The Kangaroos squad for the upcoming Pacific Championships includes both Valentine Holmes and Josh Addo-Carr despite both players having involvements in off-field incidents requiring investigations.  

Addo-Carr's availability for the Pacific Championships is still up in the air after he was involved in a brawl at the Koori Knockout on NRL grand final weekend.

Coach Mal Meninga also named Holmes despite the fact he is unavailable for the tournament opener against Samoa in Townsville on October 14 due to a one-match suspension.

Holmes was investigated by the NRL integrity unit after he posted a photo of himself on Instagram, posing with a bag of white powder.

Holmes has also been fined $25,000 and required to undertake "appropriate remediation" and attend education and training to be advised by the NRL.

"With Valentine Holmes, it will be announced this afternoon he has a one-match suspension, and he has accepted the penalty," ARL Commission chair Peter V'landys said at the squad unveiling in Sydney on Tuesday.

"We're not going to comment on the Addo-Carr situation because it's with the integrity unit, and we'll let them do their investigation."

Latrell Mitchell, who was one of Meninga's most valuable players in last year's Rugby League World Cup, also played at the Koori Knockout but was not in the Kangaroos squad.

Meninga said he was surprised to see him feature at the Koori Knockout, given Mitchell's club, South Sydney, had said he was unavailable for Kangaroos selection because of a finger injury.

"The club said that he's out because of injury, so we've just gone with that," Meninga said.

"I was a bit surprised, but the club gave him permission to do that.

"Knowing Latrell, he loves the Koori Knockout, he always gets involved, [he is] a very proud First Nations person.

"Off the back of the World Cup, it was a pretty torrid year. He got his first injury through State of Origin in the training camp and didn't really seem to get going after that.

"He has had a bit of bad luck this year and I think the rest is going to do him the world of good, get his mind right and get his body right and be a force for the Rabbitohs next year."

There was no room in Meninga's squad for Dally M Medallist Kalyn Ponga, Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards or Brisbane whiz Reece Walsh, with James Tedesco retaining the captaincy.

There were, however, five Broncos players included in the squad, with Selwyn Cobbo, Payne Haas, Patrick Carrigan, Tom Flegler and Kotoni Staggs all selected.

Staggs and Dolphins flyer Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow have both elected to play for Australia, despite representing Tonga and Samoa respectively at last year's World Cup.

Only three members of Penrith's grand final-winning squad — Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary — are named.

Meninga said Cleary would get the nod ahead of Queensland halfback Daly Cherry-Evans to wear the number seven jersey.