He was voted the NRL's best player by his peers, but Sydney Roosters bound fullback James Tedesco is still yet to be guaranteed a spot in Mal Meninga's 24-man World Cup squad.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Blues custodian will wear No.1 in Saturday's Prime Minister's XIII clash against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby, but Billy Slater and Darius Boyd remain waiting in the wings of World Cup selection.
Boyd is the Kangaroos' incumbent fullback, and played there at last year's Four Nations, and in the ANZAC Test this year against New Zealand.
But Slater has also forced his way back into the frame after returning from injury this season. His sparkling form helped Melbourne to another minor premiership, and he also played a major role in Queensland winning the State of Origin series after missing selection in the first game of the series, which the Blues won.
Tedesco will be given the chance on Sunday to prove his wares on the wing and in the centres, with Meninga keen to experiment with different back-line options ahead of naming his World Cup squad early next month.
He's blessed with a glut of fullback options in the Prime Minister's XIII team, which also includes Tom Trbojevic, Josh Dugan, Valentine Holmes, Dane Gagai and Jack Bird.
Earlier this month Meninga floated the idea of selecting four fullbacks in his World Cup squad, such is the depth available behind Boyd and Slater.
"There's obviously those two fullbacks who have been there for a while; there's a chance in the backs in the squad somewhere, so if I can put my best foot forward here, hopefully I can get a spot," Tedesco said.
"Coming into a team like this and vying for a World Cup spot, I think that'll definitely help my game and take it to the next level.
"I'll be at fullback [against Papua New Guinea] but then I'll move around to centre and wing as well.
"Mal said he wants versatility if you're going to be in the World Cup squad. Hopefully I can show I can also play in those positions as well and show my best utility.
"It's a chance for me to show I can still play good footy in those positions."
Meninga has maintained all week that every player in his PM's XIII squad was in contention for the World Cup, which begins for the Kangaroos on October 27 against England in Melbourne.
That includes Parramatta playmaker Corey Norman, who was called in at the last-minute to replace Josh Papalii, and who will be used off the bench in a utility role on Saturday.
"Versatility is an asset at representative level," Meninga said.
"Particularly the backs, we'll try them in a number of positions and just see how they handle those situations.
"We haven't really settled on a team yet."
Tedesco played 21 games for the Wests Tigers this year and upstaged a star-studded field earlier this month to be named the RLPA player of the year.
"They told me during the week to make sure I came so they could get photos and I was like surely it's not going to be that important," Tedesco said.
"I rocked up and was very surprised, I thought there were a lot of other players that probably had better years than me but I guess to be voted by your peers is a pretty good honour.
"For me personally I probably thought I had better years previously compared to this year. With us Tigers we probably had a struggling year, I was doing my best week in week out."
