Broncos legend Corey Parker has described it as a “missed opportunity” after Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters resisted calls to blood some of his wider squad players for the third and final Ashes Test against England. Walters has instead named his strongest 17 and retained the likes of Reece Walsh, Nathan Cleary and Cameron Munster, rather than giving them a rest.
Captain Isaah Yeo is back from concussion and replaces Panthers teammate Lindsay Smith, in the only change to the team that won the second game. With the series already wrapped up, Walters had the option of giving reserve players Dylan Edwards, Mitchell Moses, Blayke Brailey, Bradman Best, Ethan Strange and Jacob Preston a game. Brailey, Best, Strange and Preston are yet to make their Test debuts, while many suggested Edwards should play for Walsh and Moses for Cleary.
Kevin Walters (L) has stuck strong with his best Kangaroos team, including Reece Walsh and Nathan Cleary (R). Image: Getty
Munster was also a chance to have a rest, with Strange or Tom Dearden available to play in the halves. Leading commentators Andrew Voss and Greg Alexander also suggested last week that Gehamat Shibasaki and Lindsay Collins should be axed after some luke-warm performances.
But Walters is going for the jugular in a bid to complete an emphatic 3-0 sweep that would all-but guarantee he remains in the job moving forward. As it stands, Walters is only on a three-game ‘trial’ for the Ashes series, and a call will be made at a later date as to why leads the Kangaroos at next year’s World Cup. With his coaching job anything but guaranteed, it’s been speculated that Walters needs a convincing series sweep to convince Peter V’landys and the Australian Rugby League Commission to retain him.
The Kangaroos will be full strength against England in the third Ashes Test. (Photo by Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Corey Parker questions Kevin Walters selection decision
The NRL world has been completed divided on whether Walters should stick with his strongest team, or reward some of his reserve players on tour. He hinted after the second Test that he was keen to give his squad players a game, but has ultimately decided not to.
Speaking on SEN radio on Thursday morning, Parker was surprised to see Walters resist the urge to use some fresh players for the dead rubber. “He’s changing nothing,” said Parker, who played 13 Tests for the Kangaroos.
“I thought it was a great opportunity – not because they were banging the door down – but because they’ve been over there on tour. You don’t just give away an Australian jersey, but there are some individuals who I believe should be under pressure (to retain their spots). These guys like Brailey, Best and Strange have been over there in England for nothing.”
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Kevin Walters explains decision to stay with strongest team
Walters revealed on Wednesday after naming his team: “We’ve had to work exceptionally hard in challenging conditions to win the opening two Tests, and while we’d like to reward the extended squad for their outstanding efforts on tour, we just feel that the players who have got the job done deserve to play in Leeds.
“I spoke to some of the senior players and also some of the selectors, because it wasn’t an easy decision. I just want to make the right decision for the Kangaroos and the jersey. In the end, after some consultation and chats, the best thing to do was to go back to that 17 that started the Test series.
“It was a bit of a reward for the guys who have been there (for the first two games). You never want to give away your jersey, but on the flip side is you’d love to give the boys who haven’t played an opportunity because they’ve been fantastic for us. I think there was a fair bit of swinging both ways but in the end we’re all in on this. We want to try and make it 3-0, that’s really important for this group.”
Dylan Edwards and Mitchell Moses respond
Moses and Edwards said they understand Walters’ decision. “I feel like if I was in that position I wouldn’t want to give up my spot either,” Moses told the Sydney Morning Herald. “You have to put the team first and the country first. We’ve prepared the boys as well as we could. Hopefully the boys can finish them off 3-0.”
Edwards, who was the incumbent Kangaroos fullback before Walsh took over, added: “You obviously want to wear the jersey, but you want to earn it as well. The boys that are in the jersey at the moment have definitely earned the right to continue playing. For me personally, you want to earn it, you don’t just want to be given it.”
Last week, commentators Greg Alexander and Andrew Voss floated the possibility that Walters could axe some under-performing players. They both put Smith, Gehamat Shibasaki and Lindsay Collins on the chopping block, but Shibasaki and Collins have survived.
Tellingly, a poll of over 9000 Yahoo readers shows the vast majority believe changes should have been made. On social media, there were plenty of fans to question whether Walters made the right call.