Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary has backed calls for teammate Dylan Edwards to earn a Kangaroos debut next month even if it means shifting the reigning Clive Churchill Medal winner to a position he hasn’t played since his junior days.
The Kangaroos will head into next month’s Pacific Championships without their centre pairing from the World Cup final, with Latrell Mitchell (injured) and Jack Wighton (retired) unavailable.
Valentine Holmes started that game against Samoa on the wing and would be a logical replacement, but he is unlikely to play due to a controversial Instagram post earlier this month.
Bradman Best and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow have both had sensational seasons at club and State of Origin level this season, but Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has confirmed that Edwards is in the mix to fill one of the vacant centre spots.
Edwards is now one of the best fullbacks in the game and hasn’t played out of position since he was shifted to the wing more than four years ago, but Cleary is confident he could handle the move for the first game against Samoa on October 14.
“He’s been a freak and he’s shown his consistency for the past three years,” the Penrith, NSW and Australia halfback said.
“The thing about Dylan is it doesn’t matter where you have him in the team because he wouldn’t let you down. That’s something we all trust about him and he’ll work his hardest to do a good job.”
Edwards wore the green and gold jersey when he lined up alongside Cleary in a 34-20 victory for the Junior Kangaroos over the Junior Kiwis back in 2016.
Cleary is the only player from that side to represent Australia at the senior level, but good judges are tipping his great mate to join him in a few weeks.
“I honestly haven’t thought about it,” said Edwards, who is unlikely to unseat incumbent skipper James Tedesco at the back.
“There are some good centres out there so I’m not really focused on it. But in saying that, I would love the chance to play representative footy at some stage.
“(That Junior Kangaroos game) was a step up in class.
“It was a good opportunity to play some representative footy and it was a first for me, which I really enjoyed.”
The 27-year-old is now preparing for his fourth grand final in a row and is one of three nominees for the Dally M Fullback of the Year Award.
He’s battling it out with Tedesco and Knights star Kalyn Ponga, with Broncos young gun Reece Walsh ineligible due to a three-game ban earlier in the season for abusing a referee.
Edwards said Walsh would have won the award had he not been banned and praised his Broncos rival for his ability to move on from mistakes and still dominate the contest.
No player has made more errors than Walsh (50) this season, but only two players have had more try assists than his 29 in 2023 because he has a rare ability to not dwell on the negatives in his game.
“He’s a special player,” Edwards said ahead of Sunday’s mouth-watering grand final.
“He’s played extremely well throughout the year, and I think without his little hiccup, he’d probably win the Dally M Fullback of the Year Award.
“His ability to flush errors if he does make the wrong decision – which doesn’t often happen – is really impressive for such a young guy.
“It can be difficult to bounce back from those mistakes, but it doesn’t seem to be difficult for him.”
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