Kangaroos five-eighth Cameron Munster is a doubt for Saturday’s Pacific Championship clash with the Kiwis after missing the team’s on-field training session on Wednesday due to illness.
Storm players have been staying at the Albury Hotel, where the Kangaroos are in camp all week, with Test debutant Nicho Hynes coaching during the half-time break in his absence.
Meanwhile, Storm center Justin Olam has been ruled out of Papua New Guinea’s Pacific Championship campaign due to a persistent knee problem.
Olam was a notable absence as the Kumuls returned to camp in Port Moresby after a week off to prepare for Sunday’s test against Fiji and PNG coach Justin Olam said he would not take part in the tournament fight..
“The reason I initially named him in the 21-man squad was because we knew he wouldn’t be good in the first game,” Holbrook said.
“We had a week off, which meant we had two more weeks to see how his knee would heal, but he still couldn’t run.
“I called him after the Cook Islands game to see where he was and he said, “Look, I haven’t gotten clearance from the physio”, which is understandable..
“He has two more weeks to try to recover, but it’s not enough.. He needs a few more weeks.
Kumuls also lost Warrington striker Rodrick Tai to a knee injury against the Cook Islands, while Featherstone’s McKenzie Yei has been training alone since arriving from England due to a knee injury.. Holbrook talked about Yei’s.
Dolphins forward Connelly Lemuelu will undergo further tests on his knee after suffering an injury while playing with Toa Samoa for the Pacific Championship.
Injury ruled Lemuelu out of the team’s second test against New Zealand on October 21, with coach Ben Gardiner confirming he will test him now that Samoa’s campaign has finished..