Tom Dearden says Australia has the chance to begin creating a new legacy in the Pacific Championships as he prepares to forge a rookie halves combination with Mitch Moses.
North Queensland playmaker Dearden is one of nine potential debutants in Mal Meninga’s squad for the Test campaign that begins against Tonga in Brisbane on Friday.
Meninga flagged a changing of the guard by omitting the likes of Daly Cherry-Evans, James Tedesco and Jake Trbojevic from his squad following the record loss to New Zealand in last year’s Pacific Championships final.
Queensland’s incumbent five-eighth, Dearden is looking forward to his first chance to represent his country amid the fresh start.
“It’s the highest honour to wear the green and gold. I think being a new squad this year, it’s about our squad trying to create our own legacy in the green and gold,” he said.
Uncapped Moses is firming to return from the biceps injury that kept him sidelined for the final nine weeks of Parramatta’s underwhelming 2024 season.
State of Origin rivals Dearden and Moses have not lined up together at any level but began testing their chemistry at Sunday’s first training session.
“Over the next couple of days it’s about building those combinations and getting to know those players’ strengths and how we can all combine together,” Dearden said.
“(Moses) is a controlling half and he gets his hands on the ball. He’s a big running threat and he’s got a great kicking game. If I get the opportunity to play alongside him, I’ll really look forward to it.”
Australia has not lined up against Friday’s opposition since memorably losing to the Tonga Invitational XIII in Auckland in 2019
Cameron Murray is the only player in Meninga’s squad to have featured in that 16-12 loss, which Dearden said would not be a point of focus in camp this week.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in our side and I know this week during training and all the meetings we’ve had, the focus has been about us and how we can be better,” he said.
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