Ethan Strange declined England and New Zealand selections after his impressive Origin debut, prioritizing Australia.
Blues star Ethan Strange has confirmed that he knocked back an approach after his stunning Origin debut to play for England at Rugby League World Cup 2026.
New England coach Brian McDermott, who is on the Titans coaching staff, has chosen 11 NRL stars in a 38-man preliminary squad for RLWC2026, including NSW interchange forward Victor Radley.
Strange's Canberra team-mate Jayden Brailey is one of four new faces from the NRL in the England squad, along with Bulldogs prop Max King, Roosters centre Billy Smith and Broncos forward Ben Talty.
However, Strange - whose mother Adele was born and raised in Yorkshire - said he had turned down the opportunity to play for England, as well as New Zealand, for whom he also qualifies through his paternal grandmother.
Raiders go down to the Eels
The Canberra Raiders lost 15-12 to the Eels, struggling despite strong plays and a sin-binning.
The Toyota Forklifts Canberra Raiders have been defeated on the road 15-12 against the Parramatta Eels at Commbank Stadium.
After tough losses in Round 14, both teams were desperate for a win and came out of the sheds with strong, high-meterage establishing sets.
The Eels clutched the first four points 10 minutes into the match off the back of a dummy half run from Brian Kelly to Jordan Samrani, who fought off three Raiders defenders to score on the right edge.
Raiders halfback Ethan Sanders was sin-binned in the 23rd minute after tackling Kelly without the ball.
The Eels used the one-man advantage through Kelma Tuilagi off the back of short ball play, and a try assist from Isaiah Iongi.
The try was taken to the bunker for further assessment, however it was awarded and saw the...
Kolone named in Queensland Under 19 Men's squad
Queensland Under 19 men's coach Darius Boyd names 20-player squad for representative clash, building on last year's success.
Queensland Under 19 men's coach Darius Boyd has named a 20-player squad ahead of this year's representative clash, with players selected from some of the strongest pathway programs in the country.
Boyd will once again be joined by assistant coaches Andrew McCullough and Jesse Maclean as the coaching staff look to build on last year's successful campaign, which saw Queensland claim victory at Under 19 level.
The squad features a strong blend of talent from the Mal Meninga Cup and NRL systems, bringing together some of the state's most exciting emerging players.
Townsville Blackhawks pair Taj Lateo and Taylan To'a arrive in camp fresh from a premiership-winning Mal Meninga Cup campaign.
Lateo kicked the match-winning field goal in the grand final victory over Wynnum Manly...