We are just two months out from the Rugby League World Cup and with that in mind, every Super League player will have a place on the plane to Australia in the back of their mind. Back in June, new England head coach Brian McDermott announced a 38-man performance squad, including 10 uncapped players, with whom he would work over the season to get England as well prepared as they can be for the tournament come October. Leeds Rhinos star and reigning Man of Steel Jake Connor has not played for his country in seven years and was overlooked by then England coach Shaun Wane for the 3-0 Ashes defeat at home to Australia last autumn.
The 10 newbies include Wakefield Trinity's Jake Trueman and Caleb Hamlin-Uele, Wigan Warriors' Sam Walters and Zach Eckersley, Hull KR's Dean Hadley and St Helens' Harry Robertson. But is all hope lost for those not in those 38 names? Could some players make a late surge?
Let's take a look at who has been playing their way into potentially being a late bolter for England... Tom Holroyd has hit incredible form in the middle-to-late stages of this season and has become the definition of super-sub. His physicality and impact has been clear for all to see and indeed, even his head coach Brad Arthur believes he has to be considered for a place on the plane if England want a point of difference.
Arthur also touted Cameron Smith for a place too. "I think Cameron (Smith) and Tom are showing off the bench that they could provide a really good option for that team," Arthur said. "Tom, with his impact and his aggression, and Cameron - he comes on, and he can just change the point of attack with his footwork, his pass, and his offload.
"And I just think if you're going to try and beat Australia, you're not going to be able to defend your way to victory; you're going to need to be able to score points and both of those guys can help with that." England have a lot of options in the middle but you would not be shocked if Holroyd is on the radar now too. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Since returning from injury, Umyla Hanley has really been impressing for Leigh Leopards, especially in attack. Indeed, he was included in the Man of Steel panels considerations for the middle part of the season then was key in Leigh's massive win over Leeds in round 23.
Similarly to Arthur with Holroyd, Leigh head coach Adrian Lam has gone into bat for his man and believes that he has a big international future ahead of him. "That tackle that he made at the end of the game on Ryan Hall to get his foot across the line- if anyone had said to me, 'someone's going to save you a try at the end of the game' - I would have said it was him, and all of his team-mates would have said it was him," Lam said. "He's the ultimate competitor I've coached.
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