Queensland star Josh Papalii wanted to be part of the Kangaroos' Four Nations campaign, but he "knew his ankle wasn't right" and had to "look after himself" ahead of what's shaping as a big 2017.
Papalii had surgery on the ankle he injured during the Canberra Raiders' NRL finals campaign earlier in the week and he said he'd wear a brace for about four weeks.
He rolled the ankle during their semi-final win over the Penrith Panthers and then re-injured it in the preliminary final against the Melbourne Storm the following week.
The 24-year-old went into the Kangaroos camp, but it was decided he'd go under the knife instead of taking part in the international season.
It meant he missed out on Raiders teammate Shannon Boyd's Australian debut, in the 26-6 win over New Zealand in Perth last weekend.
He'll also miss out on the Four Nations, with the Australians starting their campaign against Scotland in Hull on Saturday.
But the second-rower will be a crucial cog in what's shaping as a massive year for the Raiders, as they look to go a couple of steps better than their 2016 campaign.
Plus there's also the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand at the end of next season.
"I was a bit disappointed. I think the biggest thing was I had a teammate there for the first time and it would have been nice to tour with Shannon Boyd," Papalii said.
"To be honest, I was glad to get in and get my ankle done. I don't think it was right to play the Four Nations anyway.
"The biggest was looking after myself and my body. It is a Four Nations tour, but at the end of the day you've got to try and look after yourself.
"I knew my ankle wasn't right and the best option for me was to fix my ankle and hopefully have a big year next year and make it into the World Cup team."
.@joshpapalii has undergone ankle surgery and reports everything went well.Best wishes for a speedy recovery Papa! #BleedGreen pic.twitter.com/5rEgbN15l5— Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) October 18, 2016
Papalii was impressed with Boyd's debut and the impact the 24-year-old had against the big Kiwi pack.
The last few years Papalii has been the Raiders' sole representative in the Australian team and he'd wanted to play in Boyd's debut.
He was hoping Boyd's impressive start meant the pair could enjoy a long international career together.
"I thought he was real strong. I think every run he made was about 10-12 metres and that's what you want from your props," Papalii said.
"Hopefully that's the case [and we can play for Australia together over the years]. It takes a lot of hard work to get into the Aussie squad, but then the hardest work is keeping that jersey."
Papalii was "pretty surprised" when he heard Dave Taylor was joining the Raiders on a training contract this pre-season.
Taylor is hoping to get an NRL lifeline after the former Queensland and Kangaroos forward had struggled with his weight.
He was released by French club Catalans Dragons after just one season and has to return to court in November after pleading guilty to cocaine possession.
Papalii's first State of Origin camp was Taylor's last and he felt the man known as the "Coal Train" would make the Raiders better.
If Taylor can play his way onto the Raiders' list, they'll boast a massive forward pack containing not only Taylor, but Boyd and Junior Paulo as well.
"I was pretty surprised, but he only makes our forward pack a bit bigger. I think he'll do well," Papalii said.
"Hopefully he can have a big pre-season and go from there. I think as someone who's done it all – he's been to Origin and Kangaroo tours – it's only good for the younger boys coming up. He can only make our team better."
FOUR NATIONS
Saturday: Australia v Scotland at Hull, 6am.
Sunday: England v New Zealand at Huddersfield, 12:30am.
November 6: England v Scotland at Coventry, 4:30am; New Zealand v Australia at Coventry, 7am.
November 12: New Zealand v Scotland at Workington, 7am.
November 14: England v Australia at London, 1am.
November 21: Final at Liverpool, 1:30am.
