Australian Kangaroos forward Cameron Murray has been ruled out of the World Cup clash with the Cook Islands on the day of kick-off.
Hulking-South Sydney teammate David Fifita will replace Murray on Kevin Walters' six-man bench for their Saturday night meeting in Townsville, according to fresh reports from News Corp.
Murray got through the captain's run on Friday, but subsequently pulled up with general soreness, while a light illness has kept him less than 100 per cent, prompting Walters to give him a rest for the third match of the Kangaroos' campaign.
Murray underwent a HIA last week, culminating in a category two result, but is believed to be good to go when Australia reach the semifinals next week.
The green and gold are yet to reach their best in the tournament, defeating Fiji to continue their undefeated status, but the jury is still out on whether they can take it to the next level.
Despite this, Walters is confident the Kangaroos can continue to build to defend their World Cup title.
“We're still yet to find our best form, so that's exciting for me and the rest of the team,” he told Courier Mail.
“Our best football is still in front of us, which is what I planned to happen, and it's happening nicely for us.
“We're very comfortable with where we're at and we're looking forward to the game.
“Maybe some more football for these guys would be really good for them, and we'll see what happens after the game with the team next week.”
Meanwhile, the Cook Islands have lost both of their matches so far against Fiji and New Zealand, but have shown glimpses of brilliance throughout the campaign including Esom Ioka scoring a lightning fast hat-trick last week against the Kiwis.
