this world cup is greatly different from other international events. In cricket, the Olympics, Australia generally only has athletes in their own team. A lot of the athletes from nrl clubs in Australia are scattered around different nrl national teams, none of ours in the Australian national team. I am supporting Australian athletes from our team in the world cup, much more keen to see how our players go in different international sides with players around them, and hopefully kick up to another gear, than see a ton of the Australian team have any success as they are our direct competitors in the normal season.

As for State of Origin, that's where the real competition and conversation comes into it. Everyone generally has friends/family who are going for Qld they discuss heatedly with, and always exciting when NSW wins, though in saying such I still am keen for the Knights players to do well in Qld, and hope we get no injuries.

I guess unlike you, I have 100% passion and interest in the Knights, 60-70% for NSW, and only 10% or so for the world cup with most of the interest being for Knights players in the world cup itself, if Australia lost I would be cheering. Australia has only lost one series in the past 53 years, and over 27 years ago, I would much prefer to see an underdog national team win than another boring Australian title. If the Knights players were in the Australian squad I would be going for them.
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I have 100% passion for knights nsw and Australia. I’m just consistent but we are all different.
 
Australia has won all but one World Cup in the past 50 years. If the Knights won that much it’d get boring too.

The emergence of teams like Samoa and Tonga in the past half decade has been great, and either of them winning would be the best possible result for international rugby league as a whole, which in turn makes people more likely to really get behind the Kangaroos again. Even the Kiwis getting it done with the way league is seemingly gaining on union in NZ would have more of a positive impact.
 
mullenmagic said:
Australia has won all but one World Cup in the past 50 years. If the Knights won that much it’d get boring too.

The emergence of teams like Samoa and Tonga in the past half decade has been great, and either of them winning would be the best possible result for international rugby league as a whole, which in turn makes people more likely to really get behind the Kangaroos again. Even the Kiwis getting it done with the way league is seemingly gaining on union in NZ would have more of a positive impact.
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Yeah I understand all that and I actually agree with you but it wouldn’t make me cheer on another country.
 
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