The third meeting between the Kangaroos and Tonga was a strange encounter ultimately won by Mal Meninga’s side.
Australia played like a side that has played minimal footy together; passes missed their target, balls hit the deck and combinations took time to mesh.
Regardless, Meninga’s centres starred in their 18-0 win, even if several of Meninga’s key men had forgettable nights.
Read on for the Player Ratings from Australia v Tonga.
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KANGAROOS PLAYER RATINGS
1. DYLAN EDWARDS – 6.5
Edwards’ first game in the No.1 jersey for Australia wasn’t his finest outing. Made a couple of errors close to his own line and threw a pass behind Trbojevic when Australia attacked Tonga’s line in the 25th minute. Finished with 123 and a linebreak assist.
2. XAVIER COATES – 7
Topped Australia’s metre count with 230 from 22 carries, highlighting his work rate on his Kangaroos debut. Could’ve scored in the sixth minute but was bungled out by some strong Tonga defence. A strong performance from the Storm star.
3. HAMISO TABUAI-FIDOW – 8
Just about the Kangaroos’ best on ground. Handled Paul Alamoti extremely well, and brushed past the Penrith man with ease in the 52nd minute to score Australia’s second try. An unstoppable force in full flight.
4. TOM TRBOJEVIC – 8.5
In his first international in six years, Trbojevic was Australia’s best on ground. Was dangerous every single time he touched the ball in the game’s opening stages, chewing through metres with relative ease. Scored the game’s first try in the 12th minute, set Tabuai-Fidow’s try up after swinging from right to left and nearly scored a second in the 61st minute. Finished with 211 metres from 15 runs.
5. ZAC LOMAX – 7
A strong debut, even if it strayed from the high standards he’d set for himself this season. Kicked three conversions. Defending strongly and brought the ball out of his own end really well. Ended his debut with 129 metres, three tackle breaks and two offloads.
6. TOM DEARDEN – 6.5
Mixed debut from the Cowboys star. Had a couple of nice defensive moments, but also made two errors that could’ve cost Australia on another night. Scored a wonderful solo try at the death following a smart dummy half dart. An exclamation point on his Kangaroos debut.
7. MITCHELL MOSES – 5
Not the Mitch Moses of Origin. Only two runs for 25 metres. Kicked quite well for the most part, except for his one shank out on the full in the 64th minute that gifted Tonga field position and nearly resulted in a try.
8. PATRICK CARRIGAN – 6.5
Struggled to make inroads against Tonga’s massive pack with ball in hand. Made 76 metres from 10 runs, but was strong defensively with 34 tackles – only two misses.
9. HARRY GRANT – 6.5
Grew into the game in the second half when the contest opened up. Made several smart dummy half darts in the second 40, nearly burrowing over in the 58th minute but was denied. However, his smart play resulted in Lehi Hopoate’s sin binning.
10. LINDSAY COLLINS – 5
Quiet outing from the Roosters middle. He was absolutely folded by Olakau’atu in the first half and did incredibly well to carry on. Finished with just three runs for 24 metres, missed five tackles too – the most of any Australian.
11. ANGUS CRICHTON – 7
Similar to Moses and Lomax, Crichton failed to hit the same level he did at Origin and club level this season. Still, the Roosters star ran for the most metres of an Australian forward with 117 metres and had an incredible eight offloads.
12. CAMERON MURRAY – 7
Defended Olakau’atu incredibly well for most of the contest. Forced a drop out with Trbojevic in the 42nd minute. Looked lively whenever he got the ball, including in the 58th minute when he burst through Tonga’s line only to be brought down by Hopoate close to the line. Finished with a game-high 40 tackles, missing just two.
13. ISAAH YEO – 7
Continued to do Isaah Yeo things. Powerful through the middle, his legs never stopped working. Defended strongly too, making 35 tackles without a miss. A really strong first outing as Australian skipper.
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14. MATT BURTON – N/A
Came on late for Isaah Yeo. Played eight minutes. Looked dangerous whenever he touched the ball.
15. MITCH BARNETT – 7.5
2024 has been a career year for Mitch Barnett, and it continued on his Kangaroos debut tonight. Came into the game after 25 minutes and looked purposeful with every single run. Finished with 104 metres, second to Crichton among Australian forwards, and didn’t miss a single tackle. Australia’s standout middle of the night.
16. REUBEN COTTER – 6.5
A reliable outing from the Cowboys star, who was tasked with playing hooker for a spell to give Grant a breather. Finished the game with 85 metres and 15 tackles without a miss. Industrious as always from the 25-year-old.
17. HUDSON YOUNG – N/A
Played just 13 minutes on the right edge. Finished with four runs for 34 metres and eight tackles without a miss.
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