Sam Walker might struggle to impress future employers after Tom Dearden did an excellent job in the Kangaroos’ No. 7 jersey on Saturday night.
Walker started the week having his Sydney Roosters’ contract pulled off the table, then finished it watching Dearden help Australia to a 66-6 win over the Cook Islands in Townsville.
It will be tough for Walker to force his way back into the green and gold for next Sunday’s World Cup semi-final in Sydney.
James Tedesco will also have his work cut out dumping Reece Walsh from the No. 1 after he produced yet another man-of-the-match performance with five try assists.
Walsh re-injured his left ankle, which cut short his club season with the Broncos, but he isn’t in doubt for next week.
Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters refused to slam the door on a Walker recall, and said after the win: “I haven’t decided. I keep telling everyone, but you seem to think I’m a bullshitter, and I’m lying to you. I haven’t made any decisions about who is playing where.
“We give players opportunities, and I feel the best way to get our players to play their best football is to give them opportunities and let them express themselves.
“I’ll sit down with our leaders and come up with a team for next week.”
Walters said while Walsh was great, so was Tedesco a week earlier against Fiji when he set up four tries.
The decision to go with Dearden and Cameron Munster in the halves had nothing to do with Walker’s dramas in clubland, said Walters. Walker has since been told he can exit Bondi early if he can find another club for 2027. Standout performances in the World Cup will do his value no harm.
Hometown hero Dearden did not disappoint, including two lovely cutout passes for tries for Kotoni Staggs and Tom Trbojevic.
Trbojevic finished with a hat-trick, as did Jack Bostock, while Tino Fa’asuamaleaui bagged a rare double, including a blistering turn of foot over 30m to score when put into space by super sub and debutant Ethan Strange.
Strange was presented his jersey on Friday by his father, Roosters and NSW Origin women’s coach John Strange.
“There wasn’t a prouder father in Australia,” captain Isaah Yeo said of the scenes involving John.
The Canberra playmaker came on early in the second half to replace Yeo, and immediately gave Australia extra options around the ruck. He was always going to have a big say on the game when the Kangaroos had so much possession, but he looked solid and connected with those around him.
TV commentators noted that after the win, the Kangaroos will need to get tougher in the middle of the park, with Tonga and Samoa known for their excellent packs.
Tonga and Samoa will play before a packed CommBank Stadium on Sunday night, with Walters certain the Cup powerhouses would not hold back against each other.
When asked if he expected Tonga and Samoa to “bash each other”, Walters said: “That’s to be expected from these two teams. They have some big boys, they’re physical – I think that’s a given.”
Walsh could not kick, and handed over the duty to Munster, who finished with five from seven, and always looked more likely when lining them up from the sideline.
Cameron Murray was a late scratching with a calf injury, but will come back into the mix next week.
The Cook Islands, much like Fiji six days earlier, made plenty of metres in the middle early in the game.
The Pacific minnows lost no admirers, especially 37-year-old Brad Takairangi, who was playing his final game, put a decent shot on Trbojevic, and reminded fans that he still possesses one of the best torpedo bombs in the game.
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