Ricky Stuart has fired up at the NRL judiciary over their decision to wipe Seb Kris out of the All Stars clash at the weekend.

Kris was suspended following his send off against Cronulla late last year and had been allowed to count potential Kiwi appearances against his ban, but was not allowed to do the same for the All Stars, where he could have represented the Indigenous team.

Jacob Gagai, the Souths reserve grader, had been suspended in NSW Cup last year but was allowed to use the game – though neither he nor Kris had played it in before – and is now a chance to debut in Vegas.

Kris misses both the All Stars and Round 1 for the Raiders as a result of the ruling.

“I just hope I can get a proper justification on the inconsistency and not some feeble response,” the coach told the Daily Telegraph.

“I have a proud Torres Strait Island boy wanting to know why the All Stars game is not deemed important enough to serve part of his suspension as it has for other individuals,” Stuart said.

“He has missed a semi-final and three international games for his country and All Stars game, which he was desperately keen to play in.

“We will go through the right channels on Monday with the NRL to ask where the consistency is.”

Thompson out of Penrith clash

Prop Luke Thompson will miss the World Club Challenge against Penrith after suffering a concussion in Wigan’s first game of the Super League season.

Wigan’s 32-4 defeat of Castleford on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) was Lancashire-born Thompson’s first regular-season match since returning home from an injury-plagued four years with Canterbury in the NRL.

The prop failed a head injury assessment after coming off in the opening 20 minutes and will be unavailable for February 24’s annual match between the NRL and Super League premiers.

“It’s a blow,” Wigan coach Matt Peet said in his post-match press conference.

“The way he started the game and in pre-season, he was looking excellent. 

“But his health has to come first. He’s taken a whack on the head.

“It’s the right thing for the player (to miss the game).”

Ex-NRL prop Kaide Ellis and halfback Harry Smith are also in doubt after being penalised for a high tackle and dangerous throw respectively against Castleford.

The pair are set to learn their fate from the match review panel on Monday local time.

Thompson’s concussion comes as the Warriors hatch plans to neutralise the NRL’s best middle forward rotation at their DW Stadium, which kicks off at 7am on Sunday AEDT.

The prop forward played the Panthers three times across his 42 appearances for the Bulldogs.

Three-time reigning premiers Penrith arrived in England last week and are preparing to chase the only major trophy that has eluded them.

After COVID-19 complications led the 2022 edition to be cancelled, the Panthers lost last year’s World Club Challenge against St Helens. 

Neither the 1991 nor 2003 premiership sides won the clash with their English counterparts. 

With AAP