Aside from potentially missing the Grand Final – which would be a devastating personal blow for Crossland – a suspension could also cut into the World Cup frame, given the tournament starts on October 15 with the marquee clash between the Kiwis and Kangaroos in Sydney and there are no preparation games ahead of the event.
The Kiwis have three group matches – versus Australia, Cook Islands (October 25 in Christchurch) and Fiji (October 31 on the Gold Coast), before a potential semi-final on November 7 or 8. The final is on November 15.
Phoenix Crossland of the Knights is sin-binned after causing a serious injury on Nathan Cleary of the Panthers during the Preliminary Final match on September 27. Photo / AAP
Crossland has been a vital element for the Kiwis since his 2024 international debut. He started all three matches in the Pacific Championships that year (with Jeremy Marshall-King unavailable through injury) then featured heavily in last season’s triumphant campaign, after Marshall-King suffered a broken thumb in the first half of the opening match against Samoa at Go Media Stadium.
However, regardless of what happens to Crossland, Egan won’t be a late inclusion in the squad. It’s understood the Sydney-born Warriors hooker is eligible for the Kiwis on residential grounds.
He has been at the Auckland club since the start of the 2019 season and has lived in New Zealand for more than five years, even allowing for the time away during the Covid pandemic.
Egan is coming off arguably the best NRL campaign of his career, a massive factor in the Warriors’ magnificent regular season, where they managed a club record 18 wins and finished second on the ladder. He was key to the team’s impressive attack and the fulcrum of a powerful forwards unit, as he came close to a State of Origin call-up.
Jeremy Marshall-King and Phoenix Crossland. Photo / Photosport
However, Egan wasn’t included in the Kiwis wider World Cup squad that was submitted to the International Rugby League earlier this month, with coach Stacey Jones opting for Brandon Smith as the third hooker, behind incumbents Jeremy Marshall-King and Crossland. Smith hasn’t featured for the Kiwis since the last World Cup in 2022, after being rated as the No 1 option – and one of the best in the world between 2018-2021.
The 23-man World Cup squad will be selected from the wider list, though it is possible to apply for dispensation from the IRL to include a player not in that bracket, such as Egan.
But the Herald understands that the New Zealand Rugby League have decided not to go down that route. They are still hopeful that Crossland will be available for a portion of the tournament, though that will be decided on Tuesday night.
Otherwise, Marshall-King is the first choice option, with Smith as the backup. Te Maire Martin can also fill in at number nine, as he has done for the Warriors over the past few seasons. Kodi Nikorima is also capable of playing at hooker.
He has been used off the interchange in that role at club level, especially at the Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney and also filled in during the 2024 Pacific Championships campaign. However, Nikorima is likely to be needed in the halves, given the lack of depth in that area with the absence of Dylan Brown (injured) and the retirement of Kieran Foran.
The Kiwis squad will be named next Tuesday.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.