Format for Grapple tonight. Please select your top 3 highlights for 2019 and will discuss during program.

Rugby League News:

Kangaroos:

• Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has named several new faces for the upcoming Tests against New Zealand and Tonga.
• Roosters grand final-winning skipper Boyd Cordner will captain a squad stacked with in-form players and seasoned representative stars.
• Broncos young gun Payne Haas, Canberra’s Clive Churchill Medal winner Jack Wighton and winger Nick Cotric, Souths forward Cameron Murray, Dragons prop Paul Vaughan and Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr are the uncapped players in the squad.
• Meninga confirmed Wighton was being looked at as a centre rather than a five-eighth with three specialist halves in the squad, despite an injury cloud over Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary.
• A replacement player would be brought in for Keary if he succumbed to an ankle injury, while Melbourne’s Blues forward Dale Finucane was on standby for Raiders star Josh Papalii, who suffered a possible pectoral injury in the grand final and is awaiting medical clearance.
• With just four Queenslanders in the squad, the list has the heaviest NSW representation since the beginning of Queensland’s era of Origin dominance started with the 2006 series win.
• Meninga, who has had his contract extended until the end of 2021, also named a Nines squad with a lot of the NRL’s young guns getting the nod.

World Cup 9’s:

• World Cup Nines will played on October 18 and 19 and feature 12 men’s teams and four women’s teams played at Parra Stadium
• Men: Australia, England, France, Lebanon, Cook Islands, Fiji, NZ, PNG, Samoa, Tonga, USA and Wales
• Women: Australia, NZ, England and PNG

Junior Kangaroos:

And what about the Junior Kangaroos with 3 NRL stars with State of Origin experience named in a strong squad after the decision was made to increase the age cut off. David Fifita, Angus Crichton and Kalyn Ponga have all been included in the team to play France at WIN in Wollongong on October 25 as part of a triple header with the Jillaroos and Kangaroos facing their New Zealand counterparts. Coach is Neil Henry

• 1 Ryan Papenhuyzen (Storm)            2 Campbell Graham (Rabbitohs
• 3 Curtis Scott (Storm)                                    4 Brad Parker (Sea Eagles
• 5 Reuben Garrick (Sea Eagles)          6 Kalyn Ponga (Knights)
• 7 Brodie Croft (Storm)                       8 Corey Horsburgh (Raiders)
• 9 Reed Mahoney (Eels)                      10 Thomas Flegler (Broncos)
• 11 David Fifita (Broncos)                  12 Angus Crichton (Roosters)
• 13 Victor Radley (Roosters)              14 AJ Brimson (Titans)
• 15 Nat Butcher (Roosters)                 16 Emre Guler (Raiders)
• 17 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (Storm)       18 Paul Momirovski (Tigers)
• Not sure if it’s good or bad news for Jim Lenihan with the announcement that the two-time Intrust Super Cup premiership-winning coach will join the Gold Coast’s NRL team as assistant coach for the next three seasons. Lenihan won his second Intrust Super Cup title in four seasons as head coach of Burleigh when the Bears defeated Wynnum Manly in the 2019 grand final at Dolphin Stadium. He will now join Titans head coach Justin Holbrook and senior assistant coach Jim Dymock as the Gold Coast’s senior NRL coaching team.
• Big changes at Melbourne Storm with Will Chambers certain to go to Japanese Rugby, Solomone Kata released without playing a game for the club and expected to join Super Rugby outfit ACT Brumbies while playmaker Billy Walters has linked with Wests Tigers for 2020, with the son of Queensland legend Kevin Walters taking up a two-year deal with the joint-venture.
• Chambers, who has represented Queensland in 13 Origins and Australia in seven Tests, has racked up 215 NRL appearances for the Storm in two stints since his debut in 2007. He spent 2010-11 in the Super Rugby ranks with the Queensland Reds. The 31-year-old said he would take time out after the end of the season to decide upon his future but has been strongly linked in recent times to a switch to club rugby in Japan.
• Manly Sea Eagles star Joel Thompson has spoken to media after a concerning accident left him in a neck brace in hospital. The forward posted a photo to Instagram showing himself receiving medical treatment in hospital after a “real bad accident”. “Hey everyone, I’ve had a real bad accident. Won’t be talking to anyone for another week,” Thompson, 31, said in an Instagram story. “Big lesson learnt around drinking and partying. Thinking of you all.”
• Prime Minister’s men’s and women’s teams in action against Fiji tomorrow night-good luck
• Ryan Matterson has been given leave from training for personal reasons, and has been since been given permission to negotiate with other clubs. He is now a long shot to be at the Tigers next season, despite two years still to run on a contract worth $400,000 a season.