The New Zealand train-on squad for the rugby league World Cup has swelled to 24 following the addition of seven players from the Canterbury Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys.
The Bulldogs provide five of them – forwards Greg Eastwood, Frank Pritchard and Sam Kasiano and backs Krisnan Inu and Sam Perrett, who was the leading Kiwi tryscorer in the NRL this season with 18.
The two Cowboys players added are forward Jason Taumalolo and wing Antonio Winterstein.
The national selectors – coach Stephen Kearney, assistant coach Ivan Cleary, Richie Barnett and Tawera Nikau – along with the convenor of selectors Tony Iro – will add to the squad over coming weeks as teams are eliminated from the NRL finals.
A Kiwis squad of 24 for the World Cup will be named on October 8.
Kiwis train-on squad: Alex Glenn, Josh Hoffman (Brisbane Broncos), Greg Eastwood, Krisnan Inu, Sam Kasiano, Sam Perrett, Frank Pritchard (Canterbury Bulldogs), Jason Taumalolo, Antonio Winterstein (North Queensland Cowboys), Bronson Harrison, Jason Nightingale (St George Illawarra Dragons), Lewis Brown, Sam McKendry, Dean Whare (Penrith Panthers), Shaun Johnson, Thomas Leuluai, Kevin Locke, Simon Mannering, Ben Matulino, Sam Rapira, Elijah Taylor, Manu Vatuvei (NZ Warriors), Adam Blair, Tim Simona (Wests Tigers)
