England set to unleash Ashes answer to Reece Walsh
Ian Chadband |
Mikey Lewis, fresh from being inspired to be a Super League grand final matchwinner by his Australian coach, is now set to prove a real headache for his club mentor Willie Peters as he spearheads England’s first-Test Ashes assault against the Kangaroos.
Hull KR’s Lewis being chosen ahead of Wigan’s Harry Smith in England’s trimmed-down 19-man squad for Saturday’s opener in the three-match series at Wembley was the big talking point of coach Shaun Wane’s selection, which includes five NRL -based players.
Hull KR coach Peters had encouraged 24-year-old Lewis, rated by many as the stand-out player in the English game, to grab his moment in the Super League grand final two weeks ago in the same way Kangaroos’ debutant Reece Walsh dominated the NRL’s equivalent showdown for the Broncos against the Storm.
Halfback Lewis ended up doing just that, scoring a dazzling try and winning the Rob Burrow man of the match award as Hull KR beat Wigan to complete a domestic trophy treble.
Peters then went straight off to join the Kangaroos’ coaching team as assistant to Kevin Walters, with his inside knowledge now likely to prove invaluable as Australia will be charged with shutting down Lewis’s influence.
For all his ability, there had been no guarantee Lewis would make the final cut as halfback partner for captain George Williams, with the excellent Smith having started in every game for England since the 2022 World Cup.
But Smith is one of five players, including Canberra forward Morgan Smithies and former NRL players Kallum Watkins and Joe Burgess, left out by Wane, who decided against naming a starting line-up on Thursday, opting to reveal only a matchday squad instead.
Wane, describing his squad as “fantastic”, admitted that whittling the squad down for the first Ashes Test in 22 years “wasn’t easy”.
“But I am confident the players selected can challenge the Kangaroos this weekend,” he added.
It will be a particular blow for Burgess, the 31-year-old winger who once plied his trade at South Sydney and the Roosters, as he’d been recalled after a 10-year international absence following his two tries in the grand final for Hull KR.
England matchday squad: John Bateman (North Queensland), AJ Brimson (, Daryl Clark (St Helens), Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins), Ethan Havard (Wigan), Tom Johnstone (Wakefield), Morgan Knowles (St Helens), Matty Lees (St Helens), Mikey Lewis (Hull KR), Jez Litten (Hull KR), Mike McMeeken (Wakefield), Mikolaj Oledzki (Leeds), Kai Pearce-Paul (Newcastle), Owen Trout (Leigh), Alex Walmsley (St Helens), Jake Wardle (Wigan), Jack Welsby (St Helens), George Williams (Warrington), Dom Young (Newcastle).
AAP
