Meninga won't pick NSW rookies

Australian coach Mal Meninga has suggested he will stick with an experienced line-up for next month's one-off rugby league Test against New Zealand.

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga

Mal Meninga will stick with an experience-first policy for next month's mid-year rugby league Test. (AAP)

Mal Meninga will stick with an experience-first policy for next month's mid-year rugby league Test against New Zealand.

The move will all but end James Tedesco, Matt Moylan and Bryce Cartwright's hopes of making their major representative debuts, with Meninga suggesting he will only select them if injuries hit senior players.

None of the trio have played Origin or finals football, and Meninga said they would have to cut their teeth for NSW before wearing the green-and-gold.

"In this particular game I don't think we can speculate on new talent," Meninga told News Corp Australia.

"We've only got a five-day turnaround, so combinations and cohesion is really important if we are going to be successful."

The same rule is unlikely to apply to North Queensland second-rower Gavin Cooper though, who has the backing of the Australian coach given his combination with Johnathan Thurston and 12 finals appearances in his 10-year career.

The Kangaroos host world No.1 New Zealand in Newcastle on May 6 in what will be their first Test since losing to the Kiwis in the annual mid-year fixture last year.


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world