Italy coach Cameron Ciraldo and captain Mark Minichiello were on hand to address the media at Sunday’s Rugby League World Cup launch in Brisbane.
The former Tweed Heads Seagulls player Minichiello said a lot of the emerging nations in this year's tournament featured talented players drawn from the NRL and Super League and he was looking forward to the contests ahead.
Italy will also boast players from the Intrust Super Cup, with retiring Capra Gavin Hiscox and Northern Pride players including Ryan Ghietti and Justin Castellaro amongst their number.
Italy will kick off their tournament on Sunday at Barlow Park in Cairns against Ireland and will come up against former Northern Pride star Tyrone McCarthy.
Hear what Ciraldo and Minichiello had to say in the video above.
Read the Media Release: Nations unite for RLWC 2017 launch
See the teams for the opening RLWC weekend games --> Team Lists
(homepage photo by NRL Photos)
