Newly appointed Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters isn't concerned by the reports of star players who are considering making themselves unavailable for the upcoming Ashes series.
Walters appeared on Nine's Today Show on Thursday, where he expressed his optimism about his tenure as head coach of the Australian rugby league team.
"Really excited and really thrilled to get the opportunity to coach the Kangaroos," he said.
"Mal’s done a great job with the culture of the Kangaroos."
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The players in question include State of Origin stars Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Payne Haas and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui - who are all eligible to play for Samoa.
"I’m not really concerned about that," said Walters.
"We’ve got great depth in the Australian team.
"I totally respect players that want to play for some of the Pasifika nations.
"There’s some great options there that we have to choose from."
Walters said that he would reach out to the undecided stars, but doesn't want to put any pressure on them to make any other decision but the one that is best for their careers.
"I will be making some phone calls to those players and saying what my plans are for the future of the Kangaroos," said Walters.
"I’m not going to try and convince these players because that will be a decision that they make."
With the Ashes tour a mere three-months away, the veteran coach has a lot on his plate to field the best 17 Kangaroos that the nation can produce.