Strong country team will test Lions The Waratahs' Tom Carter has been included in the Combined Country squad to face the British and Irish Lions. FIVE capped Wallabies have been included in a 43-man squad by coaches of the Combined NSW-Qld Country side wholl take on the British and Irish Lions next month. After announcing recently the Combined Country side would be selected on an "origin" basis, the preliminary squad contains 18 players contracted to Super Rugby teams, 11 players from Premier Club Rugby and seven players each from the current NSW and Queensland country teams. Keen to put out as strong a team as possible against the Lions in Newcastle on June 11, Country coach Cam Blades has a potential Test-calibre front row to build upon: with capped props Dan Palmer, Ben Daley, Greg Holmes and Nic Henderson in the squad. Reds and one-cap Wallaby flanker Beau Robinson is also in the squad. Blades said player availability has yet to be fully worked out, but already a majority of Waratahs and Force players have been overlooked, given they play two days before in Perth. Interestingly, Maitland-raised halfback Luke Burgess has not been included in the squad despite speculation he may play in the game after returning from France in the next few weeks. "Col (Jeffs), Garrick (Morgan), Todd (Louden) and myself have worked hard to get to this point, but over the next week we'll tackle the hardest part of selection - reducing 43 to just 23," Blades said. The final 23-man team will be announced on Friday 31 May, with the squad coming into camp in Newcastle on Thursday 6 June. SQUAD (Name followed by current club and region player hailed from) Rikki Abraham - Prop (QLD Country/Townsville) Dale Ah-Wong - Wing (QLD Country/Cairns) Rory Arnold - Lock (QLD Country/Gold Coast) Fotu Auelua - No 8 (Brumbies/Campbell Harlequins) Phoenix Battye - Lock (Force/Cooma) Corey Brown - Wing (Premier Rugby Norths/Illawarra/Wollongong) Jarrad Butler - Backrow (Reds/Gold coast) Sam Carter - Lock (Brumbies/Qiirindi) Tom Carter - Centre (Waratahs/Young) Lewie Catt - Centre (NSW Country/Newcastle) Duncan Chubb - Prop (Premier Rugby Southern Districts/Coffs Harbour) Tom Cox - Wing (Brumbies/Sunshine Coast) Sam Cox - Flyhalf (Premier Rugby Easts/Lismore) Sean Cox - Centre (Prmeier Rugby Easts/Lismore) Ben Daley - Prop (Reds/Gold Coast Breakers) Tim Davidson - Backrow (Rebels/Young) Trent Dyer - Backrow (Rebels/Gosford) Blake Enever Lock (Reds/Sunshine Coast) Alex Gibbon - Centre/Wing (Premier Rugby Southern Districts/Far NOrth Coast NSW) Elliot Hagan - Fullback/Wing (Premier Rugby - UQ/Sunshine Coast) Nic Henderson - Prop (Rebels/Millmerran) David Hickey - Backrow (Premier Rugby Sydney Uni/Dubbo) Haydn Hirsimaki - Prop (QLD Country/Sunshine Coast) Jed Holloway - Backrow (Waratahs/Yamba) Greg Holmes -Prop (Reds/Warwick) Tom Kearney - Hooker (QLD Country/Sunshine Coast) Josh Mann-Rae - Hooker (Brumbies/Narromine) Shaun McCarthy - Flyhalf (QLD Country/Townsville) Adam McCormack - Halfback (NSW Country/Hastings Valley) Tim Metcher - Prop (Premier Rugby Southern Districts/Coffs Harbour) Peter Nau - Hooker (NSW Country/Dubbo) Don Nepia - Fullback (NSW Country/Illawarra) Dan Palmer - Prop (Brumbies/Shellharbour) Angus Roberts - Flyhalf/Fullback (Rebels/Gunnedah) Beau Robinson - Backrow (Reds/Dubbo) Tereta-Junior - Siakisini - Centre (QLD Country/Gold Coast) Eli Sinoti - Wing (NSW Country/Illawarra) Michael Snowden - Halfback (Force/Tamworth) Richard Stanford - Lock (Premier Rugby - Eastern Suburbs/Wellington) Earnest Suavai - Centre/Wing (Premier Rugby - Brothers/Far North Queensland) Paul Taula - No 8 (NSW Country/Illawarra) Nathan Trist - Fullback/Wing (Premier Rugby - Sydney University/Kiama) Jeff Wilson - Backrow (NSW Country/Lennox Head)