Is anyone else getting frustrated at the seemingly increased say that senior All Blacks are having on the way things are run?

First there was first-five Daniel Carter deciding he wasn't going to line-up for Canterbury in the knock-out phase of the Air New Zealand Cup.

Then veteran fullback Mils Muliaina opted out of the first two tests of the season-ending tour due to the recent birth of his first child.

To my mind, if Muliaina is unavailable for the first two matches, then maybe he should also skip the remainder of the tour.

Player power is alive and well in the All Blacks - especially when it comes to the wants of senior members.

Last Saturday night's clash against the Wallabies in Hong Kong was Carter's first meaningful match since the end of the Tri Nations.

While he played in the All Black training squad's clash against the New Zealand Barbarians two weeks ago, it was hardly a high-intensity clash. If anything it was a glorified opposed training hit-out.

Three days later he was missing from action when Canterbury lined up in the Air New Zealand Cup final.

It was an action which saw the All Black coaching staff in the firing line for supposedly resting the star player.

However those critics have been surprisingly quiet since Carter revealed it was actually him who made the call.

While people are comfortable at having a crack at the likes of Henry, Smith and Hansen, they aren't so willing to say anything negative about the golden boy of New Zealand rugby.

Now Muliaina has been given the first two weeks of the All Black tour to spend time with his partner and their first child.

Muliaina telegraphed his likely non-availability against the Wallabies as early as the build-up to September's test against Manu Samoa.

I have no problems at all with him staying behind in New Zealand and witnessing the birth of his first child.

There are also compassionate grounds for him to have sat out the Wallabies clash four days later.

But to also miss the first test of the UK leg of the tour against Scotland is pushing things too far.

Either Muliaina is available for the full time in the UK or he isn't. There shouldn't be any middle ground.

He is not the only player in the All Black environment with a young family.

Team-mate Ross Filipo is also a recent father.

And he could have had good grounds to have skipped Hong Kong given that he was never in the reckoning for the match 22.

Muliaina is off-contract at the end of next season. And he is one player the NZRU are hugely keen to re-sign through to the 2011 World Cup.

With that in mind, maybe it makes good business sense to give him an extended break from his contracted rugby duties.

The lattitude offered him could pay off when the two parties sit down over the negotiation table.

All Black folklore is rich with stories of players who have made huge sacrifices to wear the black jersey.

That includes players skipping the births of their children.

Colin Meads continued playing in South Africa with a broken arm.

Red Conway even had a finger amputated so he could tour with the All Blacks.

Times have changed - there is no doubting that.

But what shouldn't change is that there is no 'I' in the word 'Team'.

On the strength of what is being seen from some of the senior pros, there are certainly a few 'Me's' appearing!

What do you think?

Are some senior players getting too much latitude?

Or do the likes of Carter and Muliaina deserve the kid-glove treatment they are receiving?