If Phil Gould was selecting the Kangaroos side for the end-of-year Tests, captain and champion fullback James Tedesco would be axed.
The rugby league guru made the extraordinary call on this week’s episode of Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus that it was time for Tedesco to make way for either Panthers gun Dylan Edwards or Broncos ace Reece Walsh.
The Roosters will almost certainly not feature in finals footy this year, meaning if Tedesco does play Test football at the end of the year it will be on the back of a lengthy period without time on the paddock.
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Gould pointed that out, as well as Tedesco’s dip in form and the emergence of “new blood”.
“I don’t think Roosters are going to play finals football. I think the Test side will probably be made up of those who last longest, getting into the finals and grand finals,” Gould said.
“I think fellas like Dylan Edwards and Reece Walsh will come into play there.
“Maybe Kalyn Ponga if Newcastle go deep into the finals series.
“(Tom) Trbojevic might be back by then. He thinks that he’ll be back by the second or third week of the finals if Manly were to get through. Unlikely, but it’s a consideration.”
Six Tackles with Gus host Mat Thompson tossed up Cowboys weapon Scott Drinkwater, which Gould didn’t mind the idea of.
“It depends how far the Cowboys go, doesn’t it?” he said, before continuing to explain his thinking.
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“I think that the Australian team at the end of the year will be looking for players who went deep into the finals and were playing regularly, rather than having a six-week or eight-week break and then going into representative football.
“I think James will be looking forward to a break this off-season.”
Billy Slater was the Australian fullback for the best part of a decade, in which time he played in two World Cup title triumphs.
The Storm legend passed down the No.1 jumper to Tedesco and the Roosters veteran was appointed captain ahead of last year’s World Cup, replacing former Tricolours teammate Boyd Cordner.
He skippered the Kangaroos to World Cup glory at Old Trafford last year, but a lot has changed in the eight months since.
“I’m not saying he’s not a great player, but he was under pressure to hold his spot in the New South Wales side this year,” Gould added.
“And if things go the way they’re going at the moment we’re likely to see a Panther-Bronco grand final.
“Now, Ryan Papenhuyzen could come back in that time for the Melbourne Storm.
“I think that the selectors would be wise to go with players who’ve gone deep into the finals. Probably the premiership-winners and grand final-winners will make up the bulk of the side.
“And I think that brings the new blood, your Dylan Edwards and your Reece Walsh, into play.
“There might be a changing of the guard there, I think.”
The International Rugby League (IRL) is yet to reveal how the end-of-year Test schedule will look, but last week it made major announcements on the back of a board meeting in Singapore.
Among the announcements was a postponed men’s World Cup would be staged in the southern hemisphere in 2026 after France withdrew as host of the scheduled 2025 tournament.
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