New Zealand trio left out following prescription drug use

Manu Vatuvei, Ben Matulino and Bodene Thompson have not been selected by New Zealand after it was revealed they mixed prescription drugs with energy drinks on a night out.

The Kiwis are due to take on Australia in a Test match at Newcastle's Hunter Stadium on Friday.

But on the advice of their club side, the New Zealand Warriors trio have not been selected by the national team after they were disciplined for being part of a larger group that were present on the night out.

"We did have discussions with the Warriors and information was divided," said acting New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Alex Hayton.

"We got to a point where we've got to pick a team and they breached our protocol so we weren't going to pick them.

"The Warriors weren't going to play them in the first team either, we both came to the same decision.

"It's a Warriors matter but suffice to say that the actions are not acceptable in a Kiwi team environment."