Kangaroos dealt major Ashes blow as Sydney Roosters star withdraws for bizarre reason

Sydney Roosters star James Tedesco has ruled himself out of contention for the upcoming Ashes tour of England, in a crushing blow for newly-appointed head coach Kevin Walters.

With just 25 days left until the first Test at Wembley Stadium, this now throws up a major selection dilemma on the eve of the tour.

It also comes amid high-profile names Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Payne Haas declaring to play for Samoa in the Pacific Championship, rather than Australia.

‘I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder’

Tedesco, who was recently named the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) Players’ Champion in a vote among NRL players, was initially named in a preliminary squad by selectors last week, but has since informed the ARL commission that he will not be taking part in the tour, due to being the best man at his brother’s wedding.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to get picked, Tedesco told the NewsWire. “But I rang Peter (V’landys) and he said I was going to get picked and for me to sleep on it and think about it.

“I’ve been thinking about it the past couple of weeks, not knowing what was going to happen, but the thought of missing (the wedding) would’ve weighed on me a lot more than missing a couple of games for Australia.

“It hasn’t been easy. Once he said I was going to get picked, it was pretty hard to say no to.”

He also confirmed he is set for a knee operation in the off-season, which would rule him out for six to eight weeks.

“I’ve got my brother’s wedding and I’ve also got to get stem cells in my knee, which is a 6-8 week recovery process, and I want to get that done to be ready for January.

“It’s a better decision and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder that I don’t go.”

Also commenting, V’landys added: “I asked him to think about it, but he feels he wouldn’t be doing the right thing by his family if he wasn’t there for the wedding. It’s a shame because he’s played so well this year and earned his place in the team. James was very professional about it; he really agonised over it.

“I’ve let Kevin Walters know, and we’ll go back to the drawing board.”

While losing a man of Tedesco’s pedigree and Test experience is a major blow to the Kangaroos, full-back remains an area of strength for Walters ahead of the tour. Penrith Panthers star Dylan Edwards started all three of their 2024 Pacific Championship Tests, while Reece Walsh remains an option.

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