It's been a long time since the Broncos were as thinly represented in an Australian squad as they are for the upcoming World Cup campaign - but Brisbane coach Ivan Henjak says it's a blessing in disguise.
A far cry from the Brisbane-centric days of old, only two Broncos will don the green and gold in this year's World Cup - and that could be reduced to just one if Justin Hodges fails to recover from a shoulder injury.
Karmichael Hunt and Sam Thaiday were the glaring omissions, but Henjak says the Kangaroos' loss is the Broncos' gain.
"I thought they (Hunt and Thaiday) would be there," Henjak told News Limited.
"In my own mind I figured we wouldn't be seeing them in the pre-season.
"I thought both of them were in pretty good form (but) those boys will be able to have a proper pre-season with us now, which will be a bonus for them and the club."
Henjak admits the selections may be a case of quality over quantity.
"Both Locky and Hodgo haven't played a full season so they will be feeling nice and fresh going into the World Cup, which is a real bonus for Australia," Henjak said.
"I know Locky is quite enthusiastic about playing in the World Cup so I expect to see good things from him while we'll have to wait and see how Hodgo's shoulder comes up."
Hodges is sweating on the results of scans which will determine whether his shoulder will be right for the World Cup kicking off on October 25.
