Thursday 26 May 2016 23:11, UK
Will Grigg has received a big boost ahead for the Euro 2016 squad announcement after fellow Northern Ireland strikers Liam Boyce and Billy McKay missed the final full training session.
Ahead of Saturday's unveiling of the 23-man selection, Michael Smith (Peterborough), Daniel Lafferty (Burnley) and Ben Reeves (MK Dons) were also absent from Windsor Park on Thursday afternoon.
Manager Michael O'Neill indicated on Thursday that he will not use the Belarus game to make key personnel decisions for France, and already has an idea of his squad.
He played down the significance of the five players missing out.
"We gave those players the day off. They worked solidly for eleven days so we had to be fair to them."
Despite this, missing a key session will be seen as a blow for the absentees especially as none of them are regulars.
Meanwhile, Wigan striker Grigg has scored 20 goals since January - more than any other player in England's top four divisions in the same period - and has made a strong case.
Boyce has featured more recently but missed part of the second half of the season with a hand injury.
Millwall's Shane Ferguson, expected to be in France, is preparing for a play-off final at Wembley against Barnsley but also missed training. MK Dons right back Lee Hodson was in attendance.
Young winger Joel Cooper, who plays in the Irish Premiership for Glenavon, was given the chance to train with the squad.
Northern Ireland host Belarus in a friendly on Friday night in Belfast, their final match on home soil before the tournament.
"We'll get great support," added O'Neill. "It's a new experience for all of us. The squad is in a really good place and all the preparation is geared towards June 12 for Poland."
