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Warriors
1 Sam Tomkins
2 Glen Fisiiahi
3 Dane Nielsen
4 Jerome Ropati
5 Manu Vatuvei
6 Chad Townsend
7 Shaun Johnson
8 Sam Rapira
9 Nathan Friend
10 Ben Matulino
11 Jayson Bukuya
12 Simon Mannering (c)
13 Sione Lousi
Interchange
14 Jacob Lillyman
15 Suaia Matagi
16 Konrad Hurrell
17 Thomas Leuluai
Coach: Matthew Elliott
Wests Tigers
1 James Tedesco
2 David Nofoaluma
3 Keith Lulia
4 Tim Simona
5 Pat Richards
6 Braith Anasta
7 Luke Brooks
8 Aaron Woods
9 Robbie Farah
10 Keith Galloway
18 Cory Paterson
12 Bodene Thompson
13 Adam Blair
Interchange
14 Martin Taupau
15 Ava Seumanu***ai
16 Sauaso Sue
17 James Gavet
Coach: Mick Potter
Warriors v Wests Tigers preview
By Corey Rosser
NRL.com
2:30pm Wed 26th March, 2014
Warriors v Wests Tigers
Westpac Stadium
Saturday 3pm (AEDT)
Both of these teams shocked the competition last week with unexpected victories, the Tigers making it look easy for the most part against the Rabbitohs and the Warriors having to fight for every second of their win over the Cowboys.
The sides are perfectly matched over their 14-year history, with 11 wins apiece.
But the Tigers head to Wellington’s Westpac Stadium on Saturday night with more momentum on their side: in their past two matches they have scored 67 points and conceded only 28, using outright speed as their weapon of choice.
For the Warriors, despite the ugly nature of their last-up win, it was the type of backs-to-the-wall performance which they desperately needed.
After being called out by coach Matt Elliott for their lack of will in Round 2, the New Zealand club showed plenty at 1300SMILES Stadium, repeatedly repelling the Cowboys from close range.
The only change for the Tigers is a forced one – Cory Paterson coming in for Liam Fulton who is missing after suffering a second concussion for 2014.
Former Junior Warrior James Gavet can think himself lucky to be coming up against his old mates this weekend though, escaping suspension following his ugly kneeing of George Burgess while trying to effect a tackle.
The big news for the Warriors is the return of Kiwi international Thomas Leuluai from a long injury lay-off. Chad Townsend keeps his spot at five-eighth however, with Leuluai named on the bench.
Sione Lousi comes in to start at lock, with Feleti Mateo out due to a knee injury. Konrad Hurrell is named on the bench for the second week in a row.
Watch Out Warriors: Veteran winger Pat Richards is back in the NRL and boy is he making his presence felt! Richards has been fantastic in general play, clocking up five line breaks and crossing for four tries in the opening three matches, as well as having two denied by the video ref last week.
Also, his ability to make every kick-off a towering 50/50 contest provides his side with a good chance of obtaining extra possession.
The Warriors have an awful record at venues in New Zealand away from their traditional home at Mt Smart Stadium. They have played 16 games for only two wins and a draw, a winning percentage of just 12.5 per cent. They need to run out and imagine they are several hundred kilometres north.
Watch Out Tigers: Last week the Warriors' big boys seemed to find their mojo, with Sam Rapira, Simon Mannering and Jacob Lillyman all running for more than 100 metres. The Tigers' forward pack will need to meet that physicality head-on, something they didn’t have any issue with against the Rabbitohs.
Konrad Hurrell is back, and he looks angry. After spending the first two weeks of the season in the Warriors' NSW Cup side, due to a waistline which grew a little too much for Elliott’s liking over the off-season, Hurrell made a try-scoring comeback against the Cowboys. Just another huge human the Tigers have to worry about on Saturday night.
Plays To Watch: Luke Brooks to James Tedesco, and vice versa, is a combination that will strike and score on you before you even know what has happened. The two youngsters are in fine form, and despite playing just a handful of games together, are linking like seasoned pros.
Meanwhile hooker Nathan Friend’s flat ball close to the line proved popular for the Warriors last week. Given the size of the home team's pack, a good ball close to the line will end in a try more often than not.
Where It Will be Won: Explosive backs are in no shortage when these two teams are around, and it is likely the game will centre on their involvement. Both sides rely on their big backlines to make metres for them early in tackle counts.
With swirling wind never far away in Wellington, the high ball will be a popular play too. Whoever can best defend this and take advantage of their opportunities on attack will likely take home the two competition points.
The History: Played 22; Warriors 11, Tigers 11. The ledger is perfectly balanced, with the Warriors having the last laugh in 2013 with a 24-14 victory. The New Zealanders continue to hold the biggest bragging rights, having knocked the Tigers out of the 2011 finals series with a last minute 22-20 win.
What Are The Odds: This looms as the biggest upset of the round according to Sportsbet.com.au, with 95 per cent of money coming for the Tigers, who have firmed from $2.80 to $2.60. There has been no interest at all in the Warriors who have drifted from $1.30 to $1.45.
The Way We See It: The Warriors showed guts last week, travelling to North Queensland and coming away with the points, producing plenty of goal-line stands which any club in the competition would be proud of. Confidence is everything to this team, and they will have gained plenty of it from that performance.
You can’t ignore the form of the Tigers, convincing against a poor Titans team two weeks ago and impressive against former competition favourites the Rabbitohs last Friday.
But maybe, just maybe, the Warriors turned a corner last week. It will be close, with plenty of points scored and the Warriors winning by four.
