Rising Kangaroos playmaker puts pressure on superstar; Kiwis unleash teen freak — Talking Pts

Australia avenged their embarrassing loss 12 months ago to win the Pacific Cup, but their rivals are catching up.

Tonga went close to clinching their first major trophy and their young guns showed it won’t be long until they make history.

A rising Kangaroos playmaker has put some serious pressure on injured superstar Cameron Munster to hold onto both his state and Test jerseys.

Meanwhile, New Zealand unearthed a serious talent after handing Casey McLean his Test debut and the 18-year-old repaid the faith with an incredible four tries.

Read on for the biggest talking points out of the final weekend of the Pacific Championships.

DEARDEN STEPS OUT OF MUNSTERS SHADOW WITH BIG PERFORMANCE

Post-game it was put to Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga that Tom Dearden, who starred in his side’s Pacific Championships final win over Tonga, only had his jersey because Cameron Munster is sidelined with injury.

Meninga’s answer was frank: “Who says that?”

It says a lot about Dearden’s game, not only in the final when he had three line breaks, three try assists and 106 metres, but also in general that the Australian saw such a statement as insulting to Dearden.

This was, after all, barely an hour after the Cowboys co-captain was arguably the single-most decisive factor in the Kangaroos rectifying their shock loss in the corresponding fixture last year.

Dearden was extraordinary for Australia, breaking the game open at times when others couldn’t. And while he may have benefited from Munster’s injury, he’s also ensured Australia, and Queensland, have hardly missed a beat in the Storm star’s absence.

Speaking in his post-game press conference, Meninga shared his belief that increased responsibilities in club land have been key to Dearden blossoming at international level.

“Obviously his leadership skills have helped him in his development as a player and a person,” Meninga said.

“With us I feel that his confidence has grown over the three games. His belief that he belongs in this arena, he belongs in that six jersey.”

While the Australian coach admitted “it probably took him three games to get to where he was today” he reiterated his belief, widely held by anyone who witnessed the final, that the five-eighth “was outstanding.”

And the key to such performances? Meninga insisted it’s not physical, but mental.

“It’s all around Tom believing in Tom,” he explained.

“Once he gets that on a regular basis he’s a terrific player.”

In a year he led the Cowboys to the finals, played all three State of Origin games for Queensland and won the Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year award, the Pacific Championships final feels like the peak, a game the 23-year-old showed to the world, and himself, he has a home on the game’s biggest stages.

And as Meninga stressed post-game, the fact Australia can call upon him, Munster and Matt Burton in the No.6 jersey is nothing but positive for the Kangaroos, who will look to continue asserting themselves as the dominant force in international rugby league in the coming years.

NO FEAR AS TONGA GROW STRONGER

Former Kangaroos star Corey Parker says it’s clear to see that Tonga no longer fear Australia in the Test arena.

Tonga pulled off a 16-12 upset over Australia back in 2019 and last month veteran lock Jason Taumalolo suggested the Kangaroos no longer carry an aura.

“Not really, to be honest,” Taumalolo said when asked if Tonga feared the Kangaroos.

“They’ve got a great team but so do we.”

Taumalolo’s side backed up the comments with a gutsy performance in the final on Sunday and Parker thinks it’s only a matter of time before the tiny pacific island nation wins its first major trophy.

“You look at Tonga, Lehi Hopoate jumped out of the box, Isaiya Katoa is 19 and is leading his nation, there are so many good things to like from what we see in Tonga,” Parker said on Fox League.

“Their forward pack is arguably one of the best we’ve seen in the international arena. Paul Alamoti is still quite young, Tolu Kola, Eli Katoa, there is just so much upside to what we’re seeing in Tonga and they just don’t fear Australia anymore, you can see that, you can sense that, which has not always been the case.

“They came out from the word go, they scored the first try and found themselves behind on the scoreboard and found some courage and some willpower to get back into the contest, they weathered a few storms here and there and it comes down to moments.

“Big games come down to moments and Australia took those moments a couple more times… but Tonga were still outstanding.”

NZ TEEN’S DREAM DEBUT

The Panthers have done it again, one star leaves and another young gun replaces them as the dynasty rolls on.

The latest example was on full display on Sunday night as 18-year-old Casey McLean scored four tries for New Zealand in his Test debut.

Panthers outside back McLean has played just seven NRL games but he was called into the starting side when Will Warbrick failed to overcome a thigh injury.

The winger showed his speed to cross the opener in the fifth minute and then his spatial awareness after scoring three more tries off kicks three times to complete a dream debut.

“Dreams come true in a Kiwis jersey, Casey McLean… unbelievable moments, extraordinary,” Andrew Voss said on Fox League.

The teenager’s second try was particularly impressive, chasing down a Shaun Johnson chip kick that looked certain for the sideline before spinning past PNG fullback Nene Macdonald to score.

McLean, alongside brother Jesse, represented the NSW under 19s side earlier this season and Casey made his NRL debut on the wing against the Cowboys before playing in the centres in his next six appearances.

He’ll become a first-grade regular next season with Sunia Turuva moving to the Wests Tigers and against the Kumuls showed McLean more than ready for the big stage.

“He’s a kid that’s quiet off the field but he showed some real quality (in camp), the way he handled himself in team meetings, he spoke which shows he’s in a really good system,” New Zealand coach Stacey Jones said.

“It was pretty special to tell him and I know how proud (James Fisher-Harris) was of you know, a kid from Penrith, Maori boy and all of that.”

New Zealand skipper Fisher-Harris said McLean has a huge future in the NRL.

“I’m fortunate enough to know him from club land so I saw him debut this year for Penrith and now the Kiwis which is just unreal,” he said.

“As an 18-year-old, he’s got the world at his feet, four tries on debut is just unheard of, but he’s really level-headed for his age and he’s just going to be a monster.”

JOHNSON HAS STILL GOT IT

SJ, are you sure you’re done?

New Zealand veteran playmaker Shaun Johnson bowed out of rugby league with a stellar performance on Sunday night.

Johnson set up five tries against PNG in his retirement game as the man who finished runner-up in the Dally M Medal just 12 months ago showed he’s still one of the best halfbacks in the world.

The 34-year-old surprised plenty when he announced in August that he was hanging up the boots at the end of the NRL season.

But Johnson answered an SOS from Kiwis coach Stacey Jones to play in the Pacific Championships following a halves injury crisis.

His performance in his first game back prompted former NRL star Bryan Fletcher to declare that clubs should be calling Johnson and offering him “whatever he wants” to play on in 2025.

There is a serious shortage of quality halfbacks in the NRL and at least half a dozen clubs would be interested in Johnson’s services.

Ask any former footballer and they’ll tell you – you’re retired a long time.

Watch this space, the Kiwi veteran might just answer another SOS call this summer and extend his NRL career beyond 268 games.