![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792358540_744_635402f1698dc5687fb8f98be5c093fe76cbc56f.png\")
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October 19, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n No gift articles left<\/p>\n You’ve used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.<\/p>\n Close<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Mark Nawaqanitawase\u2019s parting gift to rugby league might just be giving Jack Bostock the confidence to take risks, helping the three-try Australian hero become arguably the best winger in the game \u2013 even though he is a centre at club level.<\/p>\n Kangaroos debutant Bostock scored a hat-trick on Thursday against New Zealand<\/a> in the World Cup opener, including two tries from kicks and an 80m intercept.<\/p>\n But Bostock\u2019s bold offload with the game on the line, which allowed Reece Walsh to work his magic and score a long-range try, was the kind of all-or-nothing play Nawaqanitawase became known for.<\/p>\n Nawaqanitawase was in the Kangaroos dressing room after the win over the Kiwis, and coach Kevin Walters said: \u201cOnce you\u2019re a Kangaroo, you are always a Kangaroo. So you\u2019re always welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Bostock spent time with Nawaqanitawase while in camp with NSW for Origin III, and made a point of watching how he went about his business and asking the cross-code star questions.<\/p>\n \u201cMark is an off-the-cuff player \u2013 he sees things and then does it \u2013 it\u2019s like he\u2019s playing backyard footy at times, which was always great to see,\u201d Bostock said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more about taking those risks, which is what I took from him. He\u2019d say when you do it [take risks] at training, it\u2019s not risky, and when you do it on the field and it comes off, it\u2019s good for everyone to watch and your teammates. He was happy to flirt on that edge of making a mistake or coming up with a big play. Most of the time he came up with the big play.\u201d<\/p>\n Nawaqanitawase\u2019s exit from the NRL will ignite the debate about who is the game\u2019s best winger, and Bostock will have plenty of admirers, even though he only plays there at representative level.<\/p>\n Penrith\u2019s Brian To\u2019o is always in the conversation, so is Xavier Coates, who missed this season with injury, but Bostock is among the best attacking the high ball and a strong kick returner.<\/p>\n Centre, however, is where he sees himself in club land, not just next year, but in 2028 and beyond, wherever he may be playing by then.<\/p>\n When asked about being the best winger, Bostock laughed and said: \u201cThat would be Selwyn Cobbo. When it comes to rep footy, I\u2019m happy to play on the wing, but with club footy, I had a good season at centre, and given it was my first year, I know I can learn a lot more and improve in that role.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been happy with chasing kicks and attacking them, and trying to make it a contest. It\u2019s been a big thing that has come into the game this year. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve practised the last few years. Xavier Coates is the best at it in the comp before he got injured.\u201d<\/p>\n Walters said Bostock\u2019s debut was the best he had seen by a player wearing the green and gold.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was game-changing what he did for us on Thursday night \u2013 he\u2019s a special player,\u201d Walters said.<\/p>\n The Kangaroos gathered for camp in Brisbane on Sunday, with James Tedesco, Bradman Best and Sam Walker all expected to get game time against Fiji next Sunday after missing out on the New Zealand epic.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Walters admitted Latrell Mitchell was kept quiet against the Kiwis, but revealed there was a good reason.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was crook. He was pretty ill and probably shouldn\u2019t have played,\u201d Walters said. \u201cHe had the flu and a virus. A couple of them got struck down by it, but he camouflaged it a bit, and that\u2019s the person he is.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can get better, he knows that, and the best thing is we got through without his influence on the game. He\u2019ll be better for the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n Bostock blamed himself for arriving in camp ill and passing it on to his left centre.<\/p>\n![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ce13c0d75cf69b04b3bd81fcf0993c991b45f3b2.jpeg\")
Jack Bostock made a stunning debut for the Kangaroos on Thursday night.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/08916e046db97844326e3f36b5f94eb3970e5746.jpeg\")
Jack Bostock flies high to score one of his three tries against New Zealand.AP<\/p>\n
![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792358542_200_22de40c344a16cfbc8809679e2646299de448b51.jpeg\")
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