St Helens fullback Lachlan Coote has become the second Australian-born player to be called up by Great Britain coach Wayne Bennett.
Coote, who has British ancestry and played for Scotland in the 2016 Four Nations Series, joins Warrington five-eighth Blake Austin in a 29-man performance squad to prepare for the end-of-season tour to New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Coote played over 150 games in the NRL with Penrith and North Queensland, and represented City Origin and the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII, prior to his move to the English Super League.
Former Canberra star Austin has also represented City Origin after playing for the Portugal national team.
Coote’s Saints team-mate Morgan Knowles, who played for Wales in the 2017 World Cup, is one of the five new faces but winger Regan Grace, his team-mate for club and country, is not among them.
Instead Bennett has called up Leeds winger Ash Handley, the leading tryscorer in Super League in 2019.
The other newcomers are Warrington forward Joe Philbin, who played for Ireland in the last World Cup, and Salford second rower Josh Jones while St Helens forward Matty Lees would have been a sixth fresh face but for injury.
Also ruled out through injury are Wakefield winger Tom Johnstone and Castleford half-back Luke Gale while Warrington second rower Ben Currie was left out to allow him to have a full off-season after his recent injury problems.
“As we’ve said since the return of the Great Britain team was announced at the start of the year, we have considered everyone who is eligible and puts themselves forward,” Bennett said.
“As well as this performance squad of players based in England and France, we’ve got another group of players based in the NRL to consider – and there’s still time for others who are eligible to impress and force their way in.”
The squad will meet for the first time in Leeds next Tuesday to begin the preparations for the first Rugby League Lions tour since 2006.