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7th Tackle: Green and gold reward for Cleary and Cotric

It’s very likely Nathan Cleary will wear green and gold at senior level before sky blue.

Ditto for Raiders prodigy Nick Cotric.

The pair is well and truly on Mal Meninga’s radar for the annual PMXIII game against Papua New Guinea on 24 September.

Meninga intends to use the game as a genuine selection trial for the World Cup and wants to pick as many players as possible who are in the mix.

But with the selection cut-off to come after the first week of finals, Meninga won’t be able to fill the team solely with World Cup candidates.

Cleary could play for Australia before NSW. Pic: Getty
Cleary could play for Australia before NSW. Pic: Getty

That leaves a small number of spots available for up-and-coming players.

With Canberra needing a mathematical miracle to qualify for the Top Eight, Cotric is good bet to be involved.

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And should Penrith be eliminated in the first week, Cleary is an extremely good chance to join him with rival halves Mitchell Pearce, Cooper Cronk, Cameron Munster, Anthony Milford, James Maloney and Ben Hunt all likely to still be involved in finals action.

One player who won’t be facing the Kumuls is Jarryd Hayne. Meninga feels his form simply doesn’t warrant World Cup selection; leaving Fiji as the controversial Titan’s only option at the World Cup.