Mal’s men eye their own slice of Kangaroo history

Losses to the Kiwis and Tongans within two years of a World Cup Final victory had the historically-unchinked Australian armour looking somewhat battered.

Only four times in the past four decades had the Kangaroos been defeated twice over a four-game stretch and their loss to Tonga marked their first ever loss to a side outside of the historical big four of New Zealand, Great Britain, England and France.

The esteemed green-and-gold threads looked wounded as the rest of the world embarked on a chase-down effort decades in the making.

The wave of Pasifika stars opting to represent their heritage over their birthplace had neared its crest as international rugby league found itself in the midst a major facelift.

Long steeped in history, the Kangaroos brand was at a crossroads as they prepared for a World Cup title defence with a 1,078-day hiatus.

They traveled to the UK with 13 debutants – more than half of their squad – and without an established captain.

There were few reservations concerning the talent or the depth of the squad but questions surrounding chemistry, synergy and perhaps desire seemed valid.

They did not have the luxury of having their adrenaline boosted by cacophonous, home crowds, tear-jerking national anthems, or spine-tingling war dances and only seven of their players had previously appeared in a World Cup.

Men who had clashed like wild rams just months earlier in a three-game State of Origin series now had a matter of weeks to craft partnerships and camaraderie strong enough to rise atop the world once more.

Now five weeks on from their tournament opener and through innumerable conjecture surrounding selections, numbering, and eligibility among a tonne else, the Kangaroos find themselves in another World Cup Final competing to retain the Paul Barrière Trophy.

Skipper James Tedesco is aiming to add a victorious World Cup campaign to a resumé that already includes a Dally M Medal, a Wally Lewis Medal, three NRL Team of Year nods and two NRL premierships.

Winger Valentine Holmes is seeking to climb ahead of Brad Fittler and Graeme Langlands on the all-time Kangaroos try-scoring list.

Latrell Mitchell, Josh Addo-Carr, and Jack Wighton are looking to join the likes of Arthur Beetson, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Gorden Tallis and Eric Simms on the list of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders stars to taste World Cup success.

The Kangaroos would secure their 12th world title with a victory.

Standing in their way is a plucky band of Sāmoans desperate to carve their own name in rugby league history and send their nation’s diaspora into delirious party mode once more.

The Australians have already overcome a Fijian squad notorious for punching above their weight, a Lebanese outfit who entered each of their clashes with a ‘nothing-to-lose’ attitude and the fearlessness to match, and a Kiwis side ranked number one in the world and in possession of one of their strongest ever squads.

For Mal Meninga’s star-studded squad, the task at hand is clear but, with the weight of expectation, history, and the knowledge that a vast majority of those watching would love nothing more than to sit jeering at them as they are toppled on their shoulders, can they channel the greatness of the Kangaroos of yesteryear and once more reign supreme on the world stage?

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