SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 22: Nathan Brown of the Eels Is tackled during the round 23 NRL match between the Parramatta Eels and the Canterbury Bulldogs at Bankwest Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Italy will play at their third straight Rugby League World Cup after advancing through qualification for the tournament yet again.
The Azzurri have never made it out of the group stage in their previous two attempts, but have never gone winless at the tournament.
In 2013, in a squad featuring the likes of Anthony and Mark Minichiello, James Tedesco, Anthony Laffranchi, Kade Snowden, Paul Vaughan, Aidan Guerra and Cameron Ciraldo, they managed to beat Wales, while a draw against Scotland and a loss to Tonga cost them any chance of passage to the second round.
2017 brought with it a thumping 46-0 win over the United States, but a 38-10 loss to Fiji and a 36-12 loss to Ireland, once again preventing the Azzurri from qualifying.
Known for a pack of hard-hitting forwards, Italy will come into this year’s tournament without a host of eligible players including Daniel Alvaro, Paul Vaughan and Jack Johns.
They will be guided by Jack Johns and Nathan Brown however as the only two NRL-experienced players in the 24-man squad, while Leo Epifania will be able to call on a number of handful of players from the second tier of both Australian and English competition.
Full squad
Brenden Santi (Keighly), Giordano Arena (Catania Bulls), Daniel Atkinson (Sunshine Coast Falcons), Simone Boscolo (RC Salon XIII), Nathan Brown (Parramatta Eels), Jack Campagnolo (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Gieole Celerino (Racing Saint Gaudens), Jack Colovatti (Parramatta Eels) Luke Hodge (Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles), Anton Iaria (Barrow), Cooper Johns (Melbourne Storm), Richard Lepori (Swinton), Ethan Natoli (Newtown Jets), Ryan King (Whitehaven), Jake Mizen (Sunshine Coast Falcons), Luca Moretti (Parramatta Eels), Ippolito Occhialini (Lignano Sharks), Rinaldo Palumbo (London Broncos), Dean Parata (London Broncos), Kyle Pickering (Cronulla Sharks), Luke Polselli (Sunshine Coast Falcons), Alex Rojatto (Lignano Sharks), Alec Susino (Penrith Panthers), Nicholas Tilburg (Wentworthville Magpies), Joey Tramontana (Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles).
Spine
The race to play fullback is ultimately a battle between two, with Luke Polselli and Kyle Pickering the options to wear the Azzurri’s number one jumper.
Richard Lepori out of Swinton is also in the squad, but will realistically need to be used on the wing.
Polselli, despite being listed as a centre, has spent most of the year playing in the number one jersey for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the QLD Cup and will likely start the tournament for Italy in the same role.
Pickering’s value to the team comes with his versatility, able to play in the halves, at fullback or in the back row, while he could also cover the number nine at a pinch.
In the halves, Cooper Johns – one of the team’s two NRL players – will line up in the seven, while the race to play alongside him should be won by South Sydney’s Jack Campagnolo.
He joined South Sydney at the start of this season out of the Queensland Cup, and while he is yet to make an NRL debut, was strong for most of the year at five-eighth.
Daniel Atkinson, who is close to a debut at the Melbourne Storm but currently playing for the Sunshine Coast Falcons, is also in the squad, while Nicholas Tilburg, who plays Ron Massey Cup for Wentworthville, is another option in the halves.
Dean Parata, who plays for the London Broncos, will play in the number nine jersey for Italy, while Joey Tramontana, who plays in the lower grades for the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles, is the likely second choice and could yet snag a place on the bench.
Backs
As mentioned, Richard Lepori could line up at fullback, but will ultimately take a spot on the wing given the overall lack of depth on the edges for Italy.
He has played for the nation previously on the wing with 12 tries in 11 Tests.
The other wing spot will be taken by another experienced campaigner in Ethan Natoli, who has played four Tests for Italy and could also shift into the centres if need be.
The two centre spots are more tricky to work out, and again, it comes down to a lack of depth for Italy.
Jake Maizen – who is the third Sunshine Coast Falcon in the squad behind Atkinson and Polselli – will take one spot hands down on the back of a season where he scored four tries in six games at reserve grade level.
He will be joined in the centres by Rinaldo Palumbo, who has the ability to line up in the forwards as well, but will be required in the backs.
Forwards
The forward pack for Italy will be led by Parramatta Eels’ lock Nathan Brown. He fell out of favour with Brad Arthur at the back end of the season, but is comfortably the most experienced player in the Azzurri 24-man squad.
Captain Brenden Santi will also take a starting spot in the middle, lining up in the front row alongside Penrith Panthers prop Alec Susino, who has now played 32 games at NSW Cup level, and was part of Penrith’s grand final winning side in the competition this year.
Susino wins a starting spot in the 17, but don’t be surprised if Anton Iaria of Barrow makes his way into the 13 throughout the tournament.
Jack Colovatti out of the Parramatta Eels is the other option in the middle third.
In the second row, Luca Moretti of the Parramatta Eels and Gieole Celerino, who has played 18 Tests for Italy, was born in the country, and was part of the 2013 and 2017 World Cup squads, will take the other spot.
Luke Hodge from Blacktown Workers and Ryan King out of the Whitehaven system are the other options to take spots in the Italian second row.
Bench
On the bench, expect Kyle Pickering to take the first spot as a genuine utility. Able to cover the back line, he will also get minutes in the back row and potentially with the ability to plug a gap at hooker if problems of any sort strike Parata, who will start in the number nine.
Simone Boscolo, who is the backup genuine number nine, could also feature from the bench for Italy, but don’t expect he and Pickering to both be named.
The remaining positions will all go to forwards. Expect Luke Hodge to edge out Ryan King for a spot, while the two remaining middle forwards, Anton Iaria and Jack Colovatti, should both be selected.
Ippolito Occhialini, Alex Rojatto and Giordano Arena are other options to take places on the bench for the Azzurri.
Best 17
1. Luke Polselli
2. Ethan Natoli
3. Rinaldo Palumbo
4. Jake Maizen
5. Richard Lepori
6. Jack Campagnolo
7. Cooper Johns
8. Brenden Santi (c)
9. Dean Parata
10. Alec Susino
11. Luca Moretti
12. Gieole Celerino
13. Nathan Brown
14. Kyle Pickering
15. Luke Hodge
16. Anton Iaria
17. Jack Colovatti
Key information
Group: B
Coach: Leo Epifania
Captain: Brenden Santi
Number of World Cups: 2
Best World Cup performance: Group stage (2013, 2017)
Fixtures
Monday, October 17, 12:30am: vs Scotland
Sunday, October 23, 12:30am: vs Fiji
Sunday, October 30, 5:30am: vs Australia
Source:: ZeroTackle
