Yeo to captain new-look Kangaroos squad

Isaah Yeo has been rewarded for his leadership of the four-time premiership winning Panthers with the captaincy of a new look Kangaroos side for the Pacific Championships.

Yeo, who co-captained Penrith in Sunday night's grand final triumph, takes over the captaincy from James Tedesco, who was overlooked, along with rival Origin skippers and Manly team-mates Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic.

With Cherry-Evans among the omissions and Penrith co-captain Nathan Cleary unavailable due to shoulder surgery, Parramatta's Mitchell Moses will wear the No.7 jersey and Yeo will take over the captaincy.

"Isaah is an outstanding player and outstanding person and they are two great qualities we want in an Australian captain," Meninga said.

"He understands winning, he understands how to lead winning teams as well, I'm very comfortable that Isaah is the national captain.

"Isaah has been the vice-captain since the World Cup under Teddy [James Tedesco] and deserves that chance to captain his country."

Cowboys five-eighth Tom Dearden will partner Moses in the halves, with Matt Burton and Ben Hunt to provide cover if either of the pair are injured during the tournament, which begins at Suncorp Stadium on October 18 against Tonga.

Moses and Dearden are among eight debutants, along with Zac Lomax, Mitchell Barnett, Reece Robson and Bradman Best, who were members of the victorious Blues squad, Storm winger Xavier Coates and Panthers prop Lindsay Smith. 

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga, who chose the team with selectors and former Australian captains Darren Lockyer, Cameron Smith, Laurie Daley and Boyd Cordner, said the changes were a reaction to last year's record 30-0 loss to the Kiwis in the Pacific Cup final.

"We don't like to be beaten as Kangaroos so it's something that's going to be motivating for me and the team going forward," Meninga said.

"It is a bit of an evolution for the team, certainly on the back of what happened in the Pacific Championships last year.

“With that in the back of our mind, we felt that obviously Origin was really important for discussion across the selection table and obviously form it into the finals as well."

Penrith's Dylan Edwards usurped Tedesco for the NSW fullback role in Origin and is now considered the No.1 fullback in the game, leaving no room for the former Kangaroos and Blues captain.

Newcastle's Kalyn Ponga was also overlooked as Tom Trbojevic or Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who are both expected to play in the centres, are fullbacks for the Sea Eagles and Dolphins respectively.

"It was a difficult decision but in the end, we chose Dylan, who's been in the wings for quite a long time, so we decided that we should go with him," Meninga said.

"Bear in mind that Teddy played Game One for the NSW Blues and in Games Two and Three, obviously Dylan was the fullback, so we chose on Origin form.

“We considered Kalyn as a specialist fullback so when we look at picking a team we thought Dylan was the No.1 fullback in our game, particularly for the Kangaroos, so we chose Dylan in front of Kalyn.

"You've got Tom Trbojevic and you've got Hamiso, who can play fullback, so there's that flexibility in your team that allows you to play guys in different positions.

“When we sit down to just decide to select our 21, we've got a whole array of players who can play different positions.

"Ben Hunt and Matt Burton, for example, can play numerous positions in the footy team. We considered Kalyn a specialist fullback and that's why he's been left out."

Meninga admitted there had been concerns about Moses having played just eight matches for the Eels this season due to a broken foot and the torn pec in the Origin decider on July 17. 

“We discussed that around the table and we decided like when he first came into Origin II, it was off the back of a fairly long break and he got man of the match," Meninga said.

“When we're trying to look at evolving the team as well, I think Mitchell deserves to be there, all be it he's only played a handful of games, but every time he's come back, he’s been tremendous for his club and for his state."

The Kangaroos kick off their campaign against Tonga in Brisbane on October 18 before facing the Kiwis in Christchurch on October 27.

The squad features four members of the premiership winning Panthers outfit, including Yeo, Edwards, Smith and Clive Churchill Medal winner Liam Martin.

Runners-up Melbourne are represented by Harry Grant, who has been named as vice-captain, and Xavier Coates.

Kangaroos team in alphabetical order:

Mitch Barnett (Warriors)
Matt Burton (Bulldogs)
Bradman Best (Knights)
Pat Carrigan (Broncos)
Xavier Coates (Storm)
Lindsay Collins (Roosters)
Reuben Cotter (Cowboys)
Angus Crichton (Roosters)
Tom Dearden (Cowboys)
Dylan Edwards (Panthers)
Harry Grant (Storm) - vice captain
Ben Hunt (Dragons)
Zac Lomax (Dragons)
Mitch Moses (Eels)
Cameron Murray (Rabbitohs)
Reece Robson (Cowboys)
Lindsay Smith (Panthers)
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Dolphins)
Tom Trbojevic (Sea Eagles)
Isaah Yeo (Panthers) - captain
Hudson Young (Raiders)