Kevin Walters barely has his legs under the desk, but the new Australian coach is well aware of the international eligibility rumours that could shape the outcome of this year’s Kangaroo Tour—and potentially his own coaching future.
“I know there’s a lot of noise about around Payne Haas, Hammer and Tino, where’s their allegiance?” Walters acknowledged this morning on SENQ Breakfast radio.
“I’ll sit down and have a conversation with those guys in the next week or two, I’ve already reached out to them, so we’ll find out where they’re at.”
Speaking with former Australian forward Corey Parker, Walters said he was understanding of players who feel torn about which nation they wish to represent, but he was equally unapologetic about finding players who are committed to the green and gold.
MORE: Why Kevin Walters is taking a massive risk by becoming next Kangaroos coach
“We’ll get people who want to play for the green and gold, who want to wear that jersey at Wembley in front of 70,000 people and the other two tests, they’re sold out as well,” Walters said.
“It will be a wonderful opportunity for any player who’s coming over.”
‘You either want to play for Australia or you don’t’
Corey Parker then asked Walters about the actual process of gaining a player’s commitment for the end-of-season tour.
“Is it as simple as asking the question, ‘are you available to play for Australia?’ It’s not a plea, you either want to play or you don’t,” Parker said.
“That’s right, it is a simple question, it’s a yay or a nay,” Walters agreed.
“If it’s a ‘no’, I totally understand, the world’s a different place now with heritage, a lot of these guys have deep history with other nations, I totally respect that, we just want to know if they want to play for the Kangaroos and if they do, let’s get going.”
“If not, we wish you all the very best in the Pasifika tournament.”