Last week he left the NRL. Next week Carter Gordon is set for a Wallabies comeback

Carter Gordon has re-signed with Australian rugby after a stint in the NRL and looks likely to be back in action with the Wallabies next week in a Test match against his former coach, Eddie Jones, in Tokyo.

Gordon’s return to rugby after 16 months with the Gold Coast Titans was confirmed by Rugby Australia on Monday, just 90 minutes before the 24-year-old was named in the 34-man Wallabies’ squad for the five-Test spring tour, which begins next week.

In a selection shock, Gordon was included, but rising Wallabies playmaker Tom Lynagh was left out for a second straight year - despite having been the starting No.10 for the Wallabies during the British and Irish Lions series.

Lynagh then suffered head and hamstring injuries that kept him out of all but one of the Wallabies’ Rugby Championship games, and Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said in a release they were taking a “long-term view” and allowing him to return to full fitness in a pre-season with Queensland.

That sees Gordon and Tane Edmed as the only recognised No.10s in the squad, with England-based James O’Connor as a potential third option during the three-week regulation 9 (international) window in November.

Gordon will, therefore, likely be needed to play against Japan in Tokyo on October 25, in what will be a fascinating reunion with Jones, who gave him a Wallabies debut in 2023 and backed him at the Rugby World Cup - but also dropped him mid-tournament.

Gordon elected soon after to switch codes in 2025 and, after being overlooked by Schmidt, joined the Titans in mid-2024. The playmaker endured a difficult time with injury in rugby league. He suffered a cerebrospinal fluid leak, which required corrective surgery and a long rehabilitation.

Gordon returned to action in the Queensland Cup in August and made his NRL debut at centre for the Titans against the Wests Tigers in the last round of the season.

But with mutual interest between RA and Gordon about a return to rugby before the 2027 World Cup in Australia, negotiations between the Titans and RA opened, and a deal was soon struck. He has signed a three-year deal with RA and Queensland.

“I’m stoked to return to the game I grew up playing and loving as a kid,” Gordon said in a release.

“I’ve watched both Queensland and the Wallabies from afar over the past year or so, and the journey they’re on motivates me to want to work hard and contribute positively on and off the field.”

RA paid a fee to the Titans to secure Gordon’s release, according to a source familiar with the arrangement. Reports say it was $100,000, but RA and the Titans have not confirmed the terms.

What is clear from the news of Gordon’s recruitment, however, is that the former Melbourne Rebel is being looked at as a strong candidate to fill the problematic No.10 jersey for the Wallabies for the World Cup.

With a 95kg and 193cm frame, Gordon is also being considered as a potential No.12 in the mould of Jordie Barrett. He can also play fullback.

The Reds, in particular, may view Gordon more as a centre given they are stacked with five-eighths for 2026. They have Lynagh and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips already on the books. Former Fiji Test pivot Ben Volavola also recently signed.

McLaughlin-Phillips is being courted by Waratahs coach Dan McKellar, however, about a move to Sydney.

Gordon came through the Reds’ academy but moved to Melbourne in 2021 and played 46 Super Rugby games for the Rebels. He made his debut for the Wallabies in 2023 in Pretoria.

“Carter’s signing will ensure additional healthy competition at the Reds and the Wallabies, and provides him with a two-year runway to make his case for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia,” RA boss Phil Waugh said.

Meanwhile, Reds halfback Kalani Thomas and prop Aidan Ross could make their Test debuts on the Wallabies’ spring tour after winning call-ups from Schmidt.

Thomas has stepped up to replace Nic White and the injured Tate McDermott, while Ross has moved into the vacancy left by retired legend James Slipper.

Brandon Paenga-Amosa missed the cut. Dylan Pietsch has been named after recovering from a broken jaw, and Andrew Kellaway has overcome a calf injury. Australia A squad members Matt Faessler, Josh Canham, Pete Samu, and Hamish Stewart were also named.

Len Ikitau, Tom Hooper and Will Skelton were not named, but will be called up from their clubs in the international window.

Schmidt said in a statement: “We’ve taken a long-term view with Tom Lynagh, who is still just 22-years-old. He has had a few injury frustrations since the third test versus the Lions in early August and will follow an individualised program, guided by both Wallabies and Queensland staff, which will allow him to recover to full fitness.”