Why Ben Hunt is in the squad and Ferguson isn’t is pretty crazy
Agreed that his form isn’t worthy, but apparently Hunt actually showing up helped his cause.
How Blake Ferguson cost himself an Australian jersey
Michael ChammasThu 10 Oct 2019, 02:30 PM
Blake Ferguson’s decision to pull out of the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII game on the morning of the team flight has cost the Parramatta winger a Kangaroos recall.
Ferguson had originally been selected in the Australian Test squad for the games against New Zealand and Tonga, however he was scratched on Monday morning after he pulled out of the PM’s game citing a leg injury.
Australian officials were perplexed with the phone call from an Eels official, not Ferguson himself, given that only a few days earlier the winger had been medically cleared to play in the game and was fitted for a jersey.
The disappointment around Ferguson’s withdrawal from the game was focused around the timing of it, with his teammates heading to the airport to board a flight to Brisbane when he pulled the pin.
Ferguson was on the verge of earning a recall into the national side for the first time since 2017, however his name was omitted by the time the official team announcement was made on Monday morning.
His withdrawal triggered a number of changes for Mal Meninga, with South Sydney’s Campbell Graham called into the PM’s team for the game against Fiji in Suva on Friday.
It also presented Canberra winger Nick Cotric with an opportunity to make his Test debut this year, promoted from the Australian under 23s team to the main side.
Ferguson was superb for the Eels in 2019, and equally impressive in his return to the State of Origin arena this year.
The Eels were shocked to hear he had withdrawn from the game in Fiji, having been told he had been excited about playing in the match in the lead-up.
https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/10/10/how-blake-ferguson-cost-himself-an-australian-jersey/