As the 2023 Pacific Championships gets underway, Zero Tackle looks at all the players who are absent from the New Zealand Kiwis squad that represented them at last year's Rugby League World Cup.
The players absent included a three-time Penrith Panthers premiership winner, a former New Zealand Kiwis captain and the reigning Dally M Winger of the Year.
10Scott Sorensen (Penrith Panthers)
Out of all the players who missed selection into the New Zealand Kiwis Pacific Championships squad, the omission of Scott Sorensen is the biggest question mark.
The three-time premiership winner for the Penrith Panthers had his best season to date in 2023 after being promoted to the starting second row after the departure of Viliame Kikau and solidified himself in the back row along with Liam Martin.
While Sorensen could have easily made it into the Kiwis starting 17 - and especially the extended squad - the only reason Michael Maguire could have had not to include him his age. Aged 30, it seems as though he has been passed over for younger Kiwi players.
However, as time has told many times, some players age like fine wine. For example, Shaun Johnson had an incredible season in 2023, proving all of his doubters wrong after they believed he was too old to cut it and should have retired at the beginning of the season.
Previous International Caps: 1 (2022)
