FIJI Bati head coach Rick Stone will assess his pool of players for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup next month.
By now, Stone has had a fair idea of the performance of some local players as he was the technical advisor for the team during the Papua New Guinea tour last year.
And next month, the Newcastle Knights assistant coach will have a better idea of players' performances and calibre during the Battle of the Bati and the friendly match against Italy in Australia.
Fiji National Rugby League chairman Peni Musunamasi said they had turned their focus on the RLWC in Europe.
"We will have the Battle of the Bati next Wednesday where the Fiji Resident team will play a team from NSW. From there coach will select a team to play Italy. The matches will give Rick Stone a fair idea of players," he said.
Musunamasi said Stone was still negotiating with NRL players who were available to represent the Bati.