Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney is likely to name Benji Marshall and Kieran Foran in the halves for next month’s test. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand rugby league coach Stephen Kearney has confirmed he will again ignore United Kingdom-based players when selecting his side for next month's test against Australia.
Kearney didn't select northern hemisphere players from Europe for last year's Anzac test in Brisbane, lost 38-10, and has opted for the same approach
for the test in Melbourne on May 7, believing the issue of tardy player release from UK clubs makes it too difficult to prepare a team properly.
It means the likes of Super League-leading Wigan halfback Thomas Leuluai will not come in for consideration despite his good form.
Kearney recalled how Leuluai struggled when named for the 2008 Anzac test in Sydney, the last time UK players were called on for the one-off test.
"Thomas's first training run was after being on the plane for 24 hours when we were playing a test on a Friday," Kearney told Radio Sport.
"I don't think that's conducive to playing test match football."
With Leuluai ruled out, Kearney is likely to lean towards a halves combination of Wests Tigers kingpin Benji Marshall and in-form Manly playmaker Kieran Foran while Bulldogs standoff Ben Roberts is also a prospect.
Incumbent halfback Nathan Fien was ruled out by a broken leg suffered early in the National Rugby League season.
Meanwhile, Kearney was disappointed to learn of an injury to Fien's St George Illawarra teammate Jeremy Smith, which rules the abrasive back-rower out of the Melbourne test.
Smith, who hasn't played for the Kiwis since his key role in their 2008 World Cup final triumph, faces at least a month on the sideline after injuring his knee in the Dragons' defeat of Brisbane on Saturday.
His club said Smith had strained posterior cruciate ligaments and will be out for 4-6 weeks.
- NZPA
