All the attention will be on Andrew Fifita's Kangaroos hopes, but Canberra Raiders duo Joey Leilua and Jarrod Croker hope they'll make the cut despite injuries threatening their Test ambitions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Leilua declared playing for Australia would "mean the world" to him after a sparkling Raiders season silenced his critics.
But a hamstring strain could prematurely end his hopes of being a part of Mal Meninga's squad for the Four Nations tournament.
Meninga delayed the announcement of the Kangaroos squad on Monday and will instead unveil his team on Tuesday.
Leilua and Croker (knee) are relying on Meninga's faith that they'll be fit enough to take part in the tournament, while Josh Papalii, Shannon Boyd and Junior Paulo could be picked as international enforcers.
Only five Canberra players have earned Kangaroos call-ups in the past 10 years.
Croker had scans on his knee on Friday, while Leilua is also sweating on the birth of his first child, which could clash with the first Test against New Zealand on October 15 in Perth.
"If [Meninga] wants fit people to play I can't do anything. It's up to Mal," Leilua told Fox Sports.
"I strained it so I'll be out for two to three weeks. I can't sprint yet so I'll rehab. I'll train but not crazy intense.
"If I get selected in the Kangaroos, I'll put my hand up and do as much physio as I can so I can play. It would mean the world.
"I was part of the schoolboys when I was younger, under-18s and I loved it. To represent Australia it would mean a lot to me. Every time I hear the anthem it kind of hurt because I have that feeling that I want to be part of it and I can't wait to play for them."
The Kangaroos will go into camp in Sydney on Thursday before travelling to Perth for the first Test of the season.
Fifita staked his claim to be in the Australian side with a match-winning try in Cronulla's historic grand-final triumph on Sunday night.
Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan admits the polarising Fifita has some "issues" he needs to deal with and says the NRL club needs to closely monitor his welfare.
The Cronulla prop basked in grand final glory on Monday, but remains the subject of an NRL integrity unit investigation over his support of one- punch killer Kieran Loveridge.
Flanagan was quick to praise his charge for the way he handled the saga since it broke six weeks ago, but admitted fearing for Fifita's welfare without the support of his teammates.
"Andrew's pretty resilient when he gets into this group, the football group. They look after him," Flanagan said.
"But it must be hard for him when he's away from us, without the support of the playing group. We need to look after him because there are some issues there. The media does affect him.
"He's a tough, resilient kid. He's made some bad decisions but he knows that."
Fifita's public show of support for Loveridge could cost him a spot in the Kangaroos squad.
Twin brother David, who returned from the Super League to watch Andrew at ANZ Stadium, said it would be a shame if Australia failed to select the in-form prop for the game.
Fifita was controversially overlooked for the Clive Churchill medal despite tallying 191 metres from 23 carries, 11 tackle busts and 30 tackles.
"I'm sure after that performance, going through the whole semis, and round 26 when he versed the Storm down there, he's the best prop going around," David said.
"I don't want to be biased or put anyone to shame, but they've seen it tonight. You've got the Kiwis captain there, he's the prop and he just put him on show tonight.
"With Kieran, I don't support what he did. We didn't like it at first but we can't let a mate go down in the dumps. It'd be a shame if Andrew missed out because of that."
with AAP
