Newcastle Knights star Kalyn Ponga is unavailable for the NRL's All Stars pre-season game - for the third year running

Latrell Mitchell will make his return for the Indigenous All Stars next month in Rotorua.

But the first match in New Zealand looks set to be shorn of some of its biggest Maori stars, with Ponga joined on the unavailable list by new Dolphins recruits Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, and Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad .

And the game's viability could be under threat due to the current wrangle between the NRL and the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) over the collective bargaining agreement.

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