Via Warriors Media
Veteran Blake Ayshford and rookie Adam Pompey will team up in the centres with the experienced Peta Hiku and newcomer Patrick Herbert both ruled out of the Warriors’ final match of the NRL season against the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium on Saturday (3.00pm kick-off local time; 5.00pm NZT).
Herbert picked up a quadriceps injury in the warm-up before last Friday night’s match against South Sydney while Hiku is out with a shoulder injury he suffered against the Raiders.
Hiku is to have scans to determine the severity of his injury while Herbert will also miss the match in Canberra.
Pompey, who scored his maiden NRL trial as Herbert’s replacement last week, will play his fifth first-grade match with Ayshford signing off with his 50th appearance for the Vodafone Warriors.
Playing his 100th career game will be standoff Kodi Nikorima, who joined the Vodafone Warriors midway through this season after an 86-game stint with Brisbane.
There are two changes on the preferred bench with Bunty Afoa returning for Sam Lisone after playing for Canterbury Cup side and Adam Keighran in for injured Chanel Harris-Tavita. Scans have revealed Harris-Tavita suffered ligament damage in his left arm during his three minutes of the field against Canberra.
Hiku, Herbert and Harris-Tavita join an injury list which also includes second rower Tohu Harris (whose last game was in round 14), outside back Gerard Beale and hookers Nate Roache and Karl Lawton.
Named on the extended bench are Josh Curran, Taane Milne, Hayze Perham and Leivaha Pulu.
Hiku’s absence ensures prop Leeson Ah Mau will finish the season as the only player to appear in each of the club’s 24 games.
In 41 previous encounters, the Vodafone Warriors have beaten Canberra 16 times while the Raiders have 22 victories. The Vodafone Warriors have won five of 18 away games against Canberra, one of those wins a 20-19 success last year.
WARRIORS V CANBERRA RAIDERS
3.00pm, Saturday, September 7, 2019
GIO Stadium, Canberra
WARRIORS
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (C)
2 DAVID FUSITU’A
3 ADAM POMPEY
4 BLAKE AYSHFORD
5 KEN MAUMALO
6 KODI NIKORIMA
7 BLAKE GREEN
8 AGNATIUS PAASI
9 ISSAC LUKE
10 LEESON AH MAU
11 ADAM BLAIR
12 ISAIAH PAPALI’I
13 JAZZ TEVAGA
Interchange:
14 LACHLAN BURR
15 BUNTY AFOA
16 LIGI SAO
17 ADAM KEIGHRAN
18 JOSH CURRAN
20 TAANE MILNE
21 HAYZE PERHAM
22 LEIVAHA PULU
HEAD COACH | STEPHEN KEARNEY
Categories: Team News + Stats, WARRIORS NEWS
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