Josh Addo-Carr and Johnathan Thurston have urged clubs to not stand in the way of Indigenous players featuring in the All Stars as Ezra Mam became the latest highest-profile player made unavailable for next Friday’s game.

On the same day he inked a mega five-year extension at the Broncos, Mam was ruled out of contention for the Indigenous side, joining Bradman Best, Alex Johnston, Reece Walsh, Selwyn Cobbo, the suspended Jack Wighton and Tyrell Sloan.

Latrell Mitchell, Addo-Carr, Cody Walker and Nicho Hynes will still ensure there is plenty of star power for the game against the Maori All Stars that falls on the same weekend as the main club trials. The teams are expected to be announced as early as Wednesday.

“Playing this game is the same as making the Origin team or Australian team, and if it means something to the players, you have to let them go ahead,” Addo-Carr told this masthead.

“We don’t get too many opportunities to represent our culture, and this is the best way to do it. Origin means something to the players, and for us boys, this means the absolute world.

“Coaches want players to be game ready – and this is the perfect game to get started.”

Even in retirement, Thurston remains one of the most-loved Indigenous stars in the game, and while he could appreciate players remaining in clubland for trials, he said: “This game is bigger than the clubs – if the players are keen to play in it, it would be very disappointing if they pull their players out of it.

“I love everything about it,” Thurston said. “We’ve got the right concept now with the Maori All Stars, we have two proud cultures go head to head, and it’s about learning about culture and providing our stories to the rest of the nation.”