“The Roosters have a good problem with three fullbacks in their backline. It makes them more dangerous. You can see Joey Manu lurking around the ball, and ‘Teddy’ ... I’m sure they’ll come up with a plan to get them all more involved.

“He’d probably laugh at me if I tried to convince him to come out here now. But you never know.”

Jones said on his return to the Wallabies last month he wanted to reach out to the NRL players who were lost to rugby the first time around. South Sydney’s Cameron Murray and Suaali’i would be prime targets, along with Penisini and Roosters forward Angus Crichton.

Penisini said he had not given rugby any thought this time around, but it would be foolish to ever slam the door shut completely.

“I had tunnel vision for Parra this time, they’ve given me a lot - I’ve been here since I was 12 or 13 - and I wanted to give back to them,” Penisini said.

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“There are a couple of league boys with union backgrounds. You never know what will happen in the future. Rugby is still a great game, I’ve watched both games growing up and was lucky enough to play both games.

“Australia will be strong going into that World Cup, and I can’t wait to see the country get behind them. I’ve seen the teams that Eddie has coached, but I’ve never met Eddie nor spoken to him.”

Penisini has nailed down a centre position at Parramatta and will need to forge a right-edge combination with a new back-rower now Isaiah Papali’i has joined the Wests Tigers. Three or four players have been rotating in and out of the position at training, including a couple of lesser-known forwards, Matt Doorey and former Knight Jirah Momoisea.

Fans should also keep an eye out for another Penisini, Will’s younger brother Richie, who will line up for the club’s SG Ball opener this weekend.

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