The first Team List Tuesday in more than two months is sure to have the majority of Warriors fans up in arms ahead of their Round 3 ‘home’ clash with St George Illawarra Dragons in Gosford.
Precocious playmaker Chanel Harris-Tavita has paid the price for a pair of disappointing performances in the opening two rounds in March, stripped of the No.6 jumper in favour of Kodi Nikorima, who filled a bench utility role against Newcastle and Canberra.
Harris-Tavita’s dumping and Nikorima’s promotion opens up an opportunity in the 17 for the ultra-versatile Karl Lawton, who will come off the bench.
Remarkably, given the club’s much-publicised engine-room injury crisis, there is just one face in the forward contingent from the side that went down to the Raiders in Round 2. Agnatius Paasi returns to essentially replace the sidelined Leeson Ah Mau; Paasi has been named to start on the bench, with Jamayne Taunoa-Brown slated to run on in the front-row alongside the ill-suited Lachlan Burr.
Well, well, well what do we have here … our first team list of the revised #NRL season 👀
👥 https://t.co/n6c7ZzxJBl#teamlisttuesday powered by @TheACCnz pic.twitter.com/tc0Q88Kl0I
— Vodafone Warriors (@NZWarriors) May 26, 2020
Isaiah Papali’i comes back into the starting 13 in the second-row with outstanding rookie Eliesa Katoa dropping back to the bench in another curious call. Adam Blair remains at lock.
King Vuniyayawa surprisingly retains a spot on the pine despite struggling to make an impact in the first two rounds. Josh Curran and recent acquisition Jack Murchie have been named on the extended bench, alongside Harris-Tavita and Adam Pompey.
As expected, Gerard Beale comes in at centre with David Fusitu’a unavailable, while Patrick Herbert returns on the wing after missing Round 2.
On the Dragons’ side of the fence, Cameron McInnes, Tariq Sims, Korbin Sims and Mikaele Ravalawa return from injury with Zac Lomax shifting to centre, Blake Lawrie and Tyrell Fuimaono moving to the bench and Tim Lafai and former Warrior Issac Luke out of the 21.
WARRIORS v ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
3.00pm, Saturday, March 21, 2020
WARRIORS
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (c)
2 PATRICK HERBERT
3 PETA HIKU
4 GERARD BEALE
5 KEN MAUMALO
6 KODI NIKORIMA
7 BLAKE GREEN
8 LACHLAN BURR
9 WAYDE EGAN
10 JAMAYNE TAUNOA-BROWN
11 ISAIAH PAPALI’I
12 TOHU HARRIS
13 ADAM BLAIR
Interchange:
14 KARL LAWTON
15 KING VUNIYAYAWA
16 AGNATIUS PAASI
17 ELIESA KATOA
18 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA
20 JOSH CURRAN
21 ADAM POMPEY
22 JACK MURCHIE
HEAD COACH | STEPHEN KEARNEY
DRAGONS
1. Matt Dufty
2. Jordan Pereira
3. Brayden Wiliame
4. Zac Lomax
5. Mikaele Ravalawa
6. Corey Norman
7. Ben Hunt
8. Korbin Sims
9. Cameron McInnes (c)
10. Paul Vaughan
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Tariq Sims
13. James Graham
Interchange:
14. Blake Lawrie
15. Josh Kerr
16. Tyrell Fuimaono
17. Euan Aitken
18. Trent Merrin
19. Adam Clune
20. Jacob Host
21. Jackson Ford
Categories: Team News + Stats, WARRIORS NEWS
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