Kangaroos out to 'rectify' Kiwis, Tonga defeats
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Kangaroos forward Cameron Murray has declared that Australian players have “unfinished business” when they take on New Zealand and Tonga in this year’s Pacific Championships.
Murray, who is expected to be one of the first players selected for Australia, said the Kangaroos wanted to avenge their record 30-0 defeat by New Zealand in last year’s Pacific Cup final at Hamilton.
And the star backrower has been waiting five years to make amends for Australia’s shock 16-12 loss to Tonga in his Test debut at Eden Park in 2019.
The Kangaroos will meet Tonga for the first time since that clash in the opening match of the Pacific Championships at Suncorp Stadium on October 18, before travelling to Christchurch to face the Kiwis on October 27.
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The final will be played as part of a quadruple header at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium on November 10, along with the women's Pacific Cup final and men's and women's promotion-relegation play-offs for next year’s tournament.
“That rivalry with New Zealand has been there for decades,” Murray said. “But we probably added a few chapters to the book last year, going down in the fashion that we did.
There’s obviously a little bit of business there that we want to rectify with New Zealand.
“The Tongan rivalry is a reasonably new one that probably started in 2019 in Auckland. It was actually my debut game, so I walked off feeling a bit bittersweet.
“I was very proud and happy that I was able to represent Australia, but we went down to Tonga, which was pretty disappointing, so I've left a bit out there on the field in that one, as well.”
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The Rabbitohs captain grew up dreaming of playing for Australia and wants to restore pride in the Kangaroos jersey after last year’s stunning defeat by the Kiwis.
“It's a great opportunity to go out there and represent who you are and where you're from on one of rugby league's biggest stages, so it means a lot to me,” Murray said.
“I’m very passionate about where I'm from and who I represent when I put that jersey on.
“It’s something that I've always wanted to do since I was a kid, to represent my family and my country, but also represent myself and my values, as well.
“Every time I get that opportunity, I pinch myself a little bit and count my blessings and try to go out there and do as good a job as I can.”
After being suspended for South Sydney’s remaining matches this season, Murray is now looking to the Pacific Championships and the opportunity to represent Australian in his hometown of Sydney for the first time.
The Rabbitohs captain has pulled on the Kangaroos jersey eight times since his debut in 2019 but last year’s Pacific Championships fixtures in Townsville and Melbourne were the only Tests he has played on home soil.
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The opening match against Tonga at Suncorp Stadium will be the first time the Kangaroos have played in Brisbane since the 2017 World Cup final, while they last played in Sydney during RLWC2017 against Lebanon.
“I think that probably the biggest thing about playing at home is being able to get as many family and friends there as possible,” Murray said.
“We've played overseas [in England], and we’ve played in New Zealand, and not a lot of family and friends could make the trip over, so it'd be great to get a real good support base of people that are close to me at home.”
While he expects Tongan supporters to create a “Sea of Red” in Brisbane and Auckland, where Kristian Woolf’s team will meet New Zealand on November 2, Murray called for Australian fans to get behind the Kangaroos.
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“Judging by the amount of support that the Tongans got in 2019 in Auckland, there's no doubt that they'll turn out and support their small nation with a lot of pride, like they always do, so if I do get the opportunity, I'm hoping that there's a big turnout of Australian supporters as well,” he said.
“Everyone wants to play on the biggest stage, at the highest level, and with the most support as possible, so it would be really nice if we got as many Green-and-Gold supporters there as possible but in saying that you love playing in front of big hostile crowds, as well.
“I've played a few Origins up there and there's nothing quite like running out in a Blues jersey with a sea of Maroon in the crowd, so we're really looking forward to the opposition support as well, and the atmosphere that hopefully all the supporters will be able to create.”
