Knights coach Adam O'Brien has addressed Greg Marzhew's omission for the club's season-opener against the Warriors, saying the strike winger is injured.
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Marzhew, who the Knights recruited from the Gold Coast as part of a player-swap with former hooker Chris Randall late last year, was left out of the 22-man match squad for Friday's NRL game this week and wasn't named to player reserve grade either.
After initial suggestions Marzhew was ill, O'Brien said on Thursday that Marzhew had picked up a "hip-pointer injury" in the pre-season tournament and he didn't want to risk him, likewise veteran centre Dane Gagai who has a hamstring issue, so early in the year.
"He got it in the Parramatta trial," O'Brien said of Marzhew.
"It was giving him a little bit of grief, and then it settled, and then we trained and it stirred it up again.
"We just thought with the flight, it's better [to rest him]. We've got a longer turnaround to round two.
"We've been hit with the injury stick in the past, so we thought we'd play the long game with Greg, and Dane is in a similar spot."
Hymel Hunt is understood to have beaten Marzhew to start on the left wing in round one regardless of the latter's injury.
The versatile Enari Tuala covers for Gagai at right centre.
"Hymel, for trial form and his whole summer, it's the best one he has had, certainly in my time at the club," O'Brien said.
"He's really went after it. Bringing him in on that edge will shore up some defensive stuff that we had there that was a concern during the trials.
"And Enari ... he's Mr Dependable."
Kick-off at Wellington's Sky Stadium is from 6pm (AEDT).
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