Mal Meninga names rookie to Kangaroos team after Cameron Murray injury

With Rabbitohs second-rower Cameron Murray ruled out with a wrist injury, Mal Meninga has turned to Lindsay Smith. The Kangaroos boss revealed that the Penrith Panthers star will get his full test debut for Australia against Tongao in the Pacific Cup final on Sunday.

Years in the making

After playing a key role in two straight NRL Grand Finals with the Penrith Panthers, Lindsay Smith is finally getting his chance at the top international level.

The prop came off the bench to help the Panthers secure their 2023 and 2024 Premierships. Now, he is set to start for the Kangaroos in arguably the biggest match of the test season, says coach Mal Meninga.

The Australia boss said that Smith’s chance to start for the Kangaroos has been “a few years in the making.”

“I’ve watched him for a long time now and he’s always been a player of great promise. He’s had a tremendous couple of years playing for the Panthers so he knows how to win,” Meninga added.

Murray’s wrist injury is severe so he will not be able to play at all for the Kangaroos. Panthers’ Hudson Young has been promoted to replace him.

Australia vs. Tonga preview

Smith will start for the Kangaroos against Tonga on Sunday at 16:05 AEDT at the CommBank Stadium in Sydney.

Besides the changes caused by Cam Murray’s injury, Meninga is sticking with an unchanged side.

The Tongans are also sticking with a familiar side. Head coach Kristian Woolf has named an unchanged 17 from the team that upset New Zealand 25-24 in the group stage.

That victory was Tonga’s only win in the group stage. They lost convincingly to Australia 18-0 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on the opening day of the tournament.

Most betting sites have the Kangaroos as huge favourites in the final. PlayUp gives Australia $1.12 chances to win and Tonga just $6.25 odds.

PlayUp isn't alone here. The NRL betting consensus for this final is that Australia are -18.5-point favourites. While the odds have been wrong before, it is looking very likely that Australia will pick up their second ever Pacific Cup on Sunday.