Kodi Nikorima has ruled himself out of contention for the Kiwis' Rugby League World Cup campaign.
The New Zealand Warriors playmaker cites a desire to spend time with his family as the rationale behind his decision, confirming on Friday that he won't be part of Michael Maguire's squad.
"I haven't spoken to Madge [Maguire] about yet," Nikorima says.
"I want to spend time with my family. My partner has been doing it pretty tough being pregnant and pretty much raising our son by herself, so I think for me, I'll be stepping aside and I'm looking at taking some time off at the end of the year and out myself out of contention [for the Kiwis]."
The news of Nikorima's withdrawal from international contention comes days after rumours swirled that he won't be returning from Australia at the end of the season.
Nikorima signed a one-year contract extension in May, keeping him at the club through the 2022 season - but reports suggest he will request an early release and look to sign with an Australian-based club.
While playing down those rumours, Nikorima reiterated that his family will come first in any rugby league decision he has to make.
"It's family first for me. When I make decisions it's with them at the forefront of my decision.
"If you look around the league, obviously contracts don't mean too much these days, with all this player movement. I'll leave that up to my manager. I'm only worried about playing good football for the club I am with - and right now, that is with the Warriors.
"All these rumours, I'm not even thinking about them."
The Warriors will look to break a three-match losing streak on Saturday against the Newcastle Knights.
