NRC: Canberra Vikings name squad for National Rugby Championship season

The Canberra Vikings coach would be staggered if the Wallabies make it through the looming World Cup unscathed.

It makes the National Rugby Championship a huge opportunity for the overlooked trio of Tom Banks, Joe Powell and Pete Samu as they hope for a last-ditch recall.

But Banks and Powell will miss Canberra's season opener against the Melbourne Rising at Box Hill on Saturday as they train with the Wallabies at a pre-World Cup camp.

"I'd imagine they'd want those fringe guys training and playing," Scrivener said.

"It's unlikely you would go through a whole World Cup tournament without injuries.

"There's a host of those guys on the fringes that need to keep up to scratch with their fitness and their skills in case they are called up.

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"We weren't sure about what was happening with the Wallabies, so we've been chopping and changing and a bit uncertain.

"We know where the land lies now so we've picked a squad and we think it's a good one."

They will be made to wait on Banks and Powell as they continue Wallabies duties but the Vikings have no time to dwell on it.

Scrivener will have only a handful of training sessions to whip his side into shape before they leap into the seven round competition.

But they are not alone in that boat as a host of clubs waited on the Wallabies before confirming squads brimming with Super Rugby talent.

The likes of former MacDougall medallist Jake Helgesen, George Morseu and Fred Kaihea headline a raft of talent that forced their way into the squad via the John I Dent Cup.

"They've all been picked for a reason. I think there's 14 or 15 local players, it was a really good competition this year," Scrivener said.

"We've picked a squad with some younger guys in mind, there's a few positions where we have gone with younger guys as a development thing for them as well. We've got a good mix.

"We've got a week before the first game together, so just a couple of training sessions.

"Hopefully we all get on the same page and get out and have a crack."

Canberra Vikings squad: Tom Banks, Mack Hansen, Len Ikitau, Bayley Kuenzle, Noah Lolesio, Ryan Lonergan, George Morseu, Andy Muirhead, Joe Powell, Toni Pulu, Andrew Robinson, Irae Simone, Seamus Smith, Tom Wright, Angus Allen, Bowen Abra, Nick Dobson, Blake Enever, Nick Frost, Luke Gersekowski, Jake Helgesen, Fred Kaihea, Lachlan Lonergan, TP Luteru, Connal McInerney, Will Miller, Tom Ross, Pete Samu, Levi Shaw, Jake Simeon, Darcy Swain, Rob Valetini, Angus Wagner.

CANBERRA VIKINGS 2019 FIXTURE

Round 1: Saturday, August 31 - Melbourne Rising v Canberra Vikings at Box Hill Rugby Club, Melbourne, 1.30pm.

Round 2: Sunday, September 8 - Queensland Country v Canberra Vikings at Bond University, Gold Coast, 3pm.

Round 3: Saturday, September 14 - Canberra Vikings v Brisbane City at Viking Park, 2pm.

Round 4: Saturday, September 21 - Western Force v Canberra Vikings at UWA, Perth, 3pm.

Round 5: Saturday, September 28 - Canberra Vikings v Fijian Drua at Viking Park, 12pm.

Round 6: Saturday, October 5 - Canberra Vikings v Sydney at Viking Park, 12pm.

Round 7: Friday, October 11 - Canberra Vikings v NSW Country Eagles at Viking Park, 6pm.