One of the NRL's biggest names is expected to miss the Auckland NRL Nines this weekend.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Cowboys playmaker Johnathan Thurston will skip the Nines for the second straight year.
The defending champions are set to name their final squad today and despite being named in the NRL All Star game on February 13, Thurston is set to miss the Nines.
Thurston didn't play in the Four Nations at the end of last year due to a shoulder injury but has been named as captain for the Indigenous All Stars.
Thurson won his third Daly M Award last season when he was named joint winner with Jarryd Hayne.
