St George Illawarra Dragons Head of Athletic Performance Nathan Pickworth provides an update on the squad ahead of the NRL Auckland Nines tournament at Eden Park on February 4 and 5.

Here Pickworth explains the rationale behind withdrawing Tyson Frizell from the Dragons' squad for the tournament and the Australian Test representative's reaction to the news.

As a result, youngster Jacob Host comes into the Nines squad while Jack de Belin and Tariq Sims have been named co-captains for the tournament.

Pickworth also provides an overview of the Dragons' squad's health leading into the trial games.

Auckland Nines Squad:

1. Patrick Herbert

2. Nene Macdonald

3. Euan Aitken

4. Levi Dodd

5. Kalifa Faifai Loa

7. Kurt Mann

8. Siliva Havili

9. Cameron McInnes

10. Luciano Leilua

11. Jacob Host

12. Joel Thompson

13. Jack de Belin (c)

14. Tariq Sims (c)

15. Taane Milne

16. Shaun Nona

17. Will Matthews

18. Matt Dufty

21. Jai Field