“There are still two more games to go [this season], so I am holding out hope we can finish with a bang and I can play some good footy.

“I have always maintained if I get a spot in that [Australian] squad, I’ll back myself to be in the team when we get over there. There is still a lot of water to go under the bridge before we get there.”

There is also talk the PM’s XIII will be part of a Suncorp double-header with an NRLW game.

Players who fail to make the finals and are bundled out in week one will be eligible for PM’s XIII selection.

Kangaroos’ incumbent Josh Addo-Carr is another in line for the PM’s XIII game, with the Bulldogs flyer also keen to feature a week later in the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout Carnival on the NSW south coast.

All squads for the Cup are set to be trimmed by the middle of September.

Harry Grant’s recent form for Melbourne has him as the front-runner for the Kangaroos’ No. 9 jersey.

Cup fancies Tonga will have a warm-up game against Trent Robinson’s France, while New Zealand meet Super League side Leeds on the same weekend.