The 2022 Simon Mannering Medal winner Euan Aitken was not nominated for the RLPA Award. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Scotland failed to win a single game at their last Rugby League World Cup campaign, but will be hoping for better in the 2022 edition of the tournament on fields far closer to home.
The trip to Australia and New Zealand four years ago was a disaster for Nathan Graham’s Bravehearts.
Blown out in their opener by Tonga 50 points to 4, they would then cop a 74 points to 6 pasting at the hands of New Zealand, before managing to restore some dignity by fighting out a 14-all draw against Samoa in Cairns.
The squad for the 2022 tournament will be far different to the one that played in 2017, although some familiar faces are still in the blue and white outfit.
Out of the NRL, Euan Aitken will bring plenty of experience, while ex-NRL player Kane Linnett is also on deck. Plenty of young guns from Australia, led by Canterbury Bulldogs Jersey Flegg star Bailey Hayward and Broncos’ prop Logan Bayliss-Brow have also been selected.
The Scottish charge will need to be led by their Super League contingent though, with Liam Hook, James Bell and Ryan Brierly the three big names to look out for as the tournament gets going.
Scotland face a tough group, with Australia, Fiji and Italy their opposition, meaning they will need to likely snag a huge upset from somewhere if they are to proceed to the knockout rounds of the tournament.
Full squad
Euan Aitken (New Zealand Warriors), Luke Bain (Parramatta Eels), Logan Bayliss-Brow (Brisbane Broncos). James Bell (St Helens Saints), Ryan Brierley (Salford Red Devils), Keiran Buchanan (Batley Bulldogs), Lewis Clarke (Edinburgh Eagles), Davey Dixon (Dewsbury Rams), Charlie Emslie (Barrow Raiders), Dale Ferguson (Dewsbury Rams), Calum Gahan (London Broncos), Guy Graham (Whitehaven RLFC), Bailey Hayward (Canterbury Bulldogs), Ben Hellewell (Featherstone Rovers), Liam Hood (Wakefield Trinity), Kane Linnett (Hull KR), Bayley Liu (Sheffield Eagles), Sam Luckley (Salford Red Devils), Matty Russell (Toulouse), Kyle Schneider (Mackay Cutters), Jack Teanby (York City Knights), Shane Toal (Barrow Raiders), Alex Walker (London Broncos), Lachlan Walmsley (Halifax Panthers)
Spine
With former North Queensland Cowboys and current Hull KR fullback Lachlan Coote on a concussion-enforced break from the game, it has left Scotland to look at other options in the fullback department.
Alex Walker, who plays for the London Broncos, will likely take over the role for the Bravehearts during the tournament. He has played seven Tests for the nation since making his international debut in 2015, with the last handful of those coming in a starting role.
Matty Russell is another option to play fullback, but will be far more valuable to the side on the wing. Ryan Brierley is another option, but given the lack of halves in the side, he will wear the number seven, playing a critical figurehead role for the team.
Brierley will be joined in the halves by Canterbury Bulldogs’ young gun Bailey Hayward. The club’s Jersey Flegg player of the year advanced to the NSW Cup during the second half of the year, playing a mix of five-eighth and halfback, impressing every time he took to the field.
The number nine jumper is where Scotland are most stocked across their entire squad, with Liam Hook from Wakefield Trinity to start games for Scotland.
He is backed up by the likes of Lewis Clarke – who can also play other positions around the spine – from the Edinburgh Eagles, Calum Gahan from the London Broncos and Scottish potential debutant Kyle Schneider, who plays for the Mackay Cutters in the QLD Cup.
Backs
As mentioned above, Matty Russell, who has played 11 Tests for Scotland and made his professional debut more than a decade ago for the Wigan Warriors before bouncing from club to club in the English system, will be the first picked in the backline.
Russell will be joined on the other wing by Lachlan Walmsley, who plays for the Halifax Panthers. He made his debut for Scotland at the end of last year against Jamaica, and has scored a staggering 30 tries across 23 games for the Panthers this year.
The impressive try-scoring form puts him ahead of the only other realistic options to play on the wing in Shane Toal and Keiran Buchanan, who can also play at the back or in the centres.
The centres are possibly the easiest selections in the entire side, with Kane Linnett to be joined by Euan Aitken.
Linnett has continued to be a strong force in the three-quarter line since he left the NRL, currently playing for Hull KR, while Aitken, despite playing second row for much of the year at the New Zealand Warriors, will move back to his preferred position in the centres before linking up with the Dolphins for the 2023 NRL season, where he will likely do the same thing.
Forwards
The middle third for Scotland will feature plenty of strength, with James Bell the first player picked for the side at lock.
The St Helens forward can also line up on the edge, but in terms of team balance, suits playing at lock in this side. He played two games of NRL for the New Zealand Warriors in 2017 and 2018, before moving to Toulouse, then onto Leigh and finally to St Helens this season.
The second row will see Dale Ferguson – who is the captain – line up alongside Ben Hellewell, although Hellewell brings great versatility with his ability to play at either lock or in the centres if need be.
He has played all three roles at both club and national level previously.
In the middle third, expect Sam Luckley, who plays for the Salford Red Devils, to line up alongside Logan Bayliss-Brow out of the Brisbane Broncos system.
On a development deal at Brisbane, the prop is yet to make his NRL debut, but has impressed in the QLD Cup and was named among the 22-man squad a handful of times for Kevin Walters’ side this year.
The middle third back up is led by Jack Teanby, a prop at York City, and young Parramatta Eels’ lock Luke Bain, while Guy Graham out of Whitehaven is also in the squad adding depth.
On the edge, Charlie Emslie is the closest to miss out on the side, with few other options in the squad serving as back up, meaning that with injuries, Aitken could well be forced back out to the second row.
Bench
The first spot on the bench goes to one of the three back up dummy half options. Gahan and Schneider are somewhat limited by their lack of ability to play in other positions.
Clarke, on the other hand, has five Tests worth of experience previously for the nation and should fill out that role to start the tournament, although if things go pear-shaped for Scotland, changes could be forthcoming.
The three spots for forwards on the bench will see Luke Bain and Jack Teanby take spots for the Bravehearts, leaving Guy Graham out of the best 17, while Charlie Emslie will provide depth on the edge.
Scotland could yet include a back on the bench, or a second hooking option in either Schneider or Gahan, meaning there are options available to coach Graham.
Best 17
1. Alex Walker
2. Matty Russell
3. Euan Aitken
4. Kane Linnett
5. Lachlan Walmsley
6. Bailey Hayward
7. Ryan Brierley
8. Sam Luckley
9. Liam Hood
10. Logan Bayliss-Brow
11. Dale Ferguson (c)
12. Ben Hellewell
13. James Bell
14. Lewis Clarke
15. Luke Bain
16. Jack Teanby
17. Charlie Emsley
Key information
Group: B
Coach: Nathan Graham
Captain: Dale Ferguson
Number of World Cups: 4
Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finals (2013)
Fixtures
Monday, October 17, 12:30am: vs Italy
Saturday, October 22, 5:30am: vs Australia
Sunday, October 30, 3:00am: vs Fiji
Source:: ZeroTackle
