Fullback option…Canberra’s Josh Dugan.
Source: Getty Images

NRL All Stars coach Wayne Bennett will spend the New Year tinkering with the names of 64 players in a bid to help fans cut the short-listed players into a 20-man squad.

Bennett’s side will tackle the Indigenous All Stars at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast on February 12 but the final team will not be announced until after the second stage of public voting ends on January 27.

The fullback position looms as the biggest headache for Bennett and voters with Josh Dugan, Jarryd Hayne, Kurt Gidley and Darius Boyd all in contention.

Bennett will announce his choices on January 2.

Fans will then pick their ultimate 16-man team by voting on the NRL website.

Bennett has been given free rein to pick the final two players and Kangaroos captain Darren Lockyer and Kiwi skipper Benji Marshall are also guaranteed a spot in the team.

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