Kangaroos name squad for Pacific Championships final

Head Coach Mal Meninga has confirmed the Gallagher Kangaroos’ team to play New Zealand in the Final of Pacific Championships on Saturday, November 4.

Forwards Payne Haas, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Liam Martin return to the Kangaroos line up for the match at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium Waikato after playing key roles in the Kangaroos’ opening round win over Samoa.

With the Kangaroos having followed up the win over Samoa with a 36-18 victory against New Zealand last weekend in Melbourne, competition for spots in the highly-anticipated Final against the Kiwis was fierce. 

“We’ve adopted a squad mentality right from the start of the championships, and every player and support staff member has played a part in getting us to where we currently are,” Meninga said.

“Unfortunately some great players have missed out, but that’s the nature of the beast at international level when you’ve got such a high-calibre playing group all putting their hands up, and all buying into the culture of what this Australian team is about.

“We’ve settled on a really strong team and combinations that have worked well for us in the past. Ultimately it is now about continuing the momentum we’ve built and delivering a performance that Australian supporters can be proud of this Saturday.”

Six members of Meninga’s squad have made their Test debuts for Australia in the Pacific Championships, including Dylan Edwards, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Kotoni Staggs, who have been named to play in the final.