{"id":927989,"date":"2026-10-14T15:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T15:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/927989\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T15:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T15:46:15","slug":"nrl-2026-kevin-walters-explains-reece-walsh-world-cup-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/927989\/","title":{"rendered":"NRL 2026: Kevin Walters explains Reece Walsh World Cup call"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters says he hasn\u2019t made a call on who will play fullback later in the World Cup, with James Tedesco and the other players not picked to face the Kiwis to feature in next week\u2019s match against Fiji.<\/p>\n

Tedesco is coming off a man-of-the-match performance for the Roosters in the grand final earlier this month, but Walters has gone with Reece Walsh for Thursday\u2019s game against New Zealand.<\/p>\n

The Broncos fullback hasn\u2019t played for two months after an ankle injury ended his season, but Walsh did star for Australia during last year\u2019s Ashes tour.<\/p>\n

Tedesco, Bradman Best and Sam Walker have all been given the game off after playing in the grand final, but they\u2019ll get their chance to shine next week in Brisbane. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that I make decisions on are around the team, and this week I feel it\u2019s best that Reece is at fullback,\u201d Walters said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t decided that position yet (for the rest of the tournament). That\u2019s why we\u2019re here, and they\u2019ll both get an opportunity. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re both Clive Churchill Medallists in the last two (grand finals) so I look at it that way. We\u2019re very fortunate to have both of them in the team. They\u2019re different players, but I love what they both bring to the team. <\/p>\n

\u201cTeddy is the more experienced custodian, and Reece is on the way up as such, so we\u2019ve got a good mix there which I\u2019m really grateful for. <\/p>\n

\u201cTeddy will get his opportunity next week. He\u2019s had a good week\u2019s rest. It\u2019s been a big campaign for him the last four or five weeks. Not just him, but Sam as well and Bradman. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo I feel in the best interest of the team that they get a spell this week and then they\u2019ll play next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nine members of Australia\u2019s starting 13 are coming in fresh after their NRL clubs missed out on the finals, but players such as Jacob Preston, who has been training at his brother\u2019s gym on Sydney\u2019s northern beaches, have stayed fit. <\/p>\n

The entire spine missed out on finals, with Walters picking Mitch Moses and Cameron Munster to start in the halves for the opening game of the tournament.<\/p>\n

The veterans both made their NRL debuts 12 years ago and have played against each other plenty of times at club level and in Origin, with both men needing to stand up with Nathan Cleary out injured.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve admired him from afar for a long time now,\u201d Moses said of his halves partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re the same age, I\u2019ve been playing my whole career against him, and to be able to go out there and share the field with him for the first time is exciting. <\/p>\n

\u201cI get along with him really well, and I\u2019m just excited to get out there with him and the whole squad. <\/p>\n

\u201cKev\u2019s picked a really good squad here with the best players in the world, and anytime you get to rub shoulders with that, learn wherever you can, and pull on the jersey is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walker will get his shot next week, with Thursday\u2019s match seen as an audition for spine players for spots in the finals. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think you should do that no matter what,\u201d Moses said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if everyone\u2019s going to get a go or anything like that; you never know when it\u2019s going to be the last time you pull the jersey on, so you wear it with pride and passion every time you do it, and I get a chance to do that tomorrow night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally published as \u2018I haven\u2019t decided\u2019: Kevin Walters explains controversial World Cup selections for Kiwis clash<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters says he hasn\u2019t made a call on who will play fullback later in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":927990,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[495170,380197,442103,382172,438116,495175,495179,395602,495169,383349,377450,495161,495174,495159,376766,495162,495184,389162,495163,417749,495160,382345,64,63,495172,387617,9115,365857,651,4567,3483,495157,495183,19385,495173,495182,387841,380445,3739,16308,147808,47999,387180,447751,495180,452329,456963,457568,4592,4415,477646,337264,3194,495164,45755,4464,495166,226453,376921,1203,761,762,495171,43961,51485,495187,158,16911,7820,495186,465095,13391,64935,4478,38350,386275,54341,85,17957,4031,670,495158,81994,400044,378971,441616,421550,495168,377453,377514,376549,74713,420644,395523,413628,489817,495185,421751,495165,495178,408352,438079,378229,174850,495177,394028,315971,359749,495181,214758,495167,54798,72503,489835,494218,495176,415474,199184,9357,64631,23426,376837,9829,113709,22333,21418],"class_list":["post-927989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-s-ashes-tour-tedesco","tag-s-game","tag-s-gym","tag-s-match","tag-s-northern-beaches","tag-s-rest","tag-s-starting-13","tag-12-years","tag-a-big-campaign","tag-a-call","tag-a-chance","tag-a-go-or-anything","tag-a-good-mix","tag-a-good-week","tag-a-long-time","tag-a-man-of-the-match-performance","tag-a-really-good-squad","tag-a-spell","tag-afar","tag-an-ankle-injury","tag-an-audition","tag-an-opportunity","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-both-clive-churchill-medallists","tag-both-men","tag-bradman","tag-bradman-best","tag-brisbane","tag-cameron-munster","tag-club-level","tag-controversial-selections","tag-controversial-world-cup-selections","tag-decisions","tag-different-players","tag-each-other-plenty","tag-earlier-this-month","tag-every-time","tag-fiji","tag-finals","tag-fullback","tag-grand-finals","tag-his-brother","tag-his-chance","tag-his-halves-partner","tag-his-opportunity","tag-his-season","tag-his-shot","tag-jacob-preston","tag-james-tedesco","tag-kangaroos-coach-kevin-walters","tag-kev","tag-kevin-walters","tag-kiwis-clash","tag-last-year","tag-mitch-moses","tag-mitch-moses-and","tag-moses","tag-my-whole-career","tag-nathan-cleary","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-new-zealand-the-broncos-fullback","tag-newswire-sport","tag-next-week","tag-nine-members","tag-nrl","tag-origin","tag-players","tag-pride-and-passion","tag-reece","tag-reece-walsh","tag-sam","tag-sam-walker","tag-selections","tag-shoulders","tag-spine-players","tag-sports","tag-spots","tag-star","tag-sydney","tag-teddy","tag-tedesco","tag-that-position","tag-that-way","tag-the-best-interest","tag-the-best-players","tag-the-entire-spine","tag-the-field","tag-the-finals","tag-the-first-time","tag-the-game","tag-the-grand-final","tag-the-halves","tag-the-jersey","tag-the-kiwis","tag-the-last-four-or-five-weeks","tag-the-last-time","tag-the-last-two","tag-the-more-experienced-custodian","tag-the-opening-game","tag-the-other-players","tag-the-rest","tag-the-roosters","tag-the-roosters-star","tag-the-same-age","tag-the-team","tag-the-tournament","tag-the-tournament-the-veterans","tag-the-way","tag-the-whole-squad","tag-the-world","tag-the-world-cup","tag-the-world-cup-opener","tag-their-chance","tag-their-nrl-clubs","tag-their-nrl-debuts","tag-this-week","tag-thursday","tag-times","tag-tomorrow-night","tag-two-months","tag-walker","tag-walsh","tag-walters","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=927989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/927990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=927989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=927989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=927989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}