Tonga have been dealt a major blow ahead of next month's historic rugby league Test against Australia in Auckland with captain Sika Manu suffering a season-ending knee injury.
He received the injury in Hull FC's UK Super League last-round loss to St Helens only days after coach Kristian Woolf named his initial 29-strong squad.
The 31-year-old back-rower has amassed 11 Tests for the Mate Ma'a since switching his allegiance from New Zealand in 2013.
But the former Melbourne and Penrith NRL forward will miss Tonga's first Test against the Kangaroos in Auckland on October 20th.
Tonga captain Sika Manu waves to the crowd after his side's semi-final loss to England at the World Cup last year. Photo: Photosport
"Sika is the latest member of our squad to be ruled out for the remainder of the season and it's gutting for us," Hull FC coach Lee Radford said.
"It's gutting for him, too, because he'll miss Tonga's game against Australia next month, which would have been a great experience for him."
Woolf still has his strongest Tonga squad at his disposal, with Brisbane forward Tevita Pangai resisting pledging his allegiance to Australia to spearhead the Mate Ma'a pack with Cronulla star Andrew Fifita and North Queensland's Jason Taumalolo.
Pangai had been toying with making himself available for NSW's State of Origin side next year.
Scott Sorensen, the nephew of Kiwi greats Dane and Kurt Sorensen, is Tonga's latest convert after the Cronulla forward was named in the extended squad.
Sorensen will feature off the bench in the Sharks' Friday night preliminary final against Melbourne.
The 29-strong squad has a monster pack but also backline speed to burn, with Warriors' NRL top try-scorer David Fusitu'a, Parramatta's Michael Jennings, Canterbury's Will Hopoate, South Sydney winger Robert Jennings and the Sydney Roosters' Daniel Tupou included.
The final squad will be named next month before Woolf takes Tonga on a 10-day camp.
-AAP
