New Zealand have refused to rule Kalyn Ponga out of the rest of the Rugby League World Cup as he prepares to have surgery on a broken forearm.
The full-back played on for around 20 minutes with the injury, sustained during Thursday's epic tournament opener against co-hosts Australia, which the Kiwis lost 24-22.
Ponga stayed on the pitch - and scored the second of his two tries - after breaking his arm in a tackle with Kangaroos stand-off Cameron Munster, before finally coming off in the 70th minute.
He will remain with the squad once he has had surgery, even though he has only an outside chance of being fit for the final in Brisbane on 15 November, should New Zealand get there.
"We wish Kalyn all the best with his surgery today," New Zealand team doctor Greg Macleod said on Friday.
"We'll see how that goes but for now he will remain in camp."
The loss of Ponga, who scored a try in a superb display for Newcastle Knights when they lost 19-18 to Sydney Roosters in the NRL Grand Final on 4 October, is a significant blow to New Zealand.
Gold Coast Titans full-back Keano Kini is set to step in for the Kiwis' remaining two Pool A matches, against the Cook Islands in Christchurch on 25 October and Fiji in Gold Coast on 31 October.
Kini said: "We all know the player Kalyn Ponga is.
"If that does rest on me, I'll just play my own footy. I know what sort of footy I can play so I back myself all day.
"That stuff doesn't faze me."
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