Wellington gets behind the NZ Warriors again
The Warriors are expecting another healthy crowd of 20-25,000 as the NRL returns to Wellington on Saturday.
A bumper Westpac Stadium crowd of 30,112 watched the Bulldogs beat the Warriors 24-16 last year - a record attendance for a league game in Wellington.
By yesterday afternoon more than 16,000 tickets had been sold for Saturday's clash with the in-form Wests Tigers.
The Warriors' playing squad doesn't arrive in the capital until tomorrow afternoon as they recover from the effects of last Saturday's 20-16 win over the Cowboys in Townsville.
So it was left to the advance party to help promote the game yesterday.
With the support of KidsCan, Warriors strength and conditioning coach Ruben Wiki, and injured players Kevin Locke and Sam Lousi, visited Naenae Intermediate School and handed out raincoats to each of the 350 students.
Flying fullback Locke was predictably the most popular but Kiwis legend Wiki and hulking forward Lousi also got their share of attention in between songs and a Q and A session.
"Naenae is right behind us, look at them," said Wiki as he was mobbed by delighted pupils.
"It's good to bring the game down to Wellington and get the game around the country. There's a lot of hardy league people down here and no doubt they'll come out in force on Saturday. The boys are pretty ecstatic to get the first win but we know we need to get better. There is a lot of improvement so hopefully we can rectify our mistakes from the game in Townsville."
After finishing 15th of 16 teams last year, the Tigers are high on confidence after winning their past two games, including last Friday's 25-16 upset of South Sydney.
In the past the Tigers have been known for the backline tricks of Benji Marshall and co but Wiki has been impressed by their forwards this year.
"They've got a pretty physical pack. The games are won and lost in the middle and they really took it to the Rabbitohs, who have got a pretty formidable forward pack. So they answered their critics, the Tigers, and got the job done. Robbie Farah is pretty dangerous around the ruck as well."
Tigers captain Farah will be given till game day to prove his fitness after sitting out training yesterday with a calf strain.
Known for brutal and fearless play during his illustrious 16-year career, Wiki also weighed in on the concussion debate yesterday.
Wiki said he'd suffered several concussions throughout his career but "nothing major" and had not suffered lingering effects in retirement.
He said the NRL was much improved in educating and protecting players.
"Over the years you've seen guys with concussion stay on the field. But this year they've put their foot down and any signs of concussion, the player comes off and gets assessed by the doctor. That's how it should be. It's all about player safety and you can't take a player back on the field if he can't remember what day it is. They're doing a great job, the NRL, and all the clubs are behind it."
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz
Warriors v Wests Tigers
Warriors: Should be 1-17, with playmaker Thomas Leuluai back from injured to replace Feleti Mateo (knee) on the bench. Skipper Simon Mannering (virus) is expected to take his place.
Wests Tigers: A calf strain is not expected to stop captain Robbie Farah taking his place at hooker. Chris Lawrence is back in the centres after overcoming a hamstring injury, taking the place of Tim Simona (concussion).
Ropati suffers broken jaw in Warriors win
By Daniel Gilhooly
AAP
5:25pm Sat 29th March, 2014
The Warriors' joy at ending their Wellington hoodoo with a 42-18 blitz of the Wests Tigers was dampened by another serious injury to Jerome Ropati.
The veteran centre suffered a suspected broken jaw before leaving the game in the 12th minute. The degree of damage and recovery time are still to be determined.
Warriors coach Matthew Elliott says there was a change to the dressing room atmosphere in the wake of the eight tries-to-three win after the team learned of Ropati's fate.
It continues a dreadful run with injury for the 28-year-old, who has barely played over the last three seasons due to a series of knee injuries.
"The boys are pretty down, it's hard to get too excited in there because we're all down about that," Elliott said.
"The boys were enjoying having him in the team, he brings a real solidarity around him so he's going to be sorely missed."
The Tigers suffered three notable injuries of their own during a wild game which they led 12-0 after half an hour before conceding five tries in the space of 13 minutes either side of halftime.
Second rower Cory Paterson didn't return after suffering apparent neck damage when landing awkwardly in an 11th-minute tackle from Sione Lousi, which saw the Warriors forward placed on report.
Fullback James Tedesco exited after 30 minutes, suffering concussion and a facial cut through an accidental knee to the head. Forward Sauaso Sue limped off late with an ankle injury which is likely to sideline him for a handful of weeks according to coach Mick Potter.
"At the back end of the game we weren't in good shape in terms of who could play," Potter said.
"And because we did have people out of position, we weren't as fluent as we should have been."
They struggled to contain the Warriors' bold attacking game, built on a surfeit of possession for the last 50 minutes.
Halfback Shaun Johnson scored a try in his 14-point haul and set up several others with his passing or astute grubber kicks.
Glen Fisiiahi was the chief beneficiary with four tries, taking his season tally to seven, while the others went to fellow-wing Manu Vatuvei, second-rower Jason Bukuya and fullback Sam Tomkins, who again mixed mistakes with some brilliant moments.
Braith Anasta and Tedesco capitalised on early Tigers dominance with tries while captain Robbie Farah scored the only try in the second spell amidst a Warriors scoring barrage.
Both teams now boast a two win-two loss record.
The Warriors backed up impressively from their 20-16 win over North Queensland last weekend while the Tigers' momentum following wins over Gold Coast and Souths has been abruptly halted.
It was the Warriors' first win in seven visits to Wellington since 2001.
Damn shame about Roparti.
Delighted to see the Warriors FINALLY win in Wellington. Not sure if they ever have but suffered an appalling run of loses there.
NZ Warriors vs Wests Tigers highlights
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