Kiwis lose hit man Jeremy Smith to injury

THE Kiwis have suffered a major blow ahead of next Saturday's trans-Tasman Test in Townsville with the withdrawal of noted hit man Jeremy Smith.

THE Kiwis have suffered a major blow ahead of next Saturday's trans-Tasman Test in Townsville with the withdrawal of noted hit man Jeremy Smith because of a serious shoulder problem.

The news also has big implications for Smith's new club the Newcastle Knights with the 32-year-old former Melbourne, St George-Illawarra and Cronulla star facing off-season surgery.

Smith's place in the Kiwi squad has been taken by West Tigers forward Adam Blair whose initial omission was something of a surprise given he has been a regular in NZ Test sides since 2006. Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney said yesterday Smith was awaiting the result of scans, but surgery was a possibility.

Smith is a favourite of Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett who lured the Runaway Bay junior to St George Illawarra from the Storm in 2009, with Smith one of the stars of the Dragons' premiership success the following year.

Bennett also had been talking to Canterbury-Bankstown's former Broncos forward David Stagg who remains off-contract despite an impressive season capped off by a robust display in the grand final.

It is believed Stagg, 28, will return to Brisbane to live if he does not land a new deal, and it is not out of the question the Broncos could find a spot for him next season.

The Kiwis go into camp today with skipper Benji Marshall under increasing pressure to show he can handle the twin demands of captain and playmaker.

In the past year, there have been growing questions, particularly in NZ, over Marshall's suitability as national captain, particularly as his form at Test level has waned since the end of 2010.

However Australian Test coach and longtime Tigers mentor Tim Sheens does not think the armband is something that hinders the maverick talents of the 27-year-old. "I think being captain at representative level is a major responsibility - but one that he normally takes on as a pivot anyway," Sheens said.

"As a seven or a six, he is always responsible for the way the game runs, to a degree. Most of the (Australian) captains have always come from the spine of the team (fullback, five-eighth, halfback and hooker) and they are going to be the key decision-makers."

"The big issue you have to be careful about as a captain is that you don't become a traffic cop. By that, I mean you start worrying about what everyone else is doing and don't have the same impact with your own game."