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Mal Meninga faces backlash over bizarre Matt Burton move after baffling Ben Hunt omission

The Kangaroos were forced into a bizarre move after some baffling tactics against Tonga.

riley morgan
Sports Reporter
·4-min read

Mal Meninga has come under question for his bizarre use of interchange with Matt Burton and Hudson Young hardly featuring in Australia's win over Tonga with Ben Hunt's exclusion laid bare. Australia dug deep in a hard-fought 18-0 win over a resolute Tongan side on Friday night with a number of players - including Dylan Edwards and Mitchel Moses - coming under pressure for below-par performances.

However, Meninga's tactical decisions left fans baffled with utility Burton and second-rower Young hardly featuring in the international arm-wrestle. In tactical scenes reminiscent of Brad Fittler's final few games in charge of NSW in the Origin arena, Burton was brought on to give the Kangaroos some life with only nine minutes left in the game.

Ben Hunt and Patrick Carrigan line-up and Mal Meninga during training.
Mal Meninga's (pictured right) tactics have come under question after Matt Burton and Hudson Young were used as late interchanges, while Ben Hunt (pictured far left) was left out altogether.

This is despite the score sitting at 12-0 in favour of Australia and the team failing to make significant inroads into the Tongan defence. This is despite plenty of field territory after Isaiya Katoa's numerous mistakes.

Burton ran on and tried to get involved, but only managed two runs and seven tackles during his time on the field. But the Bulldogs five-eighth wasn't the only player to have minimal impact on the game. Canberra forward Young was only brought on with 12 minutes left.

In a telling moment, No.9 Harry Grant left the field for a rest. However, with no obvious back-up forward Reuben Cotter jumped into dummy-half. This felt like a wild decision, considering Ben Hunt was left out of the 17-man squad for the game.

And while Australia managed to grind out a solid victory against a stellar Tongan team, fans questioned why Burton and Young were left to wait for minutes. The contest was gruelling on the players with the Tongans landing some bone-crunching tackles on the Aussies.

Ben Hunt during training.
Ben Hunt (pictured) did not make the Kangaroos 17 against Tonga.

With Australia's attack particularly 'clunky', as described by Darren Lockyer, new faces could have been used off the bench. Playing close to 70 minutes of the contest with only 15 players also would have taken its toll on the Kangaroos.

Hunt's exlusion is one of the biggest talking points. The Queensland utility could have featured for Grant towards the end of the game, but instead Cotter played minutes at No.9. Going forward - in a blow for Burton - Hunt could be reinstated as the utility as Meninga looks to get revenge over New Zealand.

Meninga certainly came under pressure for the performance with many of the players struggling with the new combinations. And while reports questioned Meninga on if there would be changes, the Australian coach was not convinced.

Kangaroos players embrace after the men's 2024 Pacific Championships match.
Kangaroos players embrace the Tongan players.

"It's such a new team ... we'll give some serious consideration about playing again and having a bit of continuity," Meninga said after the clash. "We'll see how everyone pulls up. The guys who've missed out have been training really well and been terrific around the camp."

One factor Meninga took away from the game is Australia held Tonga scoreless. And Meninga was keen to replicate this defence against New Zealand in the second Pacific Championship clash.

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"We try not to get too carried away," he said about the hype for the contest against New Zealand. "Emotion is a good thing, but it's got to be controlled.

"Defence, that's around attitudinal things and decisions you make. I'm really happy with that, so we move on and try to play better footy."