England Rugby League head coach Shaun Wane will name his 24-man squad to take on Australia next week, as they look to claim an Ashes series victory for the first time in over 50 years.
The three-match test will be kick off at Wembley on October 25, before Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium hosts their first non-football event on November 2. The series culminates at Headingley on November 9, with England fans hoping that game will be a decider at the very least, should they fail to wrap up the series in the first two matches.
As always with squad selections like these, they will come with a plethora of debate. Some players, such as Morgan Knowles and Herbie Farnworth will be a shoe-in, but other positions are not so easy to work out.
The writers at Serious About Rugby League have named the 24 players they would pick to face the Aussies, and there are plenty of differing opinions across multiple positions.
Will Jackson
Backs: Jack Welsby, AJ Brimson, Herbie Farnworth, Jake Wardle, Dom Young, Liam Marshall, Ash Handley.
Halves/hookers: Mikey Lewis, Harry Smith, George Williams, Jez Litten, Daryl Clark, Jake Connor.
Forwards: Alex Walmsley, Luke Thompson, Matty Lees, Mike McMeeken, Owen Trout, Junior Nsemba, Kai Pearce-Paul, Morgan Knowles, Morgan Smithies, Matty Nicholson, Dean Hadley.
I’ve favoured utility value with some of these picks and that’s exactly why I’ve got Jake Connor in my England squad. I don’t expect him to be selected by Shaun Wane but the Man of Steel can play in the halves, at full-back if needed and at centre.
In a small group of 24 players, I think that versatility could be vital and that’s why I’ve gone for Ash Handley, too, who covers both wing and centre. I think Handley has had an excellent season anyway but he provides cover should any one of the specialist centres or wingers go down. Owen Trout and Dean Hadley cover both front-row and second-row in the pack, too and are more than deserving of a spot.
Jez Litten and Daryl Clark simply have to be the hookers, while Alex Walmsley, Luke Thompson, Matty Lees and Mike McMeeken is a pretty fierce front-row line-up in my view.
Morgan Smithies and Matty Nicholson have excelled with Canberra Raiders this season and both get in my squad. However, I would be picking Kai Pearce-Paul and Junior Nsemba to be the starting back-rowers.
With no Victor Radley, Morgan Knowles has the opportunity to make a name for himself in front of an Australian audience before he heads to the NRL.
Sam Cook
Backs: AJ Brimson, Ash Handley, Dom Young, Herbie Farnworth, Jack Welsby, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall
Halves/Hookers: Daryl Clark, George Williams, Harry Smith, Jez Litten, Mikey Lewis
Forwards: Dean Hadley, Ethan Havard, John Bateman, Junior Nsemba, Kai Pearce-Paul, Luke Thompson, Matty Lees, Matty Nicholson, Mike McMeeken, Morgan Knowles, Morgan Smithies, Owen Trout
Predicting what Shaun Wane will do and selecting your own picks is very different but even so, Man of Steel Jake Connor misses out for me and that’s because the combination of George Williams and Harry Smith, albeit with Williams out of form, is England’s best chance of beating Australia.
Harry Smith’s kicking game will be massive and Williams is so strong defensively so I’m happy for them two to play every test with Mikey Lewis as the back-up that can also play hooker or full-back in a pinch. As for hookers, Jez Litten is the best in Super League by a margin this year and Daryl Clark is experienced and one of the senior figures in the group.
Being a senior figure is one of the reasons why John Bateman gets in, that and the fact he is tried and tested against the NRL players having had a quietly good season for North Queensland. He’s one of several second-rowers including Dean Hadley, who could also be used at prop or loose forward.
Victor Radley’s absence just strengthens Morgan Knowles’ case but Morgan Smithies isn’t a bad replacement and he’s joined by Kai Pearce-Paul, Matty Nicholson, Dom Young and AJ Brimson as the other NRL faces in the squad.
Brimson’s ability to cover all positions in the backs as well as Ash Handley’s versatility on the wing or centre means just seven backs are selected with Tom Davies very unlucky to miss out.
Sam Brocksom
Backs: Jack Welsby, AJ Brimson, Dominic Young, Tom Davies, Liam Marshall, Jake Wardle, Herbie Farnworth, Ash Handley
Halves/Hookers: Mikey Lewis, George Williams, Harry Smith, Jez Litten, Daryl Clark
Forwards: Mike McMeeken, Matty Lees, Owen Trout, Ethan Havard, Alex Walmsley, Rob Mulhern, Kai Pearce-Paul, Matty Nicholson, James McDonnell, Morgan Knowles, Morgan Smithies
So, let’s start with the halves. Jake Connor is not in my squad, and George Williams is. First, Connor is coming off the back of an agonising defeat that will take a while to sink in. For him to then be able to perform at the best of his ability in the biggest game of his career is a risk Wane won’t be willing to take. Meanwhile, Williams may not have been a star in Super League this year, but Wane trusts him on the international stage and that is expected to continue here.
In the back line, four of the five pick itself. The only position under threat would be who partners Tom Davies on the wing. AJ Brimson and Ash Handley are included due to their versatility, and will be a handy replacement should any of the starters pick up an injury.
England’s toughest test will be in the pack. Mike McMeeken has been the standout English prop this year, and I expect him to start – probably alongside Luke Thompson. Matty Lees’ impact off the bench will be huge, and Victor Radley’s withdrawal means that Morgan Knowles will get an early test of what’s to come before heading to the NRL next year.
Peter Smith
Backs: AJ Brimson, Herbie Farnworth, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall, Harry Newman, Jack Welsby, Dom Young.
Halves/hookers: Daryl Clark, Jake Connor, Jez Litten, Mikey Lewis, Harry Smith.
Forwards: Morgan Gannon, Matty Lees, Mike McMeeken, Morgan Knowles, Matty Nicholson, Junior Nsemba, Mikolaj Oledzki, Kai Pearce-Paul, Morgan Smithies, Luke Thompson, Owen Trout, Alex Walmsley.
If the squad is picked on form, Man of Steel Jake Connor has to be included ahead of George Williams.
Connor and Mikey Lewis starting together in the halves would certainly give the Aussies something a bit different to think about, but that won’t happen in reality.
Jez Litten should get the nod at hooker, but is likely to be back-up to Daryl Clark.
In the outside-backs, AJ Brimson is included to cover for Jack Welsby at full-back. Tom Johnstone and Ash Handley both struggled with groin injuries over the final weeks of the Super League season and miss out for that reason only.
Up front, it would be good to see Owen Trout get an opportunity after a strong season for Leigh Leopards. The same applies to fellow prop Mikolaj Oledzki and his Leeds Rhinos clubmate Morgan Gannon, the latter also being able to cover in the backs if required. The rest of the pack pick themselves.
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