Brisbane: Kevin Walters grew sick and tired of the Australian players botching the team song all World Cup, so he made them belt out a spirited rendition of Give Me a Home Among the Gumtrees after the 32-12 win over New Zealand.
The celebrations beneath Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night could not start until all the Kangaroos players were seated in a circle on plastic chairs.
Cameron Munster was running late after being randomly selected for a drug test by ASADA officials.
Reece Walsh was decked out in ski goggles. Manly brothers Ben and Jake Trbojevic stood at the back of the room to celebrate the feats of Tom, who scored a try against the Kiwis to take his tournament tally to nine.
In the same week that Australian cricketers were trading public barbs over what did or did not happen during a Test in Cape Town eight years ago, the nation’s rugby league team could not have looked more united or happy.
The Kangaroos won their fourth straight World Cup on a balmy Brisbane night. For all the hype and talk about how this could finally be the year for New Zealand and their pack, or Tonga, or Samoa, Australia stood tall when it mattered most.
And Walters, who heads to England to start as head coach of St Helens next weekend, wanted to make sure the game’s biggest names, their family and friends savoured the moment.
“For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kev Walters, World Cup-winning Kangaroos coach,” said a smiling Walters, before raising his arms in the air.
“We’ve got a team song we tried to sing through the tournament. After five wins, we couldn’t get it right, so we’ll sing this one.”
The players started clapping and mumbling “gumtrees”, “verandahs” and “old rocking chairs”.
Harry Grant was called up to hand out some awards. Backrower Liam Martin was acknowledged for scoring two tries against New Zealand. Jack Bostock, the official man of the match, was also called up. So was physio Pete Green, the Penrith guru who played a big role in making sure Isaah Yeo was able to achieve his Cup dream with a ruptured pec. Green was ridiculed when he failed to skull his first beer, then gave up with his second and opted to tip it on his head.
“This guy has already posted six Instagram stories tonight, and we might have to confiscate his phone,” said Grant, referring to Walsh.
“And best on ground ‘Emu’ [the players not picked that week], David Fifita.”
Grant also made special mention of James Tedesco who was given one last cameo late against New Zealand. The premiership-winning Sydney Roosters skipper, and the man who led the Kangaroos to Cup glory in 2022, announced he would step down from international football after the game.
Australian legend and selector Darren Lockyer presented the Harry Sunderland Medal, the gong handed out for the best Kangaroos’ player, to Walsh.
“It was a tough year for myself, a lot of ups and downs, I worked really hard to get back here,” Walsh said.
“I want to thank Kev and the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to do that.
“This is pretty special for myself. The last time I watched the World Cup I watched it as a fan. To be here in this room with you boys, I couldn’t do it without you. The mates I’ve made on this tour and last year’s [Ashes tour], I love you guys.”
The final award given was the players’ player, which was between Bostock, Jacob Preston and Walsh. The winner was the result of a 3-2-1 voting process involving all the players. Munster won it last year. Walsh received it late Sunday.
Cold bottles of VB and warm bottles of Great Northern followed.
The Kangaroos were favourites to win the Cup. Who knows when their reign will end.
New Zealand captain James Fisher-Harris said of what made the Kangaroos so special: “Their depth is pretty good. The juniors in Australia, they’ve been No. 1 for a long time. In saying that, it was a missed opportunity [for us]. We had the team to get it done. That’s footy.”
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