Kangaroos and Jillaroos squads named for Pacific Championships

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The Kangaroos and Jillaroos squads have been named for the Pacific Championships after the domestic rugby league season finished on Sunday.
The Kangaroos and Jillaroos squads have been named after the domestic rugby league season finished on Sunday.

The Kangaroos and Jillaroos squads have been named after the domestic rugby league season finished on Sunday. In the NRLW grand final, the Sydney Roosters beat the Cronulla Sharks 32-28.

In the NRL grand final, the Penrith Panthers won their fourth straight premiership defeating the Melbourne Storm 14-6.

The action isn’t over for rugby league fans with the Pacific Championships to start on 18 October.

Kangaroos

The Kangaroos are Australia’s representative men’s rugby league team.

Coach and former Kangaroos captain Mal Meninga announced a 21-man Kangaroo squad for the Pacific Championship on Monday which features eight debutants – Mitch Barnett, Bradman Best, Xavier Coates, Tom Dearden, Zac Lomax, Mitch Moses, Reece Robson, and Lindsay Smith.

The most notable omission from the squad was Sydney Roosters fullback and last year’s Kangaroos captain James Tedesco, who missed out for the first time since his 2018 debut.

Kalyn Ponga, who attempted to withdraw his name from selection last month, was also excluded.

Premiership-winning Panthers captain Isaah Yeo has been named as the Kangaroos captain for the first time.

The Kangaroos will be seeking Pacific Championships redemption after losing 30-0 to New Zealand in last year’s final.

Their first match is against Tonga on 18 October followed by New Zealand on 27 October. The Pacific Championships Cup is contested by Australia, New Zealand, and Tonga.

There is also a Pacific Championships Bowl, which is a competition between Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, and Fiji.

Jillaroos

The Jillaroos are Australia’s representative women’s rugby league team. Coach Brad Donald also named a 21-player squad on Monday ahead of the Women’s Pacific Championships.

Every player named has previous experience with the Jillaroos. Wests Tigers’ Kezie Apps and Brisbane Broncos’ Ali Brigginshaw have been named as the co-captains of the squad.

The most surprising exclusion from Donald’s squad was 2024 Dally M Medallist Olivia Kernick. Kernick, who was a part of last year’s team, also played a starring role in the Roosters’ premiership win on Sunday.

The Pacific Cup will be contested by Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. While last year’s women’s Pacific Cup did not consist of a final, the top two teams from this year’s competition will play the final on 10 November.

The Pacific Bowl is set to be played by the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.

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