Indigenous All-Stars coach Laurie Daley has conceded his squad may need to call on reserve-grade players should his forward pack diminish any further before next Saturday's All-Stars clash.
Both the Indigenous and Maori squads were confirmed earlier this week, with Daley and Maori coach David Kidwell both unable to select full-strength sides as a string of stars opted not to feature in the representative fixture.
While reinforcements have been welcomed into their respective sides, the Indigenous camp have seen their already low second-rower stocks drastically depleted, with the likes of Adam Elliott, Tyrone Peachey and Wade Graham among those unavailable.
Daley, who will begin preparations with his squad from Monday, currently has Josh Kerr, Andrew Fifita, Jamayne Taunoa-Brown and Ryan James at his disposal for front-rower duties, leaving the Indigenous All-Stars squad to potentially look toward the NSW Cup for their next wave of selections should they lose more forwards from their pack.
“It’s fair to say if we lose a forward or two, we will need to find some players who have not played a lot of first grade, if any at all,” Daley told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“We’re light on with forwards, we always have been, and we tend to produce so many outstanding backs."
While the compromised quality could hinder the Indigenous All-Stars' chances, uncapped NRL players could find their feet under the big lights before stepping foot onto the field come the premiership season.
Daley drew attention to the likes of Taunoa-Brown and Kerr, who sparked their careers with some help from the showcase game.
“We have actually picked guys who haven’t played first grade before, and they have done a great job for us," Daley added.
"In some cases, it has helped them go on to get contracts. When Jamayne played, he was on a train-and-trial contract with the Warriors at the time and then landed a full-time deal.
“Kerry was another player who debuted in this game, got some confidence and then kicked on.”
The Indigenous All-Stars' forward group will be supported by David Fifita, Josh Curran, Reuben Cotter and Jack Bird among others, however they will face tough competition from their Maori counterparts.
Kidwell will have James Fisher-Harris, Jazz Tevaga, Joseph Tapine, Kenny Bromwich, Kevin Proctor, Royce Hunt and TC Robati at his disposal for the clash, with the Maori All-Stars looking to extend their unbeaten run to three matches in a row.
The men's All-Stars match is scheduled to begin at 8:10pm AEDT at Commbank Stadium next Saturday.
