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Kevin Walters reveals why he selected five halves in Ashes squad
Sam Kosack • October 8th, 2025 6:33 pm
Australian coach Kevin Walters has revealed why he selected five halves in the Kangaroos squad, indicating the elite talent selected will drive the team to a higher standard in training and ensure competition for spots.
Walters unveiled his squad on Monday to take on England in the end-of-season Ashes series, including five halves - Tom Dearden, Cameron Munster, Ethan Strange, Mitchell Moses and Nathan Cleary.
The expected starting halves duo is the pairing of Cleary and Munster, the dominant halves in their respective State of Origin sides.
However, Dearden is the reigning Wally Lewis medallist, and Moses originally started alongside Cleary in the halves in Origin before he missed the remainder of the series through injury, placing both in contention to start for the Kangaroos.
“The reason for (five halves) is because in the modern game, with HIAs, concussions, injuries, suspensions, it's such a key position for Australia,” Walters revealed on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“I felt that, if something did happen to one of our halves, we’ve got great backup in all those positions… we need that backup as well.
“From a training perspective, the training standards need to be very high as well and whoever's playing and whoever's not playing will be in the opposition team training against us, and that'll challenge us as well.
“I understand there's a bit of noise around it, but I'm very comfortable with the squad that we've selected.”
As discussion surrounds the make-up of the Australian squad, former Kangaroos international Mat Rogers revealed he believes Mitchell Moses is a better halfback than Nathan Cleary.
“I'm a huge Nathan Cleary fan. I'm not a Nathan Cleary hater by any stretch. I just think Mitch Moses is a better halfback than him,” Rogers said on SEN 1170 Drive.
“I think he's got a better kicking game, I think he runs the ball better and I think he's the best player running around at the moment, Mitch Moses.
“Look at what he's done at New South Wales level. He's been at a club that's just been floundering.
“He gets a coach in there that makes some big calls and moves some people on and puts some people around him that can get a job done.
“We see the way he played at the back end of the year, like he's a freak, and we see when he plays at the elite level, when he's in the New South Wales team, the difference that he makes in that team.
“I know Nathan's a gun, but I just think it's almost like the Reece Walsh-James Tedesco scenario.
“This isn't an every player gets a prize situation. This is you pick the best man.”
Moses missed the majority of the 2025 season through injury, but the Eels won five of their last seven games after he returned from injury, while Cleary led Penrith to a preliminary final after finding themselves in last after 12 rounds and finished second in the Dally M count.
