Les Kiss says Carter Gordon could be an option to start against England next week, but the Wallabies coach also hinted Declan Meredith may get another crack at the No. 10 jersey after his promising display in Bledisloe II.
Kiss will fly out separately to London from his squad on Friday night to attend a weekend meeting with fellow Test coaches and World Rugby's refereeing team ahead of the closing Nations Championship matches.
And that journey will allow him further time to consider his selections for the Allianz Stadium Twickenham clash next Sunday [Monday morning AEDT], particularly at No. 10 where Meredith was one of Australia's better performers in the 43-21 loss to the All Blacks.
"We'll work it out, because I have to look at what Declan provided in that game [Bledisloe II], we've had some brief discussions as coaches about how that is going to look for us and how we work that through the three games," Kiss told reporters when asked about whether Gordon, who is returning from a fractured leg, would be considered for a start against England.
"I don't have a full answer for that right now, we'll just get a feel for it when we hit the ground; Monday into Tuesday's session, we'll just be a little bit more informed of where we take that."
Kiss said there was a chance the Wallabies wouldn't settle on their team until the Wednesday as opposed to the usual Tuesday naming internally, with Gordon potentially a risky play given his recent injury record and with three Tests still to follow the clash with England.
While Meredith enjoyed some impressive moments against the All Blacks, he also made a couple of rudimentary errors, while Ben Donaldson, who was a late scratching for Bledisloe I, rode mixed outings against the Springboks and then New Zealand in the opening trans-Tasman clash.
"This is finalising that whole learning curve, I guess," Kiss said of his options at 10 for the tour. "With Kurtley [Beale] coming in, that just gives us the space to see how that works when you bring experience back into the group.
"Our 10s, I can't fault how they do their work. I can't fault how they hold themselves to task about what's required. Their work is fantastic.
"Donno against South Africa, I thought showed really good qualities in how he took that game on. Declan in that game [against New Zealand], I thought he owned really important moments; certainly a few little things, the kick-offs and a few things, that he could have done better. But there was a drive and a verve in his game and he was direct, he took the line on, he challenged with some kicks. So there were some really good solid things from the 10s.
"I think all of them understand how we want to play and how we're going to evolve some of that in the northern hemisphere when we go there, so I'm really pleased where they are and they'll get their opportunities."
Beale's return after five years in the Test-match wilderness is a change of thinking for Kiss, after the Queenslander had resisted calls to bring the 95-Test veteran or fellow playmakers Bernard Foley or James O'Connor back into the fold.
"Yeah, it's live to compete. No-one comes in just to fill a void," Kiss said of Beale, who joined the squad as a replacement for Hunter Paisami.
"All the decisions I think I've made along the way, with the full backing of the coaches, because we're trying to just build depth in different areas, it's important that this is not just feeling it and hoping. We just want to make sure it works, and he's in there to perform.
"I have spoken to him on this, I like the fact that we've given the younger guys a chance to grow without the experience sitting on their shoulder; we've always said we'd lean back into the experience when we wanted to, but he's coming in to predominantly drive that second five-eighth position [No. 12], around that area.
"And he can flex into 15 and 10 in our sessions and how we build our game going forward. So we just need him in that space, and he'll bring his experience in his way."
Kiss also revealed forward Tom Hooper was fit to play despite taking another bang on a troublesome scapula injury while playing for Exeter last weekend. Hooper will join the squad in London on Monday, after missing the Bledisloe Tests alongside Taniela Tupou because the matches fell outside World Rugby's designated international window.
As for the continued omission of winger Dylan Pietsch, Kiss said he wanted some more flexibility in the back three following Jock Campbell's move to France, resulting in James Ramm's selection ahead of his soon-to-be Western Force teammate.
"Well Dylan has had that foot injury he came back from and he's working slowly through that for sure," Kiss said of Pietsch, who is on tour with Australia A.
"The one thing that has happened when an injury happens, it's becoming really difficult to move the person that comes in and they've been performing either in training or playing; how do we get those blokes back in? It's more difficult to get back in and that's what it should be, more competitive.
"Dylan's sitting right here in that selection frame for sure. We felt that we just wanted to get another 15 in play and look at another 15. So we looked at what are our options there with Jock moving to Japan in this period... but he's in the picture that's for sure."
After facing England, the Wallabies meet Scotland and then Wales, before a final "rankings" clash back at Twickenham to determine their final placing in the southern hemisphere group.
Currently in third place on that ladder, the Wallabies will be at long odds to improve that position given New Zealand and South Africa swept their July Tests 3-0, while Australia could manage only one win over Italy and three bonus points.