Fittler played in 13 World Cup matches across the 1989-1992, 1995 and 2000 tournaments. His first forays into the World Cup arena came via Cup-countable matches taken from Australia’s multiple international series between 1989 and 1992. These selected fixtures built up to the ’92 decider won by Australia over the Brits at Wembley in front of 73,000 spectators, with a sprightly, hot-stepping 20-year-old Fittler partnering the already-great Queensland number seven Allan Langer in the halves.

Just three years later he’d find himself in the captain’s chair of the famed Australia Kangaroos, thanks mainly to a large chunk of the Roos’ squad of the day being ruled ineligible for national selection by the ARL amidst Super League’s recruitment campaign.

Fittler’s first World Cup match as skipper would prove the first and last loss of his Cup career; a 20-16 defeat to Great Britain at the old Wembley Stadium in the preliminary rounds of the 1995 tournament. Through that ’95 event, however, Freddy would go on to captain the Aussies to wins over Fiji in the pools and New Zealand in the semi-finals. The Australians would ultimately avenge that first-up pool defeat to the Poms with a 16-8 win in the final at Wembley in front of 66,540.

Five years later, Fittler and the Australians served it up again to the world, this time at the 2000 Cup. Here, Freddy captained the Aussies to a win over England (rather than Great Britain) in the first round of the tournament in the first-ever rugby league match to be played at the home of rugby union, Twickenham. An audience of 33,758 watched the Aussies put on a clinic against the Cup co-hosts in London, with the flashy visitors claiming a dominant 22-2 win to open the tournament. The Kangaroos would go on to defeat Fiji, Samoa and Wales on the way to an historic 40-12 World Cup Final win over the Kiwis at Old Trafford, Manchester.

Whether the former Penrith junior will be able to take Lebanon to great heights at the 2017 World Cup remains to be seen. He does, however, have former Eels star and current Parra Under 20s mentor Luke Burt by his side as assistant, as well as a potential pool of players including established NRL stars Tim Mannah, Robbie Farah, Mitchell Moses, Josh Mansour and Michael Lichaa to choose from.

Lebanon gained entry to Rugby League World 2017 by toppling the South African Rhinos 40-12 and 50-16 in two Middle East-Africa region qualification games at Brakpan Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa on successive weekends back in October 2015.

In their most recent hit-out in early June, a late penalty goal allowed Lebanon to lift the Mediterranean Cup for the fifth time, in a tough encounter with Italy in Beirut.

At the 2017 World Cup, the Cedars will play France on October 29 at Canberra Stadium to open their campaign, before moving on to Sydney for two more pool games against heavyweights England (November 5) and Australia (November 11).

Fittler’s deep interest in the progress of rugby league in Lebanon is where the developing nation will truly see inroads made over the next while. The Panthers, Roosters and NSW legend will head to Lebanon in a few months the gauge the temperature of the locally grown league talent, whose roots can be traced back to the nation’s appearance at the World Sevens in Sydney in the late ‘90s.

“I think everyone sits around and says ‘how can the NRL help us’, but they have issues to worry about here, so let’s not wait for the NRL, let’s see what we can go and do.”

“It is about getting some pathways set up and just being organised generally. A lot of people here are putting their hand in their pocket, a lot of them are giving a lot of their time for nothing, so that is the basis for anything good and they have made the first couple of steps.”

The Cedars maybe a long way from the dominant force the Kangaroos have proven to be at World Cup level, but with Fittler’s enthusiasm, commitment and expertise, they’ll certainly be amongst the best-prepared for what tournament rugby league will throw at them.

Vs France
Played: 4
W 3 – D 0 – L 1
Purchase Tickets to France v Lebanon in Canberra on 29/10/2017

Vs England
Played: 0
W 0 – D 0 – L 0
Purchase Tickets to England v Lebanon in Sydney on 4/11/2017

Vs Australia
Played: 0
W 0– D 0 – L 0
Purchase Tickets to England v Lebanon in Sydney on 11/11/2017

By James Smith | @JamesSmith1001
Contributer, RLWC2017