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Cheeky Kangaroos star Josh Addo-Carr was at his mischievous best in Australia’s 64-14 win over Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Sunday night, fooling a guard as he ran into Suncorp Stadium.
It came before a touching moment between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and 11-year-old Queenslander Quaden Bayles, who came into the public consciousness in a viral video about being bullied for his dwarfism.
The Kangaroos took on the PNG Kumuls for the Premier’s annual XIII game, with the hosts competing after scoring six tries in the first 30 minutes.
Before the game, Addo-Carr, aptly nicknamed “The Fox,” tapped a guard on the other shoulder as he rushed past in the good old “took you out” joke.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in Brisbane on Sunday evening for the Prime Minister’s annual XIII match between Australia and PNG
It caused social media fans to be let down, with many hailing him as “one of the game’s great characters.”
“Fox at his best,” one wrote, while another called him the “funniest man in the NRL.”
Addo-Carr didn’t just play a prank and score a try in the 50-point drubbing – he even had a conversion attempt.
As the ball sailed way off the uprights and there was never any real danger of making it onto the scoresheet, Addo-Carr saw the funny side.
“Luckily it’s not on the resume… the guys on the sidelines said ‘Josh go kick, let’s go for it’… I’m not myself,” he laughed to ABC Sport after the game.
Josh Addo-Carr made his representative return on Sunday, scoring once in Australia’s 50-point win over PNG
Anthony Albanese attended the game that bears his title, and in addition to performing ceremonial duties prior to the game, he also walked around and met a variety of football fans afterwards.
One of them was Bayles, an 11-year-old boy from Queensland who took to the world after his mother, Yarraka, posted a heartbreaking video of her son after he was ruthlessly bullied at school.
Since then, he has been cast in two films and will have a small role in the upcoming Mad Max movie Furiosa, which will be shot in Broken Hill.
An ecstatic Quaden Bayles (bottom left) meets Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Albanian thumbs up to Bayle, who seemed very excited about meeting the Prime Minister
Photos of the touching scene show Bayles with a big smile on his face as Albanian bends down to talk to him and shake his hand.
Undoubtedly, Albanian and Bayles, both wildly enthusiastic rugby league supporters, would have been thrilled by the kangaroos’ dominant display in Brisbane.
Skipper Daly Cherry-Evans made a statement about how eager he is to wear the number seven jersey at the upcoming World Cup, with one hand in three of the first four attempts.
The Kumuls fought bravely and included 19 players from the Queensland Cup and one, winger Leon Undupia, from the Digicel Cup in PNG – but they were no match for green and gold.
Australian skipper Daly Cherry-Evans (left) was instrumental in the win for Australia
Prop Tino Fa’asuamaleaui was destructive through the middle, as he was all year for the Gold Coast Titans. Hooker Ben Hunt also had a touch of class to make his claim for the hotly contested number nine jersey at the World Cup.
Rising star Selwyn Cobbo played at center, instead of his usual wing position for the Brisbane Broncos, and had an excellent game in a two-try display.
He handled the change of position with class and seemed a real danger in winger Addo-Carr.
PNG fullback Edene Gebbie, once signed to South Sydney, posed a constant threat to the visitors, scoring a fine try at the start of halftime to reduce Australia’s lead to 38-4 at halftime.
Young gun Selwyn Cobbo was all smiles when he jumped for one of his two tries against PNG on Sunday night
The Kumuls dominated the early stages of the second half physically and on the scoreboard, with two early attempts as the Kangaroos clocked off.
Meninga then sent Cherry-Evans, whore Ben Hunt and Fa’asuamaleaui back to provide guidance and leadership and they delivered the kangaroos to a stellar 50 point win.
The Kangaroos kick off their World Cup campaign on October 15 in Leeds, UK, when they take on Fiji – and there are still plenty of spots up for grabs on Mal Meninga’s All-Star squad.