In their quest to maintain recent international rugby league dominance, New Zealand has placed trust in the ‘generation next’ approach, with coach Stephen Kearney revealing a formidable squad for their Four Nations title defence.
Included in the revamped 23-man squad are Warriors rising star Shaun Johnson and his teammate Kevin Locke, both pivotal in their team’s journey to the NRL grand final. The squad also features six players yet to earn their caps.
Joining them are Brisbane’s Gerard Beale and Alex Glenn, Melbourne’s Kevin Proctor, and Warriors’ Russell Packer, all of whom have yet to experience Test rugby.
“Our player depth is certainly growing,” Kearney remarked.
“As is often the case, a considerable number of players were unavailable due to injuries, yet we managed to assemble a robust group that we are very happy with. Additionally, many of them have gone deep into the finals, which is an advantage.”
In total, nine members of the squad participated in Sunday’s NRL grand final, including Kieran Foran and Steve Matai from the champion Manly team, alongside Lewis Brown, Simon Mannering, Ben Matulino, and winger Manu Vatuvei representing the Warriors along with Johnson, Locke, and Packer.
Notably, 16 of the selected players advanced to the second week of the NRL finals, while Thomas Leuluai narrowly missed out on advancing in the Super League playoffs with Wigan.
Even though Melbourne’s Adam Blair still has two games remaining on his five-match suspension due to his involvement in last month’s Brookvale Brawl, he was selected.
Johnson’s promotion after only 16 NRL appearances has provided Kearney with an effective playmaking combination, as he competes with the starting halves, Foran and captain Benji Marshall, for a spot in the final 17.
Kearney could opt to move Foran to the centres to make room for Johnson at No.7, potentially creating challenges for the Kiwis’ rivals in the Four Nations, alongside hooking options Issac Luke and Nathan Fien.
New Zealand, who surprised Australia in the previous year’s Four Nations final, will begin their title defence against the Kangaroos in Warrington on October 28. However, they will first face the Aussies at Ausgrid Stadium on October 16.
They are set to establish their camp in Sydney on Sunday ahead of the Test in Newcastle.
New Zealand squad: Gerard Beale, Adam Blair, Lewis Brown, Nathan Fien, Kieran Foran, Alex Glenn, Thomas Leuluai, Kevin Locke, Shaun Johnson, Issac Luke, Sam McKendry, Simon Mannering, Sika Manu, Benji Marshall (capt), Steve Matai, Ben Matulino, Fuifui Moimoi, Jason Nightingale, Russell Packer, Kevin Proctor, Jeremy Smith, Manu Vatuvei, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
by Buford Balony
