Stuart to give Emus a run

Test coach Ricky Stuart will turn Emus into Kangaroos this weekend with the peripheral members of Australia's World Cup squad to be given a run against Papua New Guinea on Saturday night.

Stuart's move comes after the Kangaroos all but confirmed top spot in pool A heading
into the semi-finals with Sunday night's massive win over England, several players
now set to be rested against the Kumuls.
That means the Emus - those players outside the top 17 - will be given their first
taste of the World Cup action, the likes of Terry Campese, Darius Boyd, Anthony
Watmough and David Williams to be handed their Test debuts while veteran Craig
Fitzgibbon will earn a 16th international cap.
"The way they've applied themselves at training and their attitude around the actual
team that's playing, helping them prepare and build them up, plus the talent I've
got there - there's not a player that doesn't deserve a Test match and they'll be
all getting it next week," Stuart said.
"I did it in the Tri-Nations in 2006 where I gave people some football.
"It's also a balancing act in giving them some game time if they're needed in the
back end of the competition."
Campese said he wouldn't get excited until hearing his name read out in the final
17, though the expected selection would cap a stunning back half of the season when
he went from not being offered a new contract at Canberra to wearing the green and
gold.
The Raiders eventually tied down their man as he led the club into the finals
series, Campese saying he would try and take the same approach he took into NRL
matches into the Test arena.
"(Stuart) hasn't named the side yet but hopefully I can slot in there somewhere,
it'd be something that I would cherish, something I'd be proud of if I got the
chance to represent my country," Campese said.
"If you're called on you want to show them that you can step up. Everyone wants to
represent the jumper with pride and also show the boys around you that you're keen
to want to play for them."
Campese is likely to slot in at either five-eighth or lock, that decision dependant
on whether Johnathan Thurston is fit to take on the Kumuls.
Thurston attended his uncle's funeral in Brisbane on Monday, he and Stuart expected
to re-join the squad on Tuesday in Townsville.
The Kangaroos playmaker missed the win over the Lions due a shoulder injury picked
up in the tournament opener against New Zealand, though he is expected to be
available to play on his NRL home ground.
Stuart said he erred on the side of caution in resting Thurston after seeing one of
his other playmakers in Kurt Gidley be ruled out for the tournament with a knee
injury.
"He was probably nearly right to play (against England) and he probably could have,
but I didn't want to risk it after what happened to Kurt Gidley," Stuart said.
"It made the decision a lot easier in regards to giving Johnathan this game off and
not risking him at all in regards to his shoulder."
Should Thurston play, Scott Prince - the man who filled in admirable on Sunday night
- will most likely slide over to five-eighth with Campese coming in for Gallen at
lock.