The NRL has warned Canterbury it will not receive its $110,000 appearance fee if the club continues to rest stars David Klemmer and Josh Reynolds at the Auckland Nines.
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Cowboys hot on day one of Nines
Led by Johnathan Thurston, the North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos were among the strong performers on day one of the Auckland Nines.
The NRL approached Bulldogs officials after their second loss at Eden Park on Saturday, informing them they would have to risk the high-profile duo in Sunday's dead rubber or walk away from Auckland without the six-figure appearance fee.
Canterbury have never shown any interest in the tournament and are one of two teams – the other is St George Illawarra – that have never made it past the group stage of the event.
Bulldogs coach Des Hasler has made no secret of his disregard for the tournament, regularly resting his best players and failing to travel across the ditch to watch his side in all four years.
Their poor record continued on Saturday, the Bulldogs failing to win a game and taking their overall record at the Nines to three wins from 11 appearances, identical to the Dragons' record over the first four years.
Under the NRL's rules, clubs must name one of their top five highest-paid players and 12 of their top 25. However, Klemmer and Reynolds watched both of Canterbury's games against Penrith and the Titans in polo shirts from the sidelines.
Given the Bulldogs' reluctance to commit to the Nines, Klemmer and Reynolds aren't expected to see much time on the field, but a brief appearance will be enough for them to take home the $110,000 cheque for their services.
Crowd favourite Shaun Johnson, and arguably the most dynamic Nines player in the tournament's history, was a no-show on Saturday after picking up a minor groin injury in the warm-up before the Warriors' first game against the Dragons.
While the Warriors didn't want to take risks with their superstar halfback, they insist he will play on Sunday if fit despite being no chance to make it past the group stage in their dead rubber against the Dragons.
"He's integral to promoting the game in New Zealand and around the world, so if Shaun's available and fit, we'll give him that opportunity to play," Warriors nines coach Steve McNamara said.
"But we make no mistake, from day one we made it clear that we're preparing for the NRL competition and some other teams are in the same position as us.
"Some have got some very strong squads, some have got some weaker squads and I suppose simply because we're the home team, it does make it more difficult for ourselves. But sometimes you have to make the tough decisions based on what was right for our squad and team going forward."
While there were a number of injuries on the opening day, the tournament did not have a big-name casualty as it had done in previous years.
South Sydney winger Aaron Gray left the sheds on crutches after suffering a suspected torn medial ligament in his knee and is now facing between four to eight weeks on the sidelines.
Melbourne five-eighth Cameron Munster was nursing a dislocated finger suffered in the opening game, however it didn't stop him from featuring heavily in his side's win against the Tigers in game two.
Benji Marshall, who required six stitches to repair a busted lip in the first game, suffered a calf strain in the second match and was taken off for precautionary measures.
Parramatta's Kenny Edwards was also hobbling around with a calf strain, but the severity of the injury is unclear.
The Cowboys, who have surged into tournament favouritism, weren't afraid to risk their big-name players, rolling the dice with Johnathan Thurston, Michael Morgan and Jason Taumalolo.
"It was fun but tough at the same time," Thurston said after his maiden appearance in the Nines.
"You see a lot more space when you've got the ball, it's a lot quicker so it's a good type of footy to play at this time of the year."
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