All Black midfielder Ryan Crotty is all but certain to miss Saturday's British and Irish Lions test series decider with injury.
The 28-year-old Crotty strained a hamstring in the side's 30-15 first-test victory over the Lions in Auckland, missing Saturday's second-test defeat.
There were faint hopes the Crusader would be ready for the Eden Park decider, with his composure and accuracy a key plank of the All Black midfield.
But assistant coach Ian Foster squashed those hopes yesterday, saying he did not think Crotty would be available for selection.
His absence, as well as the suspension of Sonny Bill Williams for last week's red card, opens the door for summoned midfielder Malakai Fekitoa.
The versatile Anton Lienert-Brown is likely to retain a midfield spot, but Foster and the All Black coaching staff must now decide between Fekitoa at centre or rookie second five-eighth specialist Ngani Laumape.
The uncapped Jack Goodhue is also a midfield option, while Rieko Ioane is capable of playing on the wing or at centre.
Foster said Laumape, who made his debut in Wellington as the 14-man All Blacks fell to a 24-21 loss, could be proud of his performance.
"What a tough way to start your test career, to come in and have to do your role and a little bit of someone else's,'' Foster said.
"He was still able to express himself and do what he likes doing, and like the rest of the team, there will be some learnings.
"When you drop a man, it requires a slightly different focus in some areas.
"We didn't get that 100% right, but he should be pretty proud.''
Elsewhere, winger Waisake Naholo is in a race against time to be fit for Saturday's decider after failing a second-half concussion test in Wellington.
The Fijian-born Highlanders speedster would continue to work through the relevant protocols, with plenty of time to recover before the match.
Julian Savea, yet to play in either of the two tests, waits in the wings.
"He had limited involvement in training today,'' Foster said.
"We've got a few more hurdles to climb.''
Hooker Codie Taylor, meanwhile, has successfully shaken off a shoulder niggle that caused him to seek treatment during the second test.
Meanwhile, when it comes to training in Auckland, or jet-boating in Queenstown, Jerome Kaino swears he would rather be putting in the hard yards before Saturday's decider.
The jet-boating does sound pretty good, though.
The Lions have escaped to the Southern Alps for four days of rest and relaxation and will return to Auckland today.
The All Blacks, meanwhile, have been in their usual central Auckland confines, dissecting what went wrong in Wellington.
"Hey, if that's what they think will get the best out of their players, good on them - for us, we've got a lot of improvements to make,'' flanker Kaino said.
"I think we'll just worry about what we need to do.
"We have little pockets where guys have that balance, can enjoy being in the [All Blacks] environment - but not too relaxed.''
There was plenty of energy at yesterday's training session, with players doing all they could to earn a starting berth for the match, he said.