Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton's teammate Josh Kerr says the duo are in "a safe place" in Indigenous All Stars camp and any "baggage" from recent events in Australia has been left behind.
The superstar duo were among Indigenous teammates and Maori All Stars players formally welcomed at a marae ceremony in Rotorua, Zealand and put through their paces in training for the first time on Tuesday ahead of Saturday's match.
It came two days after the pair were arrested in the early hours in Canberra after what's been described as a light-hearted wrestle between the close friends, who had been celebrating Wighton's 30th birthday with others.
Mitchell, 25, was charged with resisting a public official, fighting in a public place and failing to comply with an exclusion direction, while Wighton was charged with fighting in a public place and failing to comply with an exclusion direction.
The NRL integrity unit is only expected to hand down sanctions once court proceedings have been finalised, with the pair set to front a magistrate court later this month.
It means they are both free to play against the Maori All Stars on Saturday in Rotorua.
Kerr said the pair deserved to play and could do so with minds uncluttered in a supportive environment.
"As soon as we walk through those doors of the camp all our baggage is gone," Kerr told travelling media in New Zealand.
"As soon as they came into camp they had their heads down. We said, 'This is a safe place for you boys'.
"We have a job to do this week. Whatever's happened... we don't even think about it. We just want them to be as happy and connected to culture as possible while they are in camp."
Kerr said former Indigenous star Timana Tahu spoke "beautifully" to the group about how being in camp was a safe haven where the cares of the world were discarded.
He said Mitchell was in a good frame of mind.
"It is great to see where his head is at in camp. He seems happy," he said.
"You look on TV and he is this big personality but coming into camp he is one of the boys."
Mitchell and Wighton are two of the biggest names in the pre-season All Star match which has lost some gloss with the withdrawals of stars including Joey Manu, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Josh Addo-Carr.
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