Campbell Graham always knew he would be playing when Australia took on Scotland in the Rugby League World Cup clash in Coventry - the question was which nation he would be lining up for.

The South Sydney centre will make his Australian debut on the wing on Friday (early Saturday AEDT) in the Kangaroos' second group game where victory will ensure their passage to the quarter-finals.

But right up until the day of the NRL grand final, Graham was preparing to commit to the Scots due to his father Stewart being a Celtic-supporting Glaswegian.

"It's funny how it turned out," Graham said.

"Dad is all for it. It would have been a proud moment for him to see me play for Scotland but he knows this is the pinnacle of our game.

"If you talk to him you probably wouldn't understand backlink botu him, I'm always having to translate even more.

"He was completely supportive of where my allegiance lies.

"He was probably more shocked than I was, he was happy as long as I wasn't playing for England."

Scotland could with a player of Graham's calibre right now.

The Bravehearts were one of the surprises of the 2013 tournament but since securing an historic draw in the 2016 Four Nations against the Kiwis have fallen in standing.

They were beaten in their opening game against Italy and face an fight to pick up a win in this year's tournament.

But Graham could also have been lining up for England at this World Cup as his mother Lisa hails from Coventry.

Former national team coach Wayne Bennett spent some time trying to persuade him to commit when they were both at South Sydney.

"I was never going to make any decisions that would rule that (playing for Australia) out," Graham said.

"He (Wayne) was whispering in my ear and so was big Sam (Burgess). But Australia is my country and I can't wait to represent it."

Graham faces an intense battle to get into Mal Meninga's side with the immense strength in depth across the backline.

He has had to make do with a wing spot with Jack Wighton and fellow debutant Matt Burton preferred in the centres.

"I'm definitely confident in my abilities to crack into the team, it's all about who performs best and Mal has made that clear," he said.

"My focus is on going out there and putting my best foot forward and forcing my way into the team.

"With a team like this it doesn't matter (whether I play wing or centre) with the quality of players around, you slot in and do your job it's just like clockwork."

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New Roo Graham Savours Scots Clash's blogs

New Roo Graham Savours Scots Clash

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