James Tedesco 'axed' as Paul Gallen names Kangaroos squad after Mal Meninga admission

Paul Gallen says he has no place for James Tedesco in the Kangaroos' squad for next month's Pacific Championships after axing the incumbent Australia captain and fullback from his new-look 17. Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga this week hinted at changes to his Australia side that will play Tests against Tonga and New Zealand as part of the Pacific competition, which kicks off on October 18 in Brisbane.

Meninga's men were humbled 30-0 by New Zealand in the final of last year's tournament and the Kangaroos will be desperate to exact revenge on the Kiwis this year. Speaking on Nine's 100% Footy on Monday night, Gallen revealed his ideal 17-man squad for Australia, with Dylan Edwards' inclusion at the expense of long-time captain and fullback Tedesco the biggest call from the NRL premiership-winning Cronulla legend.

Tedesco was axed by NSW coach Michael Maguire for this year's Origin series, but brought back in for the first game of the series after an injury to his Blues replacement Edwards. However, Edwards replaced Tedesco at fullback for the final two games of the series and Penrith's three-time premiership winner was one of the standout performers in Maguire's side as the Blues won the series for the first time in three years.

Edwards' succession was viewed by many as a changing of the guard moment but Meninga has long maintained that Tedesco is his incumbent skipper for Australia and deserves the respect and recognition that comes with it. But even the Kangaroos coach admitted this week he has a big call to make around his fullback position, following an impressive season from Tedesco at the Roosters and Edwards with the Panthers and Blues.

“Obviously Teddy is playing good footy at the moment and he’s had a great year and his team will be in the finals and the same with Dylan Edwards so that conversation is going to continue,” Meninga said on Fox Sports. “You look at the Australian team... we’re full of leaders in the club situation.

"We’ve got leaders from every club playing for our country and a lot of leaders play for other countries. There’s a huge amount to pick from and if Teddy’s not in the team we’ve got to pick a new captain and I think (if we pick) the new captain we’ve got to look to the future. We’ve got the World Cup here in 2026, we’ve got the English coming down next year.”

Paul Gallen makes several changes to his Kangaroos side

Apart from Tedesco, the other five players that have been left out of Gallen's Kangaroos team that featured in the Pacific final are centre Kotoni Staggs, halfback Daly Cherry-Evans, middle forward Jake Trbojevic, utility Nicho Hynes and Thomas Flegler - who has been sidelined for the Dolphins all season with injury. "I've gone Dylan Edwards (at fullback) just in front of Kalyn Ponga, because you just know what you're going to get from this bloke," Gallen said on Nine.

"I've gone for (Pat) Carrigan in the front row because you can't leave Isaah Yeo out, and I think Carrigan is probably the best middle forward in the game at the moment. That's based on guys like Stephen Crichton (and) Spencer Leniu playing for Samoa, which I think they will."

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The six players coming into Gallen's new-look Kangaroos side are Selwyn Cobbo, Zac Lomax, Nathan Cleary, Payne Haas, Liam Martin, and Angus Crichton - some of whom were unavailable for last year's series. Selection for Lomax on one wing would be just reward for an incredible year that saw the Dragons flyer make his Origin debut for the Blues and star in the series triumph for NSW.

Gallen's choice of Cobbo on the other wing is more open to debate but with Lomax's Blues teammate Brian To'o committing to Samoa and the likes of Josh Addo-Carr and Xavier Coates experiencing injury-hit seasons, it's probably justified. Cleary and Haas are regarded as the game's premier halfback and middle forward respectively, while Martin and Origin player-of-the-series Crichton would potentially be two of the first names picked in Meninga's squad.

Mal Meninga hints at changes for his next Kangaroos squad

With Cleary yet to return from injury but expected to be back for Penrith's finals campaign, Meninga admits he has some "selection issues" and will have to see how players go in the coming weeks, before making a final decision on his squad. “As everyone knows we got beaten 30-0 in the Pacific Championships final, so we’ve got to take a serious look at the make-up of the footy team,” Meninga added.

“I think Origin plays its part this year... New South Wales were dominant. It was a great last game but I still felt they were fairly dominant in the series. Plus obviously your club form and finals form becomes important and then we’ve got to pick a team and then we’ve got to pick a captain.”

Paul Gallen's Kangaroos team

1. Dylan Edwards 2. Selwyn Cobbo 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 5. Zac Lomax 6. Cameron Munster 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Payne Haas 9. Harry Grant 10. Pat Carrigan 11. Liam Martin 12. Angus Crichton 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Ben Hunt 15. Reuben Cotter 16. Cameron Murray 17. Lindsay Collins