Shaun Wane will reveal his 24-man England squad for this autumn’s Ashes on Monday lunchtime – and while some calls are straightforward, others are far from it.
Wane has some major decisions to make about the make-up of his squad, not necessarily his starting 13. While you can be sure players like Morgan Knowles, George Williams and Jack Welsby are going to be heavily involved for all three games, the England coach has a wealth of riches to pick from.
So in true rugby league fashion, Love Rugby League has had a go at picking the group Wane will select – and we’ve broken it down into a number of categories..
The certainties
First of all, the easy course of action – picking the players who are guaranteed to be involved. That starts at the back, with the aforementioned Welsby a lock-in to start at fullback, not just be named in the 24.
If fit and available, both Herbie Farnworth and Jake Wardle would be in – though incredibly, Wardle has only pulled on a Test shirt once, having withdrawn in the last two seasons.
But if he’s ready, he’s in for us.
On the wings, without Matty Ashton, it appears as though there are three directly in the mix. Liam Marshall, Tom Johnstone and Dom Young all have runs on the board, have all played for Wane in an England shirt before, and will likely be the trio he has to whittle down to just two. Young, incidentally, was at the Grand Final on Saturday – he’s in the country for a reason.
You now can categorically not leave out the man of the match from the Super League Grand Final, either. Mikey Lewis is a lock-in to make the cut for Wane’s 24, as are George Williams and Harry Smith. That means there will be no place for Jake Connor.
You can also say with some certainty some of the forwards that will be named. Morgan Knowles will start at 13: that is a guarantee. The front row contingent will definitely include Matty Lees and Luke Thompson, as well as Mike McMeeken – who has been sensational for Wakefield Trinity this year.
Wane’s comment that John Bateman has ‘credit in the bank’ suggests he’s going to be included, while like young, Kai Pearce-Paul is also now back in England and was at Old Trafford on Saturday. He’ll be named. We’d also bet that after a good year for Canberra Raiders, Morgan Smithies has to be considered a sure pick.
However, things aren’t clear after that..
The probables
Hooker is arguably Wane’s most interesting area of selection. He has four players who could realistically be picked: Danny Walker, Daryl Clark, Brad O’Neill and Jez Litten. Two at most will be in the 24, with Lewis potentially coming off the bench and playing 14.
Clark feels the most probable as things stand, not least because he’s had a good year for St Helens and was Wane’s hooker in both of the Samoa Tests last autumn.
Kallum Watkins also feels like an increasingly likely selection after his fine year for Leeds Rhinos while another in that category is Wigan Warriors forward Ethan Havard. St Helens prop Alex Walmsley also feels like a frontrunner for a shirt.
And for cover in the centres – or indeed, to push for a starting shirt – you would include Harry Newman.
The dilemmas
Both AJ Brimson and Billy Smith want to play, but you would suspect there is not room for both. Brimson’s versatility – he would be the direct contender to compete with Welsby for the fullback shirt – would suggest he is slightly ahead of the Roosters centre.
Then there is one final back row spot to be claimed. Matty Nicholson is one player who has a chance, as does Wigan’s Junior Nsemba. It’s a tough, tough decision – but we’ve just given the nod to Nsemba.
And the second hooker? After his heroics on Saturday evening, it’s Hull KR superstar Litten who gets in our 24.
Which gives us a squad that looks like this..
Predicted England 24-man squad: John Bateman, AJ Brimson, Daryl Clark, Herbie Farnworth, Ethan Havard, Tom Johnstone, Morgan Knowles, Matty Lees, Mikey Lewis, Jez LItten, Liam Marshall, Mike McMeeken, Harry Newman, Junior Nsemba, Kai Pearce-Paul, Harry Smith, Morgan Smithies, Luke Thompson, Alex Walmsley, Jake Wardle, Kallum Watkins, Jack Welsby, George Williams, Dom Young.
Is it enough to topple the Australians? We don’t have long to wait.