North Queensland Cowboys coach Paul Green says he is yet to decide whether Johnathan Thurston will be risked at this month’s Auckland Nines.
The 31-year-old has made significant strides in his recovery from a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the Four Nations tournament last year and is keen to help the Cowboys defend their pre-season crown.
“That’s still in negotiations at this stage,” Green said on Tuesday.
“I haven’t decided yet. We’ll see how it is once we get a bit closer but I wont be taking any unnecessary risks.
“Our main focus is still the NRL season.”
Thurston didn’t play in the inaugural Auckland Nines and said at the time he had no interest in taking part in the 2015 edition.
But the star playmaker told media on a promotional visit to New Zealand in November that he wished he had after watching his teammates lift the trophy last year.
It’s still not too high on the Cowboys’ priority list – Green said he was a fan of the event, but joked his team would only begin tailoring their preparations for it the day before leaving.
“There’s a bit of mucking around you have to do to get yourself over there – it’s quite a bit of an effort for us being up in Townsville,” he said.
“It’s a really good event once you get there.
“I thought they did a great job with it last year and for us, winning it made the weekend so much more enjoyable.”
Meanwhile, Green confirmed James Tamou, Matt Scott and Scott Bolton are all on track to play in the NRL’s opening round.
While none have resumed full training yet, the coach said he was pleased with the injured trio’s progression over the summer.
Tamou had neck surgery in December and it was initially feared he could be sidelined for up to nine months, while Scott and Bolton both had off-season shoulder operations.
“It’s still a long way off yet and there’s still a fair bit of work for those guys to do before we get to that point, but they’re certainly tracking where they should be,” Green said.
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