NRL availability

The latest word on every player whose availability came up in a press conference in the last three weeks.

Jacob Saifiti Fiji · 18 Oct, 7:04pm AEDT

Jacob Saifiti is back with Fiji after years away, his four-week suspension served. Mick Potter didn't see it coming: "It was fantastic. It was unexpected, but yeah, he's a great acquisition."

Esan Marsters Cook Islands · 18 Oct, 6:57pm AEDT

Esan Marsters came into the Cook Islands camp with a partially ruptured Achilles, Karmichael Hunt said, and is still a few games from his best. Taking him off around the 55th minute against Fiji "was really just about getting some fresher legs on there." New Zealand is next.

Marata Niukore Cook Islands · 18 Oct, 6:47pm AEDT

Marata Niukore, the Cook Islands co-captain, missed the loss to Fiji with the groin and hip problem he has been managing. Karmichael Hunt said: "to not have him available to come into camp, just from a pure presence point of view, it definitely hurt us."

Valentine Holmes Cook Islands · 18 Oct, 6:47pm AEDT

Valentine Holmes, who missed the Cook Islands' loss to Fiji coming back from a syndesmosis injury, has been cleared by the Dragons, Karmichael Hunt said: "he'll be on the plane with us to Christchurch and he'll be able to be selected." Next up: New Zealand.

Demitric Vaimauga, Latu Fainu Tonga · 17 Oct, 11:32pm AEDT

Tonga lost Latu Fainu early against England, forcing a bench rethink. Kristian Woolf: "I'm not sure how bad that is just yet." Demitric Vaimauga passed his HIA but stayed off with a split. Woolf will "see how we go"; recovery comes first on the short turnaround to Lebanon.

Charbel Tasipale, Mikael Ibrahim, Abbas Miski Lebanon · 17 Oct, 6:15pm AEDT

Lebanon lost Charbel Tasipale "very late in the warm-up" against Papua New Guinea; Michael Cheika gave no detail on why or for how long. Winger Abbas Miski moved to the edge of the back row, covering with Mikael Ibrahim. No other injuries, Cheika said: "we seem pretty good."

Deine Mariner Samoa · 16 Oct, 10:13pm AEDT

Deine Mariner came off as a precaution and will have a scan on 17 October to "see how bad it is and move forward from there," Samoa coach Ben Gardiner said. He said the early stage of the tournament and Samoa's early lead made it safer to take him off.

Julian Bousquet, Leo Darrelatour, Alrix Da Costa, Cesar Rouge France · 16 Oct, 10:13pm AEDT

France lost winger Leo Darrelatour to a failed HIA against Samoa, Laurent Frayssinous said, after losing Julian Bousquet and Alrix Da Costa in the buildup: "the preparation has been a bit disrupted. That's not an excuse." Halfback Cesar Rouge had 15 minutes off before returning.

Mitchell Moses, Ethan Strange Australia · 16 Oct, 11:07am AEDT

Mitchell Moses has scans on 16 October on a leg injury Australia coach Kevin Walters said is "not so much his calf, it's more the side of his leg." If Moses is ruled out of the tournament, shadow player Ethan Strange can come in, but Walters didn't commit either way.

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow Samoa · 9 Oct, 3:25pm AEDT

Junior Paulo's knee hasn't come up, Samoa coach Ben Gardiner said on 6 October: "He's ready to go, he's been training." Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, injured for last year's Pacific tournament, is "raring to go". Terrell ruled himself out weeks before the tournament.