Coach Michael Maguire has made the surprise choice of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak to captain New Zealand in Saturday's rugby league Test against Australia. The 23-year-old Penrith fullback has just eight Tests to his name and his promotion comes amid a host of injury absences and retirements and ahead of several more experienced options . Maguire had no doubt about Watene-Zeleniak's ability to steer the Kiwis into a new era.
"Dallin lives the values we're looking for and embodies the new direction we're heading in with the Kiwis," Maguire said. Watene-Zelezniak takes the captaincy duties from veteran forward Adam Blair, who led the Kiwis in last year's failed World Cup campaign under former coach David Kidwell. Blair has been selected on the bench to take on the Kangaroos at Mt Smart on Saturday, ahead of the Kiwis' four-game tour of Great Britain over the next month. Dally M Medallist Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and hooker Issac Luke were both unavailable through injury, while fellow veterans Simon Mannering, Ben Matulino and Russell Packer have retired from international football. However Watene-Zeleniak was picked as skipper ahead of the more experienced Shaun Johnson, Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor, who are in the team.
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