Kangaroos selector Andrew Johns has described it as a “no brainer” that Reece Walsh will be the starting fullback for Australia in the first Ashes Test against England. However coach Kevin Walters has insisted that incumbent Dylan Edwards is still firmly in contention.
Edwards was Kangaroos fullback last year, but the form of Walsh is simply too good to ignore. The Broncos fullback is the hottest player on the planet after leading Brisbane to premiership glory.
Speaking on the Sunday Footy Show, Kangaroos selector Johns suggested Walsh will be in the No.1 jersey when the Kangaroos face England in the first Test on Saturday night. “For me it’s a no-brainer, he just picks himself and what’s important when you go on tour is players playing in the semi-finals,” Johns said.
Andrew Johns (L) said he’d pick Reece Walsh (centre), but Kevin Walters isn’t axing Dylan Edwards (R) just yet. Image: Getty/Kangaroos
The NRL Immortal is one of five selectors for the national team alongside Walters, Boyd Cordner, Darren Lockyer and Cameron Smith. ARL Commission Chairman Peter V’landys is the chairman of selectors, and might be keen to see Walsh play so as many eyeballs are on the game as possible.
Billy Slater said on Sunday: “I think he’ll go with Reece Walsh … the English will absolutely love him, they’ll love the way he plays and his charisma.”
Reece Walsh (R) at a Kangaroos training session ahead of the first Ashes Test. Image: Kangaroos
But according to Walters a decision hasn’t been made as yet. While probably just playing a diplomatic hand, Walters wasn’t ready to axe Edwards while speaking on Saturday.
“There’s still a battle on for positions,” the coach told NRL.com. “Fullback role is a hotly contested one – and the centre position and then the bench. That’s one as well that I reckon we’ve got to get right with our flexibility and cover off on all the positions. They’re the main headaches.”
Kevin Walters insists Dylan Edwards still in contention
When it was suggested to Walters that not picking Walsh would be a ‘bombshell’ considering the form he’s in, the coach responded: “It’s not (simple) because Dylan’s been a good player for a long time. His form last year for the Kangaroos was really good, so it’s not an easy decision but one I’m happy to make given the candidates that are involved.
“I’ll speak to some of the senior players. Some of the senior ones are pretty close with Dylan as well. We’ll have a good honest conversation and it is only for game one, whoever does get selected. It’s obviously a three-Test series so…
“I’ll get the opinions of the assistants as well and then basically it will be my final decision on what we go with. I’m pretty confident the right people I talk with will come up with the right decision on who plays. I said to the players ‘even if you’re not contributing on match day, certainly through the week with our performances during training is really important’. That’s my memories from Kangaroo tours.”
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On Sunday, Johns and Slater both agreed that Kotoni Staggs and Gehamat Shibasaki will be the centres, while Nathan Cleary and Cameron Munster will be the halves. Johns picked Lindsay Smith on his proposed bench, but Slater said he’d have Reuben Cotter instead.