Newcastle Knights prop Jack Stockwell says he was shocked when he was named in the Prime Minister’s XIII team to play Papua New Guinea but simply couldn’t bring himself to play whilst still recovering from bicep surgery.

‘‘I wasn’t going to come back that early from the biceps,’’ Stockwell told the Newcastle Herald.

‘‘They named me, but it just wasn’t going to happen.

‘‘It was nice to get the recognition, for sure. I was very surprised when they announced the squad.

‘‘I would love to have gone over and played, especially with Gags [teammate Dane Gagai], but unfortunately I wasn’t ready.’’

The former Australian schoolboy was ruled out for the season after going down in the Knights’ round 12 defeat to Canberra.

‘‘I’d just got myself into the starting side and started to play some not-too-bad footy,’’ he said.

‘‘So I was very disappointed my season had to end so quickly.

‘‘But I stuck with the boys for the whole season, and it’s good to be back into pre-season, getting ready for 2016.’’

‘‘I have to get through the pre-season, get my arm right and play some consistent footy.

‘‘Obviously the goal is to make the starting team, but if I’m coming off the bench, it won’t worry me too much.

‘‘I’ll still play my style of footy and do what I can for the team.’’