St George Illawarra and Australian captain Sam Bremner has been ruled out of Saturday night’s Trans-Tasman Test.
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The experienced fullback has been battling a toe injury that forced her to miss the Dragons final two NRL Women’s matches.
Bremner had been hopeful of overcoming the injury in time for the Test match against New Zealand, but she ultimately ran out of time.
The 26-year-old has been replaced by Queensland captain Karina Brown.
“We've got plenty of experienced players in the squad, with many of the team having played the Kiwis on multiple occasions, including Karina,” Jillaroos coach Brad Donald said.
“It's unfortunate to be losing our captain for such a big match, but I know Sam will be cheering the team on and we look forward to welcoming her back from injury as soon as possible.”
The injury is the latest in a long list of setbacks for the Helensburgh-product, with Bremner also forced to miss the 2017 World Cup final after suffering a stress fracture.
Despite Bremner’s withdrawal, the Dragons retain a heavy presence in the Australian side, with Kezie Apps, Annette Brander, Keeley Davis, Jess Sergis, Hannah Southwell and Holli Wheeler all in the squad set to travel to New Zealand.
The Jillaroos play the Kiwi Ferns at Mt Smart Stadium 3pm (AEDT) on Saturday afternoon.