New captain Tedesco determined to lead Australia by example

By James Toney

It's a good job James Tedesco is as adept at deflecting praise as he is at breaking tackles.

Australian coach Mal Meninga made no secret of the fact the full-back is the first name on his team sheet after anointing him captain this month.

Just a few days later the Sydney Roosters star was recognised as the NRL's top player by his peers for the third time, after another stellar season backed up by eye-catching stats.

However, staying grounded and keeping level-headed will be key in the Kangaroos’ defence of their Rugby League World Cup title, which starts against Fiji in Leeds this weekend.

And Tedesco, the best number one in the game, has certainly matured since his previous two World Cup appearances with Italy in 2013 and 2017.

"I'm enjoying being captain and I'm learning a lot," he said. "I've spoken with some former captains to get their advice, I realise what a responsibility and honour it is and I couldn't be taking it more seriously.

"Boyd Cordner told me just to be myself and that's what I'm sticking to. I’ve been trying to lead by example on and off the field and make sure we’re all connected.

"We have a lot of special players coming from different ways of playing the game, so we have to leave those ways at the door and make sure we’re on the same page.

"It's nice to get personal praise but this is a team sport and I just want to lead this team to success. It’s not as easy as 20 years ago when Australia would just be dominant.

“Every nation, especially Samoa, Tonga, England, New Zealand, have top players who have had great years in the NRL and the Super League. It makes it challenging but it makes it exciting too."

A lack of international action due to the pandemic means there are 13 uncapped players in Meninga's 24-man squad, with only five survivors of the team that lifted the trophy five years ago in Brisbane.

Such is the strength there is no room for Grand Final player of the match Dylan Edwards or Cronulla Sharks star Nicho Hynes, judged the NRL's player of the season by media.

“For us, we haven’t really bought into all the external stuff," adds Tedesco.

"It’s a close group and we want to focus on ourselves and just enjoy spending time together.

"There’s a lot of downtime at the hotel, if we’re out doing stuff we want to make sure it’s as a team. We’re going for walks, coffees, meals, playing golf, the sort of activities we can have a laugh and get to know each other off the field.

“Around training, it’s those conversations – especially with our key players, our spine – around how we want to play. We’re getting excited about that.

"There is some expectation from back home but we know we need to work hard to win, there’s no secret about that. We need to build through every game to make sure that when we hit the semis, we are playing our best footy.”

When you've got an all-star cast, the challenge for any director is getting them working together and not fluffing their lines.

Meninga makes no secret this remains the biggest challenge - when the Kangaroos run out at Headingley this weekend, it'll be their first game since a defeat to Tonga 1,078 days previously in Auckland.

"I think we’ve planted some really good seeds early and James is playing a big role as captain in that," he said.

"The guys are really excited about being here. They’re all on board, all want to put on the green and gold jersey and all want to play to their potential.

“We’ve got great competition within our ranks, players trying really hard to make sure they’re there at the back end of the tournament. That’s the environment we want to push."

The Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event in the sport’s 127-year history with men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams competing in 61 games across 21 venues throughout England. Tickets are available via rlwc2021.com/tickets