Kangaroos pluck Tupou from Tonga's grasp
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Anthony Tupou has replaced Michael Crocker in Australia's World Cup squad. (Getty Images: Ezra Shaw)
Cronulla-bound forward Anthony Tupou has replaced Melbourne's Michael Crocker in the Australia squad for the Rugby League World Cup.
Tupou has played six Tests for Australia but on Wednesday was named in a Tongan squad brimming with NRL talent.
He would have required a clearance from the Rugby League International Federation to switch allegiance to the country of his heritage.
The Australian Rugby League defended Tupou's eligibility status for the World Cup amid criticism of the tournament's elastic eligibility rules.
"Anthony Tupou's country of election is Australia," ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said.
"He has not applied to the Rugby League International Federation to change his country of election.
"Therefore as no application has been made, the only country Anthony is eligible to play for in the Rugby League World Cup is Australia."
Meanwhile Sydney Roosters forward Craig Fitzgibbon said he is just happy to have been named in the Australian squad.
Fitzgibbon thought he had played his last representative football after being overlooked for the New South Wales State of Origin team two seasons ago.
But he was recalled to the Blues team this year and named in the 24-man Kangaroos squad earlier this week.
Fitzgibbon said it has been a great season personally.
"It's going to be pretty hard to beat. Obviously your priority is to win the competition every year and you set your goals if you win a premiership or the personal accolades and I'm coming around that," he said.
"I'm a huge manufacture of the team doing so well this year and thankfully for me it's just ... someone's looking after me at the moment."
The Australia squad will go into camp in Sydney on Saturday.
-ABC/AFP
