Less than two weeks after their Grand Final triumph over Melbourne, five Panthers will return to the field this weekend for the start of the 2024 Pacific Championships.
Kicking off tonight in Brisbane, a new-look Australian team will battle a strong Tongan outfit at what’s expected to be a packed-out Suncorp Stadium.
Panthers co-captain Isaah Yeo will skipper the Kangaroos for the first time in his career, while Dylan Edwards will start at fullback for Australia, also for the first time.
The Aussie pair will be up against fellow Panthers premiership winner Paul Alamoti, who will make his Test debut for Tonga, while back-up Penrith hooker Soni Luke will come off the bench for the opposition.
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has named six debutants in the Australian team for tonight’s match, with Panthers forward Lindsay Smith just missing out on selection.
Two years out from the World Cup, the Kangaroos evolution continues with Tom Dearden and Mitch Moses to debut as a new halves combination.
Further debutants include wingers Zac Lomax and Xavier Coates and interchange forwards Mitch Barnett and Hudson Young.
Meninga said the State of Origin form of the new halves paring of Dearden and Moses had proven they were ready for Test football.
“In my mind Tommy was the player of the series for Queensland. His Game Three was exceptional and Mitch was the same in Origin and club,” he said.
“The Kangaroos are one of Australia’s leading sporting teams and we believe we are obligated to represent our community and family in the best possible way.
“We will definitely need to be tough and resilient and I believe this group of players exemplify that.”
The Kangaroos will be looking to bounce back after being destroyed 30-0 by New Zealand in last year’s Final.
In other Pacific Championships news, two-time Panthers premiership winner Sunia Turuva has been selected at fullback for Fiji against Papua New Guinea.
The game between the Bati and the Kumuls will be played in Fiji’s capital Suva on Saturday at 7.10pm.
The New Zealand Kiwis, captained by outgoing Panther James Fisher-Harris, and featuring Casey McLean, Trent Toelau, Scott Sorensen and 2025 Panthers forward Isaiah Papalii, will enjoy this weekend off before taking on the Kangaroos next Sunday, October 27.
Samoa, captained by departing Panther Jarome Luai, will also enjoy the weekend off as they travel to the UK to play in a two-match Test series against England.
The Samoan team also includes Izack Tago and new Penrith recruit Blaize Talagi. They will be coached by Panthers assistant coach Ben Gardiner.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.