Cunningham faces a race for fitness
The Great Britain coach, David Waite, has named Keiron Cunningham in his squad to play Australia in Sydney on 12 July despite the fact that the St Helens hooker is expected to be out of action with a broken hand until the night before the team leaves.
Cunningham, regarded as the world's best in his position has been been included in the party, subject to him safely negotiating a comeback match at Hull on 4 July. His St Helens team-mate, Sean Long, is also out with a wrist injury and has not been named, even though he hopes to play in the same match.
The injuries are quite different,'' explained Waite. "We are confident that after eight weeks Keiron will be fit and we don't think Sean will."
The 19-man squad includes two uncapped players, the St Helens centre, Martin Gleeson, and the Leeds utility man, Karl Pratt. Gleeson has made an immediate impact since his signing from Huddersfield while Pratt's ability to play wing, half-back or hooker was a major factor. Others who have made a late surge to be included are Bradford's Lee Gilmour and the Hull forward, Paul King.
There is no place for the experienced Gary Connolly who has only recently returned from knee surgery, or for three players who figured prominently for Yorkshire in the recent Origin Series – Leon Pryce, Richard Horne and Danny Orr. Ryan Sheridan has been preferred to Paul Deacon as the only specialist scrum-half in the party.
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