South Sydney Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray will reportedly lodge a claim with the NRL for the third and final game of his suspension to be served during the Prime Minister's XIII clash.
Murray, who fought at the judiciary last week but failed in his bid to have a high shot on Newcastle Knights' second-rower Tyson Frizell downgraded, is facing three matches on the sidelines.
Two of those are served in the NRL season, with the Rabbitohs playing - and losing to - the Penrith Panthers on Friday evening before clashing with the Sydney Roosters next weekend.
It was tipped that Murray's judiciary appearance would cost him the Kangaroos' first game of the Pacific Championships, but The Sydney Morning Herald is now reporting that the club and captain will lodge with NRL judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew that the match should be counted in the traditional warm-up, likely against Papua New Guinea.
The fixture, which is still to be confirmed, is one that Murray played last year.
Traditionally, exemptions for players to serve matches of a suspension in representative fixtures are only handed out if the judiciary chairman can be convinced the player likely would have been selected if not for suspension.
That means the Rabbitohs will need to make the case Murray would play in that game - and it's understood they will have the backing of Australian coach Mal Meninga.
In recent years, the Prime Minister's XIII squad has been made up of players picked in the Kangaroos' squad for the Pacific competition or World Cup who are out of finals contention and a handful of others.
The Rabbitohs are well and truly out of the mix for a top eight spot, meaning Murray could well have played in that game as a tune-up ahead of the Tests against Tonga and New Zealand where he will be a walk up selection for Meninga's side.
The Prime Minister's XIII game is yet to be confirmed. However, it is expected to be played during either the second or third week of the finals.
