Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has hinted at a cautious approach to squad changes ahead of Australia's next Pacific Championship match against New Zealand.
Despite holding the Tongan side to nil in their Pacific Nations opener, the Kangaroos looked clunky in sections, scoring three tries, one of which was an intercept against the run of play and winning 18-0.
Meninga has eluded to a focus on maintaining team continuity as the Kangaroos aim to secure a spot in the tournament final with a win.
Australia's win against Tonga was far from their most polished performance, with six rookies in the lineup and several players returning from extended layoffs.
Meninga acknowledged that while the team's attack looked disjointed at times, he was satisfied with their defensive resilience, keeping their opponents scoreless.
โI'm really happy considering the short preparation period too. We only really had two real serious sessions and the captain's run, so really pleased with our defensive effort in holding them to zero and the attitude's great.โ
However, with the New Zealand clash looming, Meninga is faced with a delicate balancing act.
On one hand, he values the importance of continuity, particularly given the team's relative inexperience in playing together. On the other, there are players within the squad who need game time, especially those who missed out on the Tonga match but have been impressing in training.
"We'll make some decisions over the next few days," Meninga explained.
"But when we talk about the team and it's such a new team, and being together for the very first time, it would probably give us some serious consideration around playing again and having better continuity in our footy team."
One key decision will be whether to rest players like Harry Grant, who has taken on the role of vice-captain.
"Harry's the VC (vice-captain) and Yeo is the captain, so we've got some tough decisions to make."
Australia's preparation for the Tonga game was brief, with players like Mitch Moses and Tom Trbojevic lacking match fitness after extended breaks.
"Mitch hasn't played for quite a while. Tommy Trbojevic as well, so a lot of the players, except for the Grand Final teams, haven't played for at least three weeks."
For now, Australia appears to be adopting a wait and see approach in regard to how players pull up after the Tonga game before making any final decisions on the lineup for New Zealand.
