League: Benji Marshall in line for test recall

Benji Marshall is set for a return to the Kiwis. Photo / Getty Images

Benji Marshall could be in line for a test recall in the No 6 jersey as the Kiwis face injury concerns ahead of next Friday's Anzac test in Brisbane.

Four players from last year's Four Nations winning side - Kieran Foran (hamstring), Jason Nightingale (foot), Dean Whare (hamstring) and Lewis Brown (ribs) are unlikely to be available for selection when coach Stephen Kearney names his squad on Sunday.

Foran is a chance of playing in Manly's Anzac Day clash with the Storm in Melbourne but should he fail to recover in time, a resurgent Marshall could be in the frame to make a test recall after last donning the Kiwis jersey in 2012.

Marshall could re-join Shaun Johnson in the halves but if Foran is fit and available the Dragons playmaker's versatility could still see him claim the bench utility role vacated by Brown.

In-form Sydney Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is also out of action and facing six weeks on the sidelines with a pectoral injury suffered in Saturday's 17-16 defeat to Melbourne, ruling out any chance he had of nabbing incumbent Adam Blair's spot.

Nightingale's absence opens the door for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to slot in on the wing, but Kearney could be tempted to play him in his preferred position of fullback and switch Manly's Peta Hiku to the flank.

Whare's misfortune provides Kearney with perhaps his biggest selection conundrum, and he may be tempted to take a gamble on 20-year-old Warriors centre Solomone Kata over Cronulla's Gerard Beale.

Fellow Warriors midfielder Konrad Hurrell has looked patchy in his first three games back from injury and it would take a much improved showing against the Titans on Saturday to see him enter the selection frame.

Kata, meanwhile, has forged a potent combination with winger Manu Vatuvei over the opening seven rounds of the NRL and that could be enough to see him get the nod, although Penrith's Dallin Watene Zelezniak is another contender for the left flank position.

The Kangaroos have their own injury worries with Billy Slater (shoulder), Brett Morris (hamstring), Justin Hodges (hamstring), Darius Boyd (Achilles) and Josh Mansour (knee) all out of contention, while Josh Morris (ankle) and incumbent Dylan Walker (thumb) are still to prove their fitness and Sione Mata'utia is struggling for form.

Victory in Brisbane would see New Zealand usurp Australia at the top of the Rugby League International Federation's rankings and see them win more than two games in a row over Australia for just the second time in the game's 107-year history.

The Kiwis beat Australia twice in 1908 but only managed to better that when they won four consecutive matches between June 1952 and July 1953, giving them their only hat-trick of wins in 129 games against their rivals.