7th Tackle: Surgery to sideline Kasiano

It appears Anthony Milford isn’t the only player who’ll be missing from World Cup action at the end of the year thanks to a shoulder problem.

We can reveal Samoan teammate Sam Kasiano is also likely to go under the knife once his NRL commitments are over, to repair a less significant shoulder injury.

Kasiano will join Melbourne on a three-year deal in November – and Storm staffers had private concerns about the impact of his World Cup commitments on pre-season training.

If Kasiano did play, his mandatory six-week leave would not begin until mid-November.

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That would have kept him off limits from Craig Bellamy’s annual torture regimen until January.

But it now appears the club’s dilemma has been solved, in the process creating a selection hole for the Samoans.