Penrith forward Lindsay Smith will confront his Kiwi mentor after shock inclusion in Kangaroos squad

Kangaroos bolter Lindsay Smith lauded premiership Penrith teammate James Fisher-Harris as a huge influence on his career in the hours before it was confirmed he could be coming up against the revered Kiwis leader in the Pacific Championship.

Panthers forward Smith was one of the surprise inclusion in Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga’s 21-player squad that includes eight new faces brought in to avenge last year’s loss to New Zealand.

The 30-0 defeat in the final 12 months ago is still burning Meninga ahead of next week’s opening game against Tonga in Brisbane.

“As the coach, I didn’t get a chance to jump on the bike until the next couple of weeks,” he said at the squad announcement at the SCG on Monday.

“It’s been eating away at me a little bit, and it obviously drives you because we don’t like to be beaten.

“It’s something that’s going to be motivating for me and the team going forward.”

While much of the focus has been on James Tedesco, Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic dropping out, Smith gets his chance to shine after winning back-to-back premierships with Penrith.

“I think Lindsay’s had a great two years,” Meninga said.

“He played in the Penrith side last year and this year off the bench, but he’s playing 50-odd minutes every week and played every game this year, so he’s very durable.

“His finals series has been excellent, so we believe he’s deserving of a spot in the Kangaroos.”

Smith averaged career highs in minutes per game, metres, tackles and offloads, with the bench forward running for 122m in Sunday’s grand final win over the Storm.

His rapid rise means he’s been anointed by most people as the man to replace Warriors-bound Fisher-Harris in the pack, and while he may be too humble to admit it, Smith has all the tools to carry on his legacy upfront.

“No one is James Fisher-Harris, so I don’t think anyone can fill his shoes. It’ll be a joint effort from all of us to go up a gear,” he said in the Penrith sheds after the game.

“He’s done so much for my career and for the club.

“It’s going to be sad to see him go, but it’s also good because he’s going for the right reasons. He’ll be sorely missed.

“Last year was a bit different for me. I think I learnt a lot from that.

“This year it felt like I belonged a lot more out there. I really enjoyed that game and can’t wait to watch it again in the next few weeks.”