2026 Rugby League World Cup: Latrell Mitchell, Jarome Luai and Olivia Kernick among the players to watch

There’s no shortage of big-name players with their eyes on the prize at the looming men’s and women’s Rugby League World Cup.

A quick look at Kernick’s personal trophy cabinet reveals a slew of accolades many players could spend a lifetime chasing but never come close to collecting — and she is only 25 years-old. Arguably the NRLW’s best player, the Jillaroos forward is already a triple premiership-winner with Sydney Roosters and was part of the Australian side who won the last World Cup. Individually, she has a Dally M Medal, a Dally M Second Rower of the Year award and a Nellie Doherty Medal for best player in an Origin series. The running machine was among the top five for both run metres and post-contact metres this NRLW season, while also ranking just outside the top 10 for tackles.

The Sydney Roosters standout could have played for Australia, the country of her birth. Or she could have represented New Zealand, though her father John. But instead, the in-demand star opted for England, the birthplace of her mother and will form a key part of the Lionesses’ hopes of bettering their semifinal appearance in 2022. With a strong connection to English rugby through her parents, expect the passionate, robust and athletic Strange to embrace the occasion. A three-time premiership-winner with both Newcastle and the Roosters, the versatile Strange is no stranger to representative footy, having played for the Maori All-Stars.

New Zealand might be the main threats to the overwhelming favouritism of the Jillaroos, and if they are to spring the ultimate upset, half-back McGregor looms as pivotal. The Wests Tigers star and 2022 Dally M Medallist will arrive at the World Cup with form in spades after a wonderful season where she led her side to fourth on the ladder. A two-time New Zealand Rugby League player of the year, the elusive half can turn and dummy on a dime and was arguably the form player at her position. Whether she is putting the ball to boot, taking it herself or laying it on a platter for her teammates, McGregor is a danger lurking in plain sight.

In the wake of Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary’s crushing, horrific leg break, the question has turned to who will be the Kangaroos’ playmaker-in-chief. While coach Kevin Walters says his mind is torn over whether it will be Moses, Sam Walker or Tom Dearden, the former and most-experienced of the trio appears to have his nose in front. The Parramatta Eeels star has eschewed Lebanon, who he represented at the previous two World Cups, to represent the country of his birth on home soil. Moses may not have set the world alight this season, but he has the veteran nous to keep the train on the tracks and steer and direct the Kangaroos around the field and was a key part of NSW’s Origin triumph where he lined up at five-eighth — although he will likely don the no.7 jersey if selected.

The South Sydney star suffered another injury-stricken season, but when he was on the field there was no doubt he still had the magic — like his tackle-busting, four-try showing in the Rabbitohs’ destruction of St George Illawarra. While a back issue sidelined him for a lengthy portion of the second half of the season, Mitchell returned just in time for finals and has declared he has no concerns about his fitness heading into the World Cup. With his own on-field gravitational pull, the hard-running and silkily-skilled centre remains a match-winner at any point in a game, wherever he is on the field — and as influential as he can be on-field, the charismatic walking highlight reel could also serve as the face of the tournament in the absence of Cleary.

Four years ago at the last World Cup, Luai was a key figure as Samoa negotiated first Tonga and then England — after they were hammered by the hosts in the opening game of the tournament — to set up a miracle run to the final which energised the entire competition. And if a Samoa side boasting an array of Origin reps and stars of the game and looking to emulate their run to the final, the PNG Chiefs-via-Parramatta Eels-bound Luai will be pivotal. The former Wests Tigers skipper was a key cog in Penrith Panthers’ dynasty as he played Robin to Nathan Cleary’s Batman and the presence he brings to the halves gives opponents something to think about.

If 2025 was clouded by off-field controversy, 2026 was the stuff of dreams for the tough-tackling Sydney Rooster. The lock made his Origin debut for NSW, starred for the Roosters in their run to what was his third grand final victory, and now he will eye a World Cup win for England. The biggest name among England’s smattering of Australian-based talent, Radley kept himself on the park this season by avoiding suspension and injury. The Roosters enforcer prowls the line like a bouncer and his place at the heart of the English defence is set in concrete. Look for him to stamp his authority on the game by stamping his authority on the opposition in the only way he knows how — with a heavy hit.

Like Radley, Whyte was an integral part of the Roosters’ recent NRL Premiership success and now will be looking to take his club form into his first World Cup. The imposing forward is rarely better than when he is running into, and subsequently through, the line. No one racked up more post-contact metres this NRL season than Whyte’s 2114, and even accounting for his extra games during Sydney’s grand final run, he still ranked second at a per-game average. A workhorse whether he is in the front row or serving as a lock, the Kiwi star could have won the Clive Churchill Medal for his feats in the Roosters’ grand final win, but just took home the club’ highest individual honour (the Jack Gibson Medal) as a consolation.