League: Mannering ready to step up again despite toll on body

Darren Lockyer of the Kangaroos. Photo / Getty Images

If Sunday's test match comes down to a case of who cares wins, it will be a close run thing.

With the likes of Chris Lawrence and Paul Gallen fronting up after torrid seasons it appeared the Kangaroos would have an edge in the "doing it for the mother country" stakes.

Wests Tigers centre Lawrence suffered a dislocated hip early in the season and multiple muscle tears after his return. Gallen played himself into the ground during State of Origin and hobbled through the final games of Cronulla's long lost cause of a season on a shredded calf. Considered against Shaun Johnson's withdrawal due to concerns over the back injury he suffered pre-season and Manu Vatuvei's unavailability at a time of the season when he appeared to be getting on top of a litany of injuries, the Kangaroos were well on top on the self sacrifice stakes. Throw in Krisnan Inu scarpering for personal reasons that amount to little more than he didn't much fancy it and it's Lay Down Misere to the brave Aussie battlers.

Or is it? The sight of Warriors captain Simon Mannering rumbling up and down the training paddock with his dicky knee mummified with strapping tape rather changes all that. Mannering played all 28 matches for the Warriors this season, and the May Anzac test. At times his strained knee prevented him from training, but he still suited and booted on match days and more often than not battled through the full 80 minutes.

Mannering has put himself through the wringer this season - and he wouldn't miss Sunday's match for all the steel in Newcastle.

"My niggles are manageable," he said. "They definitely won't hinder me going into next season so I had no decision to make. I was always going to come along to have the honour of playing for the Kiwis.

"To be honest, I'm not as bad as I thought I would be. It has been a long season but it has been an enjoyable one. The body is still holding together nicely."

Coach Stephen Kearney went to bat for the notable Warriors absentees, saying Johnson's back injury had become an issue late in the season, and Vatuvei clearly would benefit from the break.

"I'd like to see Shaun in a Kiwi jumper for the next 10 or 12 years," Kearney said. "We don't want to take any risks with a guy like that and I don't think the club does either. I don't have any issue with that. And Manu has had a tough year. He had a bad knee injury right at the beginning, a broken arm at the back end and wrist problems also."

Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens was remarkably frank, admitting Australia weren't blameless when it came to questionable withdrawals.

"There are a couple of players who chose not to play for various reasons, so I don't think we are clean skins in that area," Sheens said.

While he didn't name names, Manly skipper Jamie Lyon is often unavailable for rep duty, while Knights star Kurt Gidley is not believed to be at death's door despite being an injury withdrawal.

So if it comes down to who cares wins, maybe it will be a draw.