Kevin Walters could look to give his wider squad players a game in the third and final Ashes Test, with Nathan Cleary and Cameron Munster looming as big-name stars who might make way. But Walters might opt to keep playing his first-choice side to try and cement a 3-0 whitewash that will all-but guarantee his job for next year.
The Kangaroos won 14-4 on Saturday night to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, winning the Ashes for the 14th-straight time. Considering the third game will be a dead rubber, it looms as the perfect opportunity for Walters to get his entire squad some playing time.
There’s debate as to whether Kevin Walters (L) should pull Nathan Cleary (R) and co from the third Ashes Test and give his squad players a game. Image: BBC/Getty
Walters has the chance to hand Test debuts to Blayke Brailey, Jacob Preston, Bradman Best and Ethan Strange, while Dylan Edwards and Mitchell Moses are a chance to come in as well. Reece Walsh is facing the prospect of being banned for the third game after he was sin-binned for a shoulder charge on Saturday night.
Kevin Walters could make mass changes to his Kangaroos team. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
That would allow Edwards to come in at fullback for the third game, although the Panthers star could also play on the wing if Walsh escapes a ban. Moses and Tom Dearden would likely be elevated to start in the halves, while Brailey could line up at hooker and Strange on the bench. Strange could also find himself playing five-eighth or centre.
If Walters does make mass changes, it would likely see big-name stars Cleary, Munster and Harry Grant given a rest. But Walters might be tempted to go for the kill in the third Test to send an emphatic message to the Australian Rugby League Commission.
Does Kevin Walters need 3-0 to retain Kangaroos job?
As it stands, the coach is only employed for the Ashes series, with the ARL set to make a call at a later date about his role moving forward. As leading journo Michael Carayannis pointed out last month, Walters might need an emphatic 3-0 series victory to guarantee he retains the job for next year’s World Cup.
“He has to win. If he doesn’t win he won’t be the coach next year,” Carayannis said. “Even if he wins, I think it’d need to be a comprehensive 3-0 victory. I don’t think 2-1 keeps him in the job next year.”
For that reason, Walters might resist making mass changes. Despite winning 26-6 and 14-4 in the first two games, the Kangaroos weren’t particularly convincing.
They made 15 errors and completed at just 69 per cent on Saturday night, but showed some stoic defence against a poor England attacking unit. The Aussie attack failed to fire, mostly in part to the shorter field (just 94 metres), which made the 10m hard to police for referee Grant Atkins.
“It was a different game to Wembley,” Walters said after the second Test. “Much tougher and physical and we couldn’t get much flow to our game. We kept turning over possession and didn’t control the ball that well.”
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When asked if he’d blood some players in the third game, Walters responded: “We’ll just enjoy today first and worry about that next week. We’ve wrapped the series up. Very happy with our defence today.
“It would be nice to reward some guys. It’s been a great connection amongst the whole group – particularly with our training and preparation. Part of that is the [squad] guys we’ve been training against have been very, very good.”
On social media, fans were divided as to what Walters should do. Many called for changes, but others said the coach should keep playing his strongest side.