Australia have announced their 21-man squad for the upcoming Pacific Championships, with some of the biggest names in the NRL included in Mal Meninga's plans.
Eight players from Sunday night's grand final have earned selection, including star Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary and powerhouse Broncos forward Payne Haas.
However, there were a litany of notable omissions from the Kangaroos squad, including one man who dominated at both club and State of Origin level during the 2023 season.
The Sporting News delves into the five biggest snubs from the Australian squad below.
Reece Walsh - Brisbane Broncos
The most obvious and blatant snub from the Kangaroos squad was Reece Walsh, who starred for the Broncos throughout the season and led them to within a whisker of a drought-breaking premiership.
Despite a mixed performance in the grand final loss to Penrith, the 21-year-old has been among the best players in the NRL across the entire season and on form, was the best fullback in the competition.
Walsh also carved up in the State of Origin arena, shining in his first series for the Maroons as they won a second-straight shield, tearing NSW apart in the first two games.
After coming out of Origin clearly ahead of opposing fullback James Tedesco, there need to be major question marks raised over Walsh's omission.
David Fifita - Gold Coast Titans
This is perhaps the most puzzling decision from the Australian selectors, with the man who just claimed Dally M Second-Rower of the Year honours left out of the wider squad.
After a disappointing run of form on the Gold Coast in recent years, David Fifita returned to his damaging best in 2023 and was a clear standout for the side despite missing the finals.
The 23-year-old also reclaimed his spot in the QLD Maroons lineup this year, with head coach Billy Slater praising the Titans enforcer for turning things around on the field.
Meninga has selected just one specialist edge forward - Liam Martin - in his roster, which should have seen Fifita included for his first green and gold jumper after a strong season.
While he did represent Tonga at last year's World Cup, that was likely due to form more than deciding against playing for the Kangaroos, especially given he previously represented the Australia 9s side four years ago.
Kalyn Ponga - Newcastle Knights
For the second year in a row, the winner of the Dally M Medal has been left out of the Australian squad.
Last year it was Nicho Hynes and this year it's Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga who has missed selection, despite helping his side surge into the finals and pick up the coveted honour.
The 25-year-old faced plenty of adversity early in the season, including withdrawing from State of Origin contention, but bounced back to produce one of the best runs of form in recent NRL history.
Ponga could have filled the No.14 utility role or even pushed Tedesco based on his form this year, but will have to wait a little while longer for an international debut.
Dylan Edwards - Penrith Panthers
Another No.1 who had a strong campaign and earned a third-straight NRL premiership ring, Dylan Edwards has continually been overlooked for representative selection and was again left out of the Australian squad.
The 27-year-old is a former Clive Churchill Medal recipient and has remained in the upper-echelon of fullbacks for the past few years, but has been left out due to the sheer weight and class of players in front of him.
Edwards unfortunately lacks versatility and was unlikely to ever grab the No.1 spot from the captain Tedesco, but the Aussies could have done a lot worse than included the reliable Panthers star.
Tyson Frizell - Newcastle Knights
As mentioned earlier in the piece, Australia are light on edge forwards for the upcoming tournament and could have utilised the experience and class of Tyson Frizell.
The 31-year-old enjoyed a career resurgence this year for Newcastle, helping them to an unlikely top-eight berth and regaining his spot in the NSW Origin lineup.
Frizell is a hard-working back-rower capable of covering a variety of roles, and while his best football may be in the rear-view mirror, is a proven commodity on the international stage after tasting World Cup success in 2017.
