KEY POINTS:
The Kiwis are banking on the use of specialist players in the key positions of hooker, halfback, five-eighth and fullback to lift them against Australia in the World Cup tournament.
The All Golds squad ran in Auckland yesterday with former Kiwis great Stacey Jones adding direction to a team that will include the man who will carry much of that weight - Wests Tigers star Benji Marshall.
Marshall and others, including Kiwis captain Nathan Cayless, haven't played since the last round of the NRL on September 8. So with the World Cup opener against Australia not until October 26, the All Golds will run against a Maori selection this weekend, and then the full Kiwis warm-up against Tonga will be their only chance to hone match fitness.
The Tigers five-eighth has missed many tests through recurring injuries but yesterday declared himself 100 per cent fit and raring to go.
"The last four weeks of training have been the hardest training I've done.
"We've had three sessions a week out at Parramatta Stadium; I've done a lot of fitness work and tackling and I feel really confident."
Thomas Leuluai will play halfback inside Marshall, but the other Super League selection, Brent Webb, remains in doubt for the fullback spot he would have taken automatically.
Webb's back injury may require long rest, and he is said to be in such discomfort that he cannot face the 24-hour flight to Auckland.
The alternatives are Lance Hohaia, who did a tremendous job standing in for Wade McKinnon at the Warriors; Parramatta's Krisnan Inu, who has played tests there before; or Sam Perrett from the Roosters, who was tour fullback in England and did a good job.
Inu has been lacking top form and Hohaia will be more valuable from the bench, so Perrett seems the likely pick if Webb is eliminated. If Webb goes, it will open a hole for the Dragons wing/fullback Jason Nightingale to return should he play well for the Maori, after he missed early Kiwis selection.
The hooking options are the Souths' Isaac Luke, the Warriors' Nathan Fien or the Tigers' Dene Halatau, all with test experience.
"We're now in the position where we don't have to play players out of position," Kiwis convener of selectors Howie Tamati said yesterday.
"There are players who have specialist skills and/or have the ability to play well in a number of positions."
All bar Webb and Manly centre Steve Matai have passed fitness assessment. Matai will see a specialist today about whether his shoulder needs reconstruction surgery immediately or whether minor surgery post-Cup will fix bone chips.
Two-test Kiwi Chase Stanley, from the Dragons, has been called into the Maori squad after the withdrawal of Rooster Anthony Cherrington.
The Aussie-bred, new England coach Tony Smith has, like Australia and New Zealand, drawn heavily from their grand final sides. The England World Cup squad named yesterday includes eight players from champions Leeds, seven from defeated finalists St Helens, three from Wigan and one from Warrington.
Lee Smith (no relation), who was Webb's replacement at fullback for Leeds during the Super League grand final, is a bolter in a squad captained by Jamie Peacock.
Numerous NRL players who missed selection for either Australia or New Zealand have been named to appear for Pacific Island or British sides, notably Roosters second rower Anthony Tupou, who played for the Kangaroos in the centenary test against the Kiwis in May and will turn out for Fiji.
The 2007 Kiwi tourists Fuifui Moimoi from Parramatta and Taniela Tuiaki from Wests switch to Tonga, who also include Warrior Epalahame Lauaki, Penrith centre Michael Jennings, Parramatta lock Feleti Mateo and wings Jarryd Hayne and Tony Williams, under coach Jim Dymock.
A heap of former Kiwis, including David Solomona, David Faiumu, Ali Lauitiiti, Willie Talau, Matt Utai and Tony Puletua, join Nigel Vagana in the strong Samoan squad.